Engineer Rashid demands justice for Kashmiri missing persons, prisoners
New Delhi: Member of the Indian Parliament from Baramulla constituency in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Engineer Rashid said that no amount of imprisonment can stop him from speaking for the people of the territory, as he became emotional in the Lok Sabha over his ailing father.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking in the Lok Sabha, Engineer Rashid raised several issues concerning IIOJK, including the delimitation exercise, the women’s reservation bill, the release of Kashmiri political prisoners, the plight of families of missing persons since the 1990s, and the return of Kashmiri Pandits.
“For me, the day of women’s empowerment will be when my cousin knows why her husband was taken away,” he said, referring to the case of Abdul Rashid Wani, arrested by the Indian Army on July 7, 1993, whose whereabouts remain unknown. He added that the family was forced to approach the court decades later, not for justice, but for a legal declaration of death.
He also referred to another incident from Baramulla, where a woman lost her son and daughter-in-law in a landmine explosion on their wedding day, questioning accountability and justice in such cases.
Rashid also spoke about families divided across the Line of Control, saying that thousands of mothers and sisters should be allowed to reunite with their loved ones. He further demanded that Kashmiri families be granted access to their relatives incarcerated in jails across Kashmir and various Indian states, enabling them to reunite.
During his speech, Engineer Rashid became visibly emotional while speaking about his ailing father, who has been in hospital for the past 20 days. “I may not be able to see him for the last time,” he said, appealing to his family: “Do not lose hope. Forgive me.”
“This system wants to kill every person who has the courage to speak the truth — in and out of jail. Even if I take 100 births and am put in jail 100 times, I will continue to speak for the people of [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir till my last breath.”
