New Delhi: A Delhi court has granted interim bail to Engineer Rashid, a parliamentarian from the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), enabling him to participate in the upcoming assembly elections despite facing serious allegations. Rashid, who has been in custody since 2019, was granted bail in a 2017 case until October 2.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the bail decision was made by Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh. This legal relief comes shortly after Rashid’s recent electoral victory, where he secured the Baramulla seat in the Lok Sabha elections against National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah. The interim bail follows a custody parole granted on July 5, which allowed Rashid to take the oath as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Rashid was arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, accused of funding pro-freedom activities in IIOJK. He is currently held in Tihar Jail, with a ruling on his regular bail application expected tomorrow.

The court’s decision to grant Rashid bail has ignited discussions and concerns, especially as numerous other pro-freedom leaders remain detained under similar charges. Observers in Kashmir speculate that the bail might be part of a strategy by the BJP-led government to influence the election outcomes in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley by fragmenting the vote and preventing any single party from gaining a majority.

This strategy appears to be supported by the candidacy of another jailed Kashmiri leader, Sarjan Barkati, and the emergence of multiple independent candidates. Critics, including prominent Kashmiri politicians like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, argue that these developments are designed to manipulate the electoral integrity of the region, accusing Rashid and other independents of serving as BJP proxies.