National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah has expressed disapproval over the Delhi court's decision to grant interim bail to jailed Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid. Abdullah's comments came after Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, was granted bail by a special NIA court on Tuesday.
"I knew this would happen some time or the other. I feel sorry for the people of Baramulla because he has not been granted bail for the welfare of the people of Baramulla or attend the Parliament. He has been granted bail just to contest elections, after which he will be sent back to Tihar Jail. People of North Kashmir will again be unrepresented," Abdullah said as ANI quoted.
The court approved Rashid’s interim bail until October 2 to allow him to participate in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024.
On July 5, the court had granted Rashid custody parole to take the oath as a member of the Lok Sabha. Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case. He is lodged in Tihar jail. The court has reserved for tomorrow its order on his regular bail application. According to reports, Rashid's name cropped up in the case during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir valley. The NIA had filed a charge sheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in the case. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.