||Black and White Digital News ||

||Parvinder Singh 19,September ||

KASHMIR: In a sharp rebuke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid (popularly known as Engineer Rashid) on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, condemned the L-G’s call for stricter laws aimed at preventing organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami from contesting elections. The MP from Baramulla criticized the move, framing it as undemocratic and politically motivated.

The debate was sparked when L-G Sinha, during an interview with a private news channel, advocated for measures to ensure that groups like Jamaat-e-Islami are barred from political participation. According to Sinha, these groups pose a threat to the democratic fabric of the region. Rashid, however, saw this as an attack on political expression in Kashmir and defended Jamaat-e-Islami, an organization known for its work in education, social, and moral sectors in Kashmir.

Rashid argued that Jamaat-e-Islami, despite possible ideological differences, has not incited communal hatred or violence like the BJP. He accused the BJP of dividing India along communal lines, particularly citing instances where the party allegedly fostered hostility towards Muslims under the guise of issues such as cow protection. Rashid said, “When the BJP has spilt Muslim blood and divided India, what moral lessons can they offer? Jamaat-e-Islami, on the other hand, has done no such harm.”

Rashid’s View on Jammu and Kashmir’s Political Landscape:

Rashid expressed frustration over the trajectory of Jammu and Kashmir’s politics, especially in relation to the ruling parties and their failure to resolve the region’s political issues. He criticized traditional political figures, such as Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, accusing them of neglecting Kashmir’s real problems and pushing the region into corruption, nepotism, and misgovernance. Rashid claimed that these leaders have continuously betrayed the people of Kashmir, diluting their struggle for legitimate rights since 1947.

As the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections began on Wednesday, Rashid voiced his hope that voters would reject these “enemies of Kashmir.” He emphasized that the region needs new leadership, not tied to the traditional political parties that have, in his view, “caused piles of dead bodies” with their poor policies.

Political Climate:

Rashid’s remarks come at a critical time as Jammu and Kashmir navigates its political future in the wake of the revocation of Article 370 and the beginning of the first Assembly elections since the reorganization of the state. His criticism of the L-G’s stance against Jamaat-e-Islami reflects broader concerns among political actors in the region about the role of democracy and freedom of political expression in the post-Article 370 landscape.

Engineer Rashid, known for his fiery rhetoric, also took a jab at political figures from South Kashmir, predicting that Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti would retreat from the region once the polls concluded on Thursday, September 19, 2024. He expressed his commitment to continue fighting for the people of Kashmir, stating that even if his candidate did not win, he would stand by them, even in the face of further legal consequences, referencing his previous imprisonment in Tihar Jail.

This political exchange underscores the tension in Jammu and Kashmir as the region grapples with its post-Article 370 future, where political participation, representation, and regional identity remain deeply contested issues.