Srinagar, August 9: Hundreds of Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) leaders and supporters today staged a protest in Srinagar to mark six years of the continued incarceration of AIP President and MP Baramulla Er Rashid.
The protest which began near Sangarmal Complex was aimed at marching towards Press Colony, Lal Chowk. However, police intercepted the march and foiled it before it could proceed.
Speaking to reporters, AIP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Chairman Ishtiyaq Qadri urged the Government of India to respect the democratic mandate of the people.
“The people of Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency have already proven Er Rashid’s innocence by electing him. It is time the Government respects this mandate and releases him. All political prisoners should be freed,” Qadri said.
Senior AIP MLA Sheikh Khursheed called the protest an “appeal to the authorities” to release Er Rashid and others incarcerated in and outside Jammu & Kashmir.
While speaking to media persons, Sheikh Khursheed said “When the killers of the Pahalgam attack have been killed, why are those arrested in its aftermath still behind bars? If the government claims that the situation has improved since 2019, then why are these people still in jails?” he asked.
Sheikh Khursheed lambasted National Conference and PDP for “using the pain of the Kashmiri people as a political bargaining chip.”
“NC and PDP remember the people only when they need votes. The rest of the time, they stay silent even when the elected representatives of Kashmir are rotting in jails. Their selective outrage exposes their double standards,” he said.
He also came down heavily on the Congress, accusing it of “shedding crocodile tears” while doing nothing concrete.
“Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti can Lavish dinner together with Congress leaders in Delhi but cannot raise a single strong word for the release of Kashmiris in Jails including a sitting MP. Their silence is complicity,” Khursheed remarked.
In a separate attack, Khursheed targeted Sajad Lone, calling his politics “opportunistic and self-serving.”
“Sajad Lone disappears from the scene when it comes to raising voice for Kashmiris languishing in jails especially MP Er Rashid. His politics begins and ends with his own chair,” Khursheed said.
The protest, marked by slogans demanding “Justice for Er Rashid” and “Release All Political Prisoners,” concluded with AIP leaders pledging to intensify their peaceful campaign until Er Rashid and all other prisoners are freed.
