J&K Elections | Outlook's Exclusive Interview with Engineer Rashid

3 months ago

Engineer Rashid, a two-time MLA from the Langate constituency, won the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, defeating former chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Since 2019, he has been incarcerated in Delhi's Tihar Jail after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with a 2017 terror-funding case.

Recently, the Delhi Patiala House Court granted him interim bail until October 2 to campaign for the assembly elections.

Rashid's brother, Khurshid Ahmad, is a candidate for the Awami Ittihad Party (AIP), which Rashid leads, in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections 2024.

He is contesting from the Langate assembly constituency in North Kashmir.

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Transcript

00:00Today at Outlook, we have got with us Baramulla MP, Engineer Rashid with us. We will be talking

00:04about his jail period, politics and elections in Kashmir. So, Engineer sahib, tell us about,

00:12exactly five and a half years ago, I had interviewed you while I was in the paper.

00:16In this room only.

00:17In this room only. So, tell us about when did this news about Article 370 abrogation

00:24reach out to you and how did you feel at that moment?

00:27The fact is Prime Minister Modi had invited me to his residence on 17th of July 2018

00:41and he had one and a half hour meeting with me. It was an informal chat. He talked on all things

00:50but in between I could smell that he wanted to abrogate Article 370.

00:54This was a month before?

00:56No sir, one year before. I think they were planning to abrogate it before 2019.

01:02Parliament elections. I said whatever good things to do I will support

01:06and wherever I feel it is against the interest of Kashmiris, I am against you, I will resist.

01:14And on that very day, the foundation stone for my arrest was laid. There were rumours

01:20something big is going to happen but no one knew what will happen. Then slowly things started

01:26getting exposed in the scenario and people started talking about Article 370

01:32abrogation. Then if you remember Farooq Abdullah said his three MPs will meet Prime Minister and

01:40ask him that don't do it or what is the case. When he came back,

01:44the memory of the people unfortunately very short. When he came back, it wasn't

01:501st of August. He said that no sort of such a thing is going to happen.

01:54He will not abrogate Article 370. PM has assured us.

01:58And three days later, Article 370 was abrogated.

02:01What is Tihar like?

02:02Tihar is like a hell on earth. 100 days in hell means one day in Tihar. I am not exaggerating.

02:13When you meet your family, screens are there, you can't send a letter there. If you are a

02:20Kashmiri, you face discrimination. There are good options. But better for me to not speak much

02:29about it because I have to go there. If God listens to my voice and my bail is on 5th, if I get the

02:39bail then I can give you stories which would be behind your imagination. My aunt died. I came

02:48to know after four days. I was denied a payroll. I saw Altaf Pantosh who was in my cell for two and

02:55a half years. We had never met outside.

03:02Why is everybody calling him Sayyid Al-Shaykh Gilani? I think he had his own reputation.

03:11I got, yes you are right. But I always had grudges with him also.

03:16And I would always, because people, you understand each other when you spend good time.

03:22I would tell him that where is your identity? He has been in jail more than Gilani Sahib.

03:28Anyway, I was the man who took him on the wheelchair. Trust me, I am not lying.

03:36At the gate of Tihar jail, when we sent him to hospital, I had to fight for that with the jail

03:42authorities to ensure that he is taken to hospital. And the last words which he said,

03:48that Engineer Sahib, meri lash mere ghar pohucha dena. I told him, aapko kya ho gaya? Aap toh

03:53theek ho. Kaha nahi nahi, mujhe cancer hai, mujhe samjha raha hai. Four days later,

04:00he was diagnosed with cancer. He was my political rival. But a great, nice human being, humble,

04:08down to earth. He would, the cell is, the cell would be eight foot by eight feet and we were

04:14two people there. And he would make every day tea for, we were four people in the cell. One

04:20Abdul Majid Baba from Sopore, another Fayyaz Abdul Malouman from Kupara. But Altaf Sahib would make

04:26namkeen tea, salt tea for all of us. He would force us, no, no, I will prepare the tea.

