Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer arrives in Srinagar after being granted interim bail

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 12 (ANI): Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer arrived here on Thursday after he was released from the Tihar jail after being granted interim bail by Delhi’s Special NIA Court in a terror funding case.

Speaking to the media, Rashid Engineer said that he would not accept the decision taken by the Prime Minister on August 5 on the abrogation of Article 370, and that he was sure that Kashmir would win.

Rashid Engineer said, “I am very grateful that you all are supporting me. I just want to tell everyone that Kashmir is not weak. The people of Kashmir will win. We do not accept the decisions that were taken by the Prime Minister on August 5.”

On September 12, after being granted bail, Rashid Engineer said that the election is important as Kashmir is at a crucial stage.

Lashing out at the centre, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Naya Kashmir’ would collapse.

“I will just say that truth will prevail. I hope for the justice. The election is important as Kashmir is at a crucial stage. The people of J&K will successfully fight for justice as they are united. PM Modi’s so-called vision of ‘Naya Kashmir’ will fail,” he said.

The Patiala House Court on Wednesday issued a release order for Rashid Engineer, imposing the condition that he must not speak to the media about the ongoing terror funding case.

Rashid Engineer has been granted interim bail until October 2.

However, the pronouncement of the order on his regular bail plea, scheduled for Wednesday, has been deferred to October 5, 2024.

His counsel, Vikhyat Oberoi, argued that the interim bail was necessary for campaigning in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and to fulfil his duties as a parliamentarian.

In 2005, Rashid was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants. He was held for three months and 17 days on charges of anti-national activities and incarcerated in various prisons, including Cargo, Humhama, and Raj Bagh.

However, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar later dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds.

In August 2019, Rashid was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). While incarcerated, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.