Parliament Member and Awami Itihad Party (AIP) Chief Abdul Rashid Sheikh popularly known as Engineer Rashid on Thursday said they would render full support to the INDIA alliance if it assures him of bringing a resolution in Parliament for restoration of Article 370.
“If INDIA alliance assures to bring a resolution for the restoration of Article 370 in the parliament, the AIP Party leader along with his supporters will extend full support to them”, Rashid told media persons in Srinagar on Thursday.
Engineer Rashid who is facing charges under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was released from Delh’s Tihar Jail on Wednesday on an interim bail given by NIA court for 20 days to run the elections campaign for his party. He arrived in Srinagar earlier in the day.
Let me clarify this.if the INDIA alliance gives me a written assurance to introduce a resolution in the Parliament about the restoration of Article 370, I along with my party leaders will extend full support to it”.
Rashid said that his fight is against the Prime Minister whose “Naya Kashmir “narrative miserably failed in Kashmir as proved by the people of North Kashmir during the parliament elections.
He said he would stage an ‘unimaginable sit-in’ outside the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to a question, Rashid said that “he was neither a Pakistani agent nor an Indian enemy”.
Taking a jab at the National Conference, Rashid said that “what NC had promised in their manifesto, could have done these things when they were in power”.
He alleged that “it was not possible without the signature of the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir that the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail”.
Rashid sought the full support of the people and asked them to get him to win at least 40 seats in the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier during his arrival from Delhi, Rashid said that “the decision taken on August 5 abrogating Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government is not acceptable to us and for that Engineer Rashid is ready to bear anything but, we will get the success”,
He said, “I want to tell the people of Jammu and Kashmir that we are not weak. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are on the path of truth”, Rashid asserted. He asked people not to lose courage, the truth is with us”.
He said “Nobody on earth, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah can suppress our voice.. the truth will prevail”.
“We are not begging for anything. We just want to treat us as humans to live”, he asked.
“We just want the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue which has been pending since 1947 so that peace could be restored in the sub-continent”, Rashid said and added “The conflict has killed 4 to 5 lakh people so far”.
He said the self-respect, rights, and liberty of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have to be protected.
“No, any mother should remain with an empty lap. No one remains in jails”, he said.