04:32And then he died in hospital. You know it. He was buried in the darkness of the night.

04:42But no TV channel reported. No media went to his house. And last thing what happened with me,

04:48the communication which was made with me, and I am telling you the authority. On 18th of January,

04:552024, I was forced, persuaded, compelled, begged to support Sajjad Lone in the Parliament elections.

05:08They had started that story few, four, five months back. But on 18th of January,

05:14they got a categorical answer, this man is not going to do it. And that day at 9.45 pm,

05:22I was taken from the cell at 9.45 and put in the ward with mentally retarded person and physically

05:29challenged person. There was made an announcement in the jail that nobody will talk to him. Nobody

05:35will meet him. Not even a single Kashmiri would dare talk to me. For those two months, just one

05:40man, a Sardar from Jammu. What he would do, there would be cameras everywhere, except in bathrooms.

05:48The bathroom complex was outside. It had two sets of bathrooms. Then we will signal each other. He

05:57would go in the bathroom and visit that side up, a room from that side. And I will visit the room

06:06from this side. And then we will start talking for two or three minutes. And this was the communication.

06:12And then what he would do, after three or four days, he would give five minutes from his,

06:17he will give two minutes from his five-minute call. But even God will not know he is communicating

06:25something about me to his family. And it was only communication, his wife and his family would send

06:32that message to my brother. And my brother, they would not even dare to talk directly to my brother.

06:38My brother had to visit Jammu, Nanak Nagar or some other place, two to three times

06:42to his family to receive the message, which I would say in two minutes.

06:47Are you getting to my point? My mulaqat with the family was evident.

06:52I was debarred from leaving the ward. My life was so miserable that even worst enemies of mine would

07:01feel pity for me.

07:31They are saying, you know, in their circles.

07:33Absolutely.

07:34Tell me one thing.

07:36How would you react to this?

07:37People have already slapped them and exposed them in Dara Khashmiyat.

07:41Okay.

07:41One, when Article 370 was abrogated, Farooq Abdullah, Umar Abdullah, Mahbuba Mufti, Sajjadul,

07:49I have already said to you, they were enjoying all the privileges.

07:53I don't want to belittle myself by responding to this question.

08:01It's a very important question.

08:31So do they mean that I was a traitor when I was in jail for five and a half years?

08:40Shame on them if they answer such questions.

08:42But how dare they to ask these questions?

08:44At least they should have some morality.

08:47My conscience said to me that I should not respond to this question.

08:51They will accuse Hurriyat of giving protest calendars.

09:06So now tell me, what did they do for the return of Article 370 in five and a half years?

09:12In five and a half years, every minute of mine was for Article 370.

09:15Why?

09:16Because I was in jail, my everyday was in jail, theirs was not.

09:21Maybe you can put a question.

09:26The question is, their argument is that Engineer Sahib was having allegations of this terror funding.

09:34So why should Umar go to jail?

09:35Why should Mehbooba go to jail?

09:37Because there is no case of terror funding on them.

09:40So this is their argument.

10:05You mean almost every credible journalist.

10:11You should have had so much courage.

10:14Does not mean you personally, sorry.

10:17They say so much about Umar, it is fine.

10:20When Umar was put in SKICC, Shah Faisal, Mahbub Mufti, Farooqullah,

10:26what was put on them?

10:27Public Safety Act.

10:29Have you read that dozer which was against the government?

10:32What was written in it?

10:34What were the charges?

10:35Speech.

10:36With the Chinese agent.

10:39You must have read my charge sheet.

10:40I have a charge against Ayub Pintas, the poor guy who got lynched.

10:48The boys who were in it, I spoke about their opinion.

10:50This is a big charge.

10:52The boys who were in jail, they were also released.

10:55But Engineer Sahib is still in jail.

10:57I have a charge against him.

10:58I protested on the day of Abdul Guru when he was hanged.

11:01I don't want to speak on the merits of the charge.

11:04It is the court's responsibility.

11:06Umar Iblis has become the contractor of Abdul Guru.

11:09If speaking about Abdul Guru is a crime, then Umar Iblis will be in jail.

