J&K Jailed Leader Engineer Rashid Takes Oath As MP

Jailed leader Engineer Rashid took oath as a member of Parliament on Friday after he was released on a two-hour custody parole by the Patiala House court in Delhi.

Engineer Rashid was sworn in as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha following his victory from the Baramulla constituency in J&K.

He defeated former J&K chief minister and vice president of the National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah by a huge margin of over two lakh votes. The 56-year-old politician was arrested in 2019 by the NIA during the investigation of a money laundering case linked to terror funding and has since been lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by members of his family, which included his wife, daughter, sons Asrar Rashid and Abrar Rashid, and brother Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh. At least two of his party functionaries also attended the ceremony. Those present on the occasion were allowed to join only after producing identity cards and without mobile phones or Internet access. Engineer Rashid was allowed interaction with the family before being taken back to jail without any liberty to talk to the media or any other unconcerned person as per the directions of the court.