Srinagar: Engineer Rashid, the head of Awami Ittehad Party, who has been imprisoned for 5 years for providing financial support to militants in Occupied Kashmir, contested the election from jail and met with a humiliating defeat for his opponents.
According to the Indian media, after all the results of the general elections came out, the BJP was in a position to form the government. This time, for the first time, elections were held in Occupied Kashmir.
It should be noted that before the black law of August 5, 2019, elections were held in Occupied Kashmir as a separate state, however, after the integration of Occupied Kashmir into the Federation, for the first time, elections were held in Occupied Kashmir along with the whole of India.
In the election held in Occupied Kashmir, the independent candidate Sheikh Abdul Rashid aka Engineer Rashid from the Bara Mullah seat defeated the pro-India former Chief Minister of Occupied Kashmir Omar Abdullah.
Jailed engineer Rashid’s election campaign was run by his 24-year-old son Abrar. The son of the captive leader went door to door in the constituency to convey his father’s message to the voters and mobilized the people.
As soon as the victory of captive leader Engineer Rashid was announced on the seat of Bara Mullah, a large number of his supporters came out on the streets and raised slogans in favor of Kashmir’s freedom struggle.
Opposing candidate Omar Abdullah also congratulated Engineer Rasheed on his unprecedented success and expressed his best wishes.
Engineer Rashid entered politics in 2008 and formed his own party named Awami Ittehad Party. In 2008 and 2014 general elections, he has won the election as an independent candidate.
Before forming a political party, in 2005, Engineer Rasheed was arrested by the Special Operation Group of Occupied Kashmir on charges of providing financial support to militants and was kept in custody for 5 months in a cargo container.
The Chief Magistrate of Occupied Kashmir acquitted Engineer Rashid by calling all the charges false, but for his release, he had to pay a bribe of 3 lakhs, for which Engineer Rashid had to sell his cattle and his parents’ property.
Later in August 2019, Engineer Rashid was re-arrested on old charges for protesting against the black law ending the special status of Occupied Kashmir and is still serving time in India’s notorious Tihar Jail.
