SRINAGAR: The father of jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid passed away at AIIMS New Delhi on Monday after a prolonged illness. His party, the Awami Ittihad Party (AIP), sought the MP's release on humanitarian grounds to attend the burial.
AIP spokesman Inam-un-Nabi said, "Rashid’s father, Haji Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, Haji Khazir, 85, had been referred to AIIMS on May 2 for specialised treatment after undergoing treatment at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar.
Another son of the deceased, Sheikh Khurshid, is an MLA in Jammu and Kashmir.
Engineer Rashid, the MP from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since 2019. The Delhi High Court had earlier granted him one-week interim bail to visit his ailing father at a hospital in Srinagar.
AIP spokesman Inam Un Nabi appealed to the Union government and concerned authorities to facilitate the release of Engineer Rashid so that he can participate in the last rites and funeral prayers of his father.
“Irrespective of political differences, humanitarian considerations must prevail in such moments of personal tragedy and grief. A father has departed from this world and his son remains behind bars. This is a deeply painful moment for the entire family and all those who know them,” Inam said.