Omar's comments on Engineer Rashid's victory trigger fierce debate [details]

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's comment on the victory of Engineer Rashid- his rival in the Baramulla Lok Sabha, triggered a fierce debate on social media as leaders of the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party indulged in exchanging barbs to expose each other.

While reposting an article on his social media platform Omar Abdullah cautioned that the victory of Engineer Rashid would empower secessionists.

"Rashid's victory, without doubt, will empower secessionists, and give Kashmir's defeated Islamist movement a renewed sense of hope", he posted.

"Efforts to draw secessionism back into electoral politics led New Delhi to support the rise of the People's Democratic Party, and its alliance with the BJP. That, however, ended up empowering violent secessionists, not mainstreaming them—a warning of the unpredictable outcomes of trying to manipulate politics", he further posted while alleging that PDP was founded by the then Union Government.

Waheed Parra terms Omar's statement as "disappointing"

Mincing no words in attacking the National Conference, the Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra reacted strongly against Omar Abdullah's post.

Parra was a PDP candidate on the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat which was won by the National Conference candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi by a margin of 188416 votes.

"Extremely disappointed with @OmarAbdullah 's regressive stance, echoing the divisive politics of 1987, and dubbing a democratic expression as an 'Islamist wave'. His family's history with the Muslim Conference clashes with calls for the exclusion of PDP, Er Rashid, and JEI, and will put Kashmir into perpetual conflict with the state. A more prudent approach, akin to @MehboobaMufti 's plea for Er Rashid's release, would have been an acknowledgment of mandate", reacted against Omar's post.

Omar reacts to Parra's reaction

"Waheed I don't normally get into any back-and-forth conversations here but this time I'll make an exception. I spent my entire campaign talking about Engineer's release and unlike his campaign, I talked about the release of the 1000s detained since 2019. The articles I've put here are not my views but they are a point of view. I may agree with parts, disagree with parts but they are an opinion. As for Rashid's release, it's a matter for the courts as it is in all such cases. I didn't agree with Rashid's detention in the first place & I don't agree with it now but that's neither here nor there because it shouldn't be just about one man but about the 1000s in jail, including the anonymous ones outside J&K", he replied to Waheed.

A netizen Mir Altaf Kashmiri posted, "Engineer Rashid's election victory is not necessarily a direct indicator of rising secessionist sentiment. Election outcomes can be influenced by various factors, including local grievances, dissatisfaction with current governance, and the desire for better representation".

Engineer Rashid defeated Omar on the Baramulla LS seat

Contested election from jail, Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204142 votes in north Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.

Engineer Rashid contested the Lok Sabha election from the jail. His candidature was supported by the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) of Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) has announced its unconditional support for jailed leader Engineer Abdul Rashid in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.

Engineer Rashid, who has been lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail since August 2019 in a terror funding case, received this backing after his son Abrar Rashid approached DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad and sought support for his father.