Political Parties Must Fight for Restoration of Statehood, Darbar Move in J&K: Engineer Rashid

Srinagar, Oct 07 : Awami Ittehad Party chief and Member of Parliament for Baramulla, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, stated that before forming a government, political parties should focus on restoring the darbar move in Jammu and Kashmir to bring representatives closer to the people of both regions.

During a press conference, he urged political parties to prioritize the restoration of statehood, which was revoked in 2019, rather than forming a government. “If the government has sent me to Tihar jail without reason, hundreds of Kashmiris have been booked under UAPA, yet Yati Narsinghanand’s remarks against Prophet Muhammad remain unaddressed,” he said.

He noted that his party is not registered with the Election Commission and requested registration like other parties, including Apni Party and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party, emphasizing their past election participation.

“I do not prioritize forming a government. Let’s wait for the results, and a decision will be made at the right time,” he added.

Regarding the five nominated MLAs, he questioned why the BJP is nominating MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir if they claim the region is fully merged with India. He suggested that the government should allow them to contest elections instead. He expressed support for those opposing the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, stating they would work towards a new vision for the region.

On S. Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan, he called for dialogue between the two countries to promote peace amid tensions over Kashmir.

Regarding Sajad Lone’s claims, he stated that if Lone is alleging he wrote articles in Rashid’s name, then the NIA should investigate Lone, as they have labeled Rashid with separatist ideology based on those articles.(KNS).