Srinagar: Delhi's Patiala House Court has granted interim bail to Sheikh Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, a Member of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, until October 2 in a terror funding case. Rashid has been detained in Delhi's Tihar Jail since 2019 after his arrest in 2017 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) related to the 2017 terror-funding case.

Rashid's involvement emerged during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terror groups and separatists in Kashmir. The case has seen charges filed against prominent figures including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 after pleading guilty.

Rashid sought interim bail to participate in the upcoming Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections, scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 1. Earlier this year, Rashid defeated former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. Rashid, who previously won the Langate assembly segment in 2008 and 2014, contested the recent elections as an Independent, leading the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP).

Following this, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti criticized Rashid's AIP, calling it a “proxy” of the BJP. She questioned the resources and funding behind Rashid’s party, particularly after an alleged attack on PDP candidate Yawar Shafi Banday by AIP workers. Mufti expressed concerns over the source of funding and the party's activities.

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