KUPWARA: Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) President Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid on Tuesday dismissed speculation about aligning with the BJP and asserted that the main aim of his party is to restore peace in Kashmir. “Why will I join hands with the BJP? Power is a very small thing for me. I was an independent MLA and I would have joined any party. If power had been my priority I would have joined hands with PM Modi. Many people have died in Kashmir. My biggest concern is to make sure that these killings should stop,” Sheikh Abdul Rashid said. “Priority is how the leadership will work after getting the mandate of the public. Will they, like the traditional parties PDP, JKNC, INC, and BJP after winning elections roam like VVIPs…Kashmir has to go beyond that…Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) will aim to bring permanent peace to Kashmir,” he added. Engineer Rashid said that the recent increase in voter turnout in Kashmir, attributing it to the state’s repression. He emphasized that the people of Kashmir are eager for change and wish to express their feelings through democratic means. “The voting percentage has increased because people have been victims of state repression…the voice of the people has been suppressed since the PDP came to power in 2014. People want to express their feelings and they want change because they have understood that they can achieve something only through democratic means. Violence has no place in society…the people of Kashmir have always believed in democracy. They also wanted a democratic solution to the Kashmir issue. I hope an era of reconciliation will begin after the voting,” Rashid said. Abdul Rashid Sheikh, commonly referred to as Engineer Rashid, is a former two-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the Langate constituency in northern Kashmir. Rashid, who had been arrested and faced charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was granted interim bail from Tihar Jail in September. The special NIA court in Delhi approved the bail to enable Rashid to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. He is required to surrender on October 3. Rashid gained significant recognition when he defeated two prominent candidates in Jammu and Kashmir during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Omar Abdullah from the National Conference and Sajad Lone from the Baramulla seat. This victory took place while he was in jail, with his son, Abrar Rashid, leading the campaign on his behalf. Rashid’s party, the Awami Ittehad party has fielded 34 candidates in the 2024 Assembly elections. His younger brother, Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, is a candidate for the Langate seat in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections began at 7 am today with people queueing up at a polling station across 40 constituencies in seven districts of the Union Territory. At least 415 candidates, including former deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand of Congress and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, are contesting in the third phase. Mock polling also took place at various polling booths before the start of the polls. The first phase of voting took place on September 18, and the second phase concluded on September 25. The counting of the votes will be done on October 8.
