Out of jail on interim bail, Baramulla MP attends father’s funeral at native village

SRINAGAR: Released from Tihar jail Tuesday on interim bail, Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid flew to Srinagar and then to Handwara in frontier Kupwara district to participate in the funeral of his father, late Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, at his ancestral village Mawar Payeen.

Delhi HC had on Monday granted Rashid interim bail until June 2, 2026, after an urgent request was made by him following the death of his father earlier in the day at AIIMS, New Delhi. Rashid had sought permission to perform the funeral rites of his father.

Addressing mourners at the funeral, Rashid said his political struggle is much bigger than issues like Article 370 or statehood and is fundamentally linked to justice, dignity and respect for people. “I have no animosity with anyone. My fight is for the identity and dignity of people,” he said.

Rashid, founder of the Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), has been in Tihar jail since Aug 9, 2019, after NIA arrested him in a terror-funding case four days after the abrogation of Article 370.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he won from Baramulla by a huge margin, defeating Omar Abdullah, currently the J&K CM.

“The walls of Tihar cannot break me down. I have not done anything wrong,” Rashid said.