Srinagar, Jun 24 (KNO): Days after describing Engineer Rashid's victory as a boost to separatism in Kashmir, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday demanded Rashid's release, emphasizing that the incarcerated MP-elect must be allowed to represent the people of North Kashmir in Parliament.
Interestingly, on June 6—just two days after the Lok Sabha election results were announced—Omar shared excerpts of his interview with a New Delhi-based news portal on his social networking site. He stated, "Rashid’s victory, without doubt, will empower secessionists and give Kashmir’s defeated Islamist movement a renewed sense of hope. Efforts to reintegrate secessionism into electoral politics led New Delhi to support the rise of the People’s Democratic Party and its alliance with the BJP. However, this ended up empowering violent secessionists, not mainstreaming them—a warning of the unpredictable outcomes of political manipulation."
However, on Monday, Omar Abdullah extended congratulations to all newly sworn-in MPs and reiterated his call for the release of Sheikh Abdul Rashid.
He expressed, "I congratulate all the MPs who took oath today, including the representative elected by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a significant moment for our democracy. It's crucial that Engineer Rashid, elected by the people of North Kashmir, is allowed to take oath and serve his constituency."
Engineer Rashid secured victory in the Lok Sabha elections with a substantial margin over Omar Abdullah. Omar emphasized, "It's equally important to recognize the injustice faced by those currently in jail, preventing their participation in elections. We strongly advocate for justice for all prisoners, including our MP Engineer Rashid. Additionally, we demand that these prisoners held in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir be promptly transferred back to Kashmir jails until their release." Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti has also echoed the call for Engineer Rashid's release.
Additionally, on June 4, upon the announcement of the election results, Omar, in one of his tweets accepting defeat from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, had stated that he did not believe Rashid's victory would expedite his release from jail. "I think it’s time to accept the inevitable. Congratulations to Engineer Rashid for his victory in North Kashmir. I don’t believe his victory will hasten his release from prison nor will the people of North Kashmir get the representation they have a right to, but the voters have spoken and in a democracy, that’s all that matters," Omar had said on June 4 this year—(KNO)