11:13And when you say that he did not do anything wrong.

11:15In 1975, who was carrying a gun with Magul Bhatt in Pakistan?

11:23Farooq Abdullah.

11:24Now leave that there.

11:26When you read his dozer, of Public Safety Act,

11:29there are more than 100 quintals of charges against him.

11:33What happened to those charges?

11:34They were revoked.

11:36So now the agent is the one whose charges were revoked.

11:39Or the agent is the one who got an entry bail of 15 days.

11:42And is worried when he will go back.

11:44And if anything happens to my BJP, then if they release me 15 days earlier,

11:49I would have defeated the NC of Kashmir Valley by 47 seats.

11:54I could not find even proper candidates.

11:56In two places, Mr. Khan and Zainab Hora.

12:01I had two candidates.

12:02Both of them would have won.

12:05Both of them were rejected.

12:07The reasons?

12:08The reasons, you can ask others.

12:11The reasons, they thought they won.

12:14So they were rejected.

12:15Now who is the traitor?

12:17I am the traitor.

12:18He was in Pulwazar Security.

12:20I am holding his hand and telling the police not to come in front of my house.

12:23There is no wire here.

12:25I am insisting that you check my phone.

12:27I don't need your security.

12:29If I am an anti-national, why are you providing me security?

12:32And the BJP has put a few gypsies behind me so that they can say that someone from Kashmir has joined hands with the BJP.

12:38For me, this has happened.

12:40For me, this has happened.

12:42Zahid thought I was a kafir.

12:44A kafir thinks he is a Muslim.

12:48But I don't need their lessons.

12:50Hell with them.

12:52Consciously, you are bashing regional parties in Kashmir.

12:56You don't have been that much aggressive against BJP.

13:00Is it a conscious, tactical decision you are taking?

13:04You are going harsh on regional parties in Kashmir.

13:10First tell me one thing.

13:12Why don't you do honest journalism?

13:14How are the regional parties?

13:16They are extensions of NDA.

13:18And the so-called India Alliance.

13:22Have they any regional character?

13:24Had they been really regional parties,

13:26then they would have been like Mamata Banerjee,

13:28like Sital Hain,

13:30like Shabo Sohrain,

13:32or like Nitish Kumar.

13:34The world may call him Paltu Ram,

13:36but he has beaten Modi and the India Alliance a hundred times.

13:40If he beats for himself, he beats for the people.

13:42Poor Umar Ullah says today,

13:44I was told at 2 in the morning.

13:46At 2 in the evening,

13:48he could have given his resignation.

13:50Are they regional parties?

13:52Are they regional parties?

13:54No, they are not.

13:56These poor people are servants

13:58of Modi and Rahul Gandhi's kitchen.

14:00Tell me more.

14:02But you are sort of,

14:04you have been, what should I say,

14:06mellowed down on BJP in criticising.

14:08Tell me one thing.

14:10Tell me one thing that I didn't want to say.

14:12Tell me one thing that I didn't want to say.

14:14If tomorrow you are in a position to,

14:16you know, sort of,

14:18form the government,

14:20or you know, sort of support the government,

14:22so would you?

14:24Why should I support?

14:26I know, AIP may need a few more seats.

14:28Then I will take the support of BJP.

14:30You take this.

14:32You will take BJP?

14:34If Modi ji solves the issue of Kashmir permanently,

14:36then I have no issue.

14:38Okay.

14:40But our terms and conditions.

14:42Our new Kashmir is not his.

14:44So you are not, you know,

14:46sort of,

14:48you are not saying that we are

14:50keeping BJP out of the alliance.

14:52In a way, you are saying that we will

14:54ally with BJP.

14:56I don't say like this.

14:58I am telling you, if he resolves

15:00Kashmir issue,

15:02on the lines,

15:04not on my terms and conditions,

15:06in light of historic perspective,

15:08he will be remembered as a great hero.

15:10I have no issues.

15:12Anybody should not have.

J&K Elections | Outlook's Exclusive Interview with Engineer Rashid

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