| Kashmiri politician responsible for keeping Er Rashid in jail, reveals Omar Abdullah | | | 
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 22: Two days after Awami Ittehad Party announced to field jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid on the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, former Chief Minister and vice president of the National Conference Omar Abdullah said that a politician of Kashmir was responsible for the arrest of former MLA of Langate.
“It is very unfortunate that Engineer Rashid has to campaign from jail. For the last five years, Engineer Rashid has been lodged in jail without any crime”, Omar said, adding, “Engineer Rashid is not involved in any crime nor any offense has been proved against him. He is unnecessarily lodged in the jail”.
“Everybody knows that a prominent politician of Kashmir, who has political enmity with Engineer Rashid, is responsible for his arrest”, Omar disclosed without disclosing the name of that politician.
Omar further said that the same politician is very close to Delhi and he used his links in the government to ensure Engineer Rashid will remain in jail.
In August 2019, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested former Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Rashid Engineer, in connection with a terror funding case.
Rashid Engineer was the first mainstream politician to have been arrested by the NIA in the case.
Rashid Engineer, who was a legislator from the Langate Assembly seat in north Kashmir, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the case. ED was reportedly unsatisfied with Rashid Engineer's responses on the allegations on him and therefore, placed him under arrest.
Rashid Engineer’s name came up during the questioning of businessman Zahoor Watali.
Sources also claimed that the agency had asked Rashid Engineer to submit documents pertaining to certain dubious financial transactions.
Businessman Zahoor Watali, who was allegedly receiving money from Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed, was earlier arrested by the NIA in the same case. Moreover, Zahoor Watali was allegedly supplying money to terror groups and separatists in the Valley.
The NIA had registered the case against separatist and secessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and others. |
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