Mahesh Kumar
On Tuesday (September 10), a Delhi court granted interim bail to Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid until October 2, allowing him to campaign for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
Rashid, who has been incarcerated since 2019 in connection with a terror funding case, won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Baramulla constituency.
He defeated his closest rival, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah, by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. Rashid had previously been permitted to leave Tihar Jail on July 5 to take his oath of office as a Lok Sabha member.
The case against Rashid began on May 30, 2017, when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a case under Indian Penal Code section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The case involved Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, co-founder of the Pakistani militant organization Lashkar-e-Toiba, and other “secessionist and separatist” leaders.
According to the NIA, these leaders were accused of receiving funds through hawala channels in collaboration with militants from groups like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and Lashkar-e-Toiba, with the intention of funding terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. These groups were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to secede Jammu and Kashmir from India and wage war against the Government of India.
Although Rashid was not named in the NIA’s initial case or the first chargesheet filed on January 18, 2018, his name emerged later in the investigation. He was arrested on August 9, 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its reorganization into two Union Territories.
His arrest followed a period during which much of Kashmir’s political leadership, including three former chief ministers, was detained.
On October 4, 2019, the NIA filed a second supplementary chargesheet naming Rashid, along with five others, as an accused. Among the accused was Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik.
Political analysts and local observers suggest that Rashid’s release just before the elections could significantly impact the electoral scene. His return might energize his supporters and boost voter mobilization, potentially challenging the dominance of established parties such as the NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rashid is seen as a “common man” who has consistently demanded accountability for alleged human rights abuses by security forces in Kashmir.
His release, coupled with the Awami Itihad Party’s manifesto promising a jail-free J&K and the revocation of the Public Safety Act and UAPA, could strengthen his appeal among young voters who view his imprisonment as emblematic of broader injustices.
The writer is an independent journalist. The views are personal.
Rashid, who has been incarcerated since 2019 in connection with a terror funding case, won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Baramulla constituency.
He defeated his closest rival, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah, by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. Rashid had previously been permitted to leave Tihar Jail on July 5 to take his oath of office as a Lok Sabha member.
The case against Rashid began on May 30, 2017, when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a case under Indian Penal Code section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The case involved Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, co-founder of the Pakistani militant organization Lashkar-e-Toiba, and other “secessionist and separatist” leaders.
According to the NIA, these leaders were accused of receiving funds through hawala channels in collaboration with militants from groups like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and Lashkar-e-Toiba, with the intention of funding terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. These groups were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to secede Jammu and Kashmir from India and wage war against the Government of India.
Although Rashid was not named in the NIA’s initial case or the first chargesheet filed on January 18, 2018, his name emerged later in the investigation. He was arrested on August 9, 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its reorganization into two Union Territories.
His arrest followed a period during which much of Kashmir’s political leadership, including three former chief ministers, was detained.
On October 4, 2019, the NIA filed a second supplementary chargesheet naming Rashid, along with five others, as an accused. Among the accused was Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik.
Political analysts and local observers suggest that Rashid’s release just before the elections could significantly impact the electoral scene. His return might energize his supporters and boost voter mobilization, potentially challenging the dominance of established parties such as the NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rashid is seen as a “common man” who has consistently demanded accountability for alleged human rights abuses by security forces in Kashmir.
His release, coupled with the Awami Itihad Party’s manifesto promising a jail-free J&K and the revocation of the Public Safety Act and UAPA, could strengthen his appeal among young voters who view his imprisonment as emblematic of broader injustices.
The writer is an independent journalist. The views are personal.
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