 Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 10: Though her party used every platform to dub Engineer Rashid’s party Awami Ittehad Party as BJP ‘proxy’ during Assembly elections, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed sympathy with Baramulla Lok Sabha member for getting only two-day custody parole.
Mehbooba expressed her anguish and pointed out that a rape convict Baba Ram Rahim has been repeatedly granted parole but an elected Member of Parliament was denied permission to attend Parliament session.
“Gurmeet Singh also calling himself Ram Rahim, convicted in rape and murder charges , has been out on parole for months since his imprisonment. Meanwhile, we have the honorable MP Engineer Rashid, who has finally been granted just two days of custody parole to attend Parliament, and that too only by a High Court order. This is truly the “mother of democracy” at work!”, the PDP chief posted on her social media account.
Earlier the Delhi High Court allowed two-day custody parole to jailed MP Engineer Rashid to attend the ongoing Parliament session.
Justice Vikas Mahajan said Rashid could attend the Parliament session on February 11 and 13.
Custody parole entails a prisoner being escorted by armed police personnel to the place of visit.
Rashid was saddled with certain riders as bail conditions, including not using a cell phone or addressing media.
The co Peoples Democratic Party used every platform to dub Er Rashid’s party Awami Ittehad Party as BJP ‘proxy’ during Assembly elections.
Now, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is expressing sympathy with Baramulla Lok Sabha member for getting only two-day custody parole.
Er Rashid was saddled with certain riders as bail conditions, including not using a cell phone or addressing media.
Rashid was arrested in 2019 following allegations of involvement in a money laundering case and for waging war against the country under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
His case is linked to funding separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and connections to designated terrorist Hafeez Saeed.
Important to mention here that during the Assembly elections, during the election campaign in September and October 2024, Mehbooba Mufti launched attacks on the Engineer Abdul Rashid-led Awami Itihad Party (AIP), calling it a “proxy with government’s protection”.
“Engineer Rashid is in jail. Mufti Mohammad Sayed, the founder of PDP took 20 years to form a party and still, we don’t have the resources to field candidates from place to place. Who is behind his ([Er Rashid’s) organisation that everywhere his people are being fielded? Where is the money coming from and how do they dare to be involved in hooliganism?” she questioned.
While questioning the government, Mufti further said: “I want to ask the government if you raised Er Rashid’s party as a proxy when other proxy parties failed… and now helping him with a lot of money and other things, why not be straightforward about not wanting other parties to fight. What sort of hooliganism is this?”. | 