Srinagar: It was an emotional and deeply human moment at a Srinagar hospital when Awami Itehad Party (AIP) leader and Baramulla MP Abdur Rashid Sheikh—widely known as Engineer Rashid—embraced his ailing father after arriving from New Delhi.
The reunion, witnessed by hospital staff, security personnel, and a small circle of family members, quickly turned into a scene of raw emotion. Both father and son broke down as they held each other, and those present found their own eyes welling up at the sight. Rashid had travelled directly from the Srinagar airport to the Government-run Sri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, choosing to see his father before anything else. His release from Delhi came at dawn, following the Delhi High Court’s decision to grant him a week of interim bail.
The AIP leader has been incarcerated since July 2019, after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a case involving allegations of money laundering and terror funding. His return to Kashmir on Thursday marked his first visit home in years. Officials confirmed that he landed at the Srinagar airport in the afternoon and was immediately escorted to the hospital, where his father has been undergoing treatment. The Delhi High Court had granted him interim bail earlier in the week specifically to allow him to visit his father, whose health had reportedly deteriorated.
The High Court’s order, issued by a bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Madhu Jain, laid out strict conditions for the temporary release. The court clarified that during the one-week period, Rashid would be permitted only two locations- the hospital where his father is admitted and his own home. He would be accompanied at all times by at least two police personnel in plain clothes, and the court emphasised that Rashid would not be responsible for any travel or logistical costs associated with their deployment.
The judges also directed that there should be no “undue visitors” during his time with his father, allowing only immediate family members to be present. These conditions were set while the court was hearing Rashid’s appeal against a trial court order from April 24, which had previously denied him interim bail.
Rashid, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla—defeating prominent political figures including Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone—is currently facing trial in a terror-funding case. The allegations include claims that he provided financial support to separatist elements and militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir. After his arrest in 2019, he was lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The NIA had filed a charge sheet against him in October 2019, and in March 2022, a special NIA court framed charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government), and 124A (sedition), along with provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) related to terrorist activities and funding.
Several prominent political figures from across J&K’s diverse political landscape had earlier urged the authorities to allow Rashid to visit his ailing father on humanitarian grounds. Among those who publicly appealed for compassion were Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, and Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. In their calls, made separately, each of them stressed that irrespective of the legal proceedings surrounding the AIP leader, he should be granted the opportunity to see his father during a critical phase of illness, framing the request as a matter of humanity rather than politics.
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