On Thursday morning, Engineer Rashid, parliamentarian and leader of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), landed in Srinagar and immediately showed his deep gratitude for returning to his homeland by bowing to the ground.
He then made his way to Baramulla, where he was met by thousands of enthusiastic supporters, mostly young people, who had gathered eagerly to hear him speak. As expected, Rashid’s speech was delivered amidst a sea of cheers and loud slogans, which sometimes made it difficult for his words to be heard. He repeatedly asked his supporters to calm down so that his message could come through.
Rashid began by thanking the people of north Kashmir for their tremendous support in the recent Lok Sabha elections, which took place earlier this year while he was in prison.
He passionately called for an end to the practice of imprisoning Kashmiris in Tihar Jail and urged the central government to resolve the Kashmir issue once and for all. “Stop sending us to Tihar, resolve Kashmir’s issue,” he demanded, with his supporters echoing his call.
He made it clear that his electoral victory was not a personal triumph but a rejection of the ‘Naya Kashmir’ model pushed by the Narendra Modi-led central government. He specifically criticised the decisions made on August 5, 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked and the region was reorganised into two Union Territories.
Rashid described Modi’s vision of ‘Naya Kashmir’ as one characterised by UAPA, injustice, and oppression. “The vote for me was a vote against Modi’s ‘Naya Kashmir’, against his decisions of August 5, 2019,” he stated.
In his address, Rashid also took aim at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her late father, accusing them of a betrayal worse than that of Sheikh Abdullah. He claimed their actions allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to gain a foothold in Jammu and Kashmir. He suggested that if Mehbooba had any sense of honour, she would apologise for joining forces with the BJP after they had ended the government.
He further stated that if Mehbooba and Omar Abdullah could present a viable plan to restore Kashmir’s former status, he would instruct all his candidates to withdraw their forms.
Commenting on Omar Abdullah, the vice president of the JKNC, Rashid said that Abdullah’s gesture of removing his skull cap to solicit votes would not have been necessary if he had adequately addressed the concerns of Kashmiris following the August 5, 2019 decisions.
Rashid concluded his speech by asking his supporters not to greet him or his party members with garlands, instead urging them to demonstrate humility.
