Take political route to address Kashmir issue

Engineer Rashid’s message to PM

Independent candidate Engineer Rashid, who surprised all after bagging one lakh votes in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday said the voting pattern in Kashmir has a message for separatists as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Heeding to the message from J&K, PM Modi should ensure that the political problem should be dealt with by a political process, not by misusing various agencies,” Mr. Rashid, considered a firebrand politician, said at a press conference in Srinagar.

Mr. Rashid, who heads the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), said not only families of victims of violence but those in uniform have also shown their faith in his party. “The hate mongers should understand that the vote is for the slogan and efforts of the AIP leadership that no mother should lose her beloved son whether he be a militant, an Army man, a common man or a political worker,” he said.

He said many relatives of militant commanders and once-hardcore separatists voted for him in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls “because the AIP has been constantly seeking an end to bloodshed by resolving the dispute in accordance with wishes, aspirations and sacrifices of people of J&K.”

“For every mother the life of her son is important and wrapping bodies in the tricolour or any other colour hardly matters for the ill-fated families,” he added.

‘Release prisoners’

He asked the new government at the Centre to release all political prisoners for creating a conducive atmosphere. “Both India and Pakistan should not take for granted the sufferings of Kashmiris. Kashmiris will welcome any goodwill gesture between the two countries, but cannot surrender their legitimate political rights,” the former MLA from Langate said.