AIP protests to mark 7th year of MP Er Rashid’s imprisonment

Srinagar, Aug 09: Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) on Friday staged a protest in Srinagar to mark the seventh year of imprisonment of its chief, Er Rashid, demanding justice not only for him but for all political prisoners, innocent detainees, Kashmiri Muslims, and those lodged in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir.“In this regard, not only for Engineer Rashid Sahib, but for all political prisoners, innocent prisoners, Kashmiri Muslims and prisoners who are currently locked up in prisons outside the state, we have taken out today’s protest here to express our solidarity with them,” said MLA Langate Sheikh Khurshid while addressing the gathering.He accused regional parties of hypocrisy, saying they talk about one thing in Srinagar but fail to speak about political prisoners when in Delhi. “You sit here in Srinagar and talk about one thing, but when you go to India Block and sit in Delhi, you don’t talk about political prisoners. You are not able to talk about an elected representative who was your election manifesto,” Khurshid said.He urged all regional parties and members of the INDIA bloc to raise the issue of Kashmiri prisoners and those “locked up for years in prisons outside the state,” adding that even if they cannot protest on the streets, they should speak up in the opposition block.Khurshid revealed that AIP has twice borne the expenses of custody parole for Er Rashid. “In the previous 10-day session, we paid the engineer and sent him to the Parliament. Even today, in this session, he has gone to the Parliament twice. But now, because this has not become a precedent for the future, we have appealed to the Honourable High Court, and we hope that the decision will be in our favour. On the 11th, the hearing will take place, and we hope that the decision will be in our favour on the 11th,” he said.Questioning the requirement for an MP to pay such expenses, he said: “Is there a provision where an elected representative can pay the expenses and then go to the Parliament? This is the reality that democracy is with the people. If a parliament member, an elected representative, wants to go to the Parliament for the representation of the people, he does not want to go for his family’s work, for his business, for his personal travel, he wants to go for the representation of the people. We appeal to the Honourable High Court and the Honourable Supreme Court to take cognisance of this.”Khurshid said Er Rashid had been sent to Parliament with a “big mandate” from the people, and restrictions requiring “huge expenses” for his attendance were unjust. “It is not a normal expense, it is a very big expense. It is not the salary of a Parliament member that we have to pay for a day. So, we request and we hope that the Honourable Supreme Court and the Honourable Delhi High Court take cognisance of this and allow him to go to the Parliament,” he said.