Jammu and Kashmir MP Sheikh Abdullah Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has been granted bail to campaign for the assembly election in the Union Territory. Engineer Rashid has been at a jail in Delhi since 2019 in connection with a terror-funding case.
He was granted bail by a Delhi court today. His Awami Ittehad Party is among the several local parties in fray for the three-phase assembly elections that will begin next month.
Engineer Rashid had contested in the general elections held earlier this year from jail and beat former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to win the Baramulla seat.
Now, Mr Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti have both spoken out against him, linking him to the BJP.
While Mr Abdullah has been circumspect, saying the BJP is planning to strike a deal with Independents and smaller political outfits after the election, Ms Mufti has directly accused the Awami Ittehad Party of being a BJP proxy.
Ms Mufti said while Mr Rashid’s victory from jail is understandable, it is unclear is how he is funding his party and bringing it to prominence with multiple candidates in this election. It had taken her father – former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed — around 5o years to do so, she had pointed out
