The spokesperson of the AIP Firdous Baba Wednesday said the decision to field Engineer Rasheed from north Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha seat was taken by the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

“We are hopeful that he will be released from jail before the elections,” Baba said. “ Our constitution allows jailed persons to contest elections.”

Engineer Rasheed, a two-term MLA from north Kashmir’s Langate, is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail . He was arrested in 2019 by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror funding case.

In 2008, Rasheed, a civil engineer from remote Mawar village in Handwara , won the Langate Assembly seat . Before becoming a law maker, he was known in the area for his struggle for civil liberties .

Rasheed was a close confidante of slain separatist leader, Abdul Gani Lone the founder of Peoples Conference.

In the last Parliamentary polls in Baramulla Lok Sabha, Rasheed, who contested as an independent candidate gave a biggest surprise as he won over a lakh votes.

UNI