Baramulla MP Er Rashid Gets Limited Custody Parole To Attend Parliament, His Party Cries Foul Over ‘Harsh Conditions’

Sheikh Abdul Rashid (Engineer Rashid) speaks in the Lok Sabha on February 11, 2025. (Photo: YouTube/SansadTV)

New Delhi: A Special NIA Court in Delhi allowed Engineer Rashid, the jailed Member of Parliament from Baramulla and president of the Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), to attend the ongoing Lok Sabha session from July 24 to August 4, 2025. The permission, however, comes wrapped in tight restrictions. He will remain under constant watch, escorted daily from Tihar Jail to Parliament and back, with no access to mobile phones, no contact with the media and no communication with anyone outside the House.

His physical presence will be permitted inside Parliament only during session hours. Once proceedings end, he will be sent straight back to jail, even if it means late hours. The court has directed that every rupee of travel, security and related arrangements must be paid by Rashid himself.

This development sparked reactions from his party.

AIP’s chief spokesperson Inam un-Nabi expressed a mix of relief and anger. The decision, he said, gives the impression of a reluctant nod rather than recognition of a democratic mandate. “Yes, he is allowed to attend (Parliament’s proceedings). But why only for 12 days? Why should he pay for it all himself? These terms are not only strict, but designed to humiliate,” he said, speaking from Srinagar.

He also questioned the “inconsistency” in the court’s approach. “This is the same judge who earlier gave him interim bail during elections. He was even allowed an extension to continue campaigning. What changed now? Why has the court drawn a line suddenly and so narrowly?” he asked.

The party is now planning its next move.

According to Inam, the AIP’s legal team is preparing to approach the Delhi High Court, challenging what they call a discriminatory parole order. The party argues that a serving MP, duly elected by the people, should be able to participate in the House without punitive conditions that “reduce his role to a token gesture”.

“We are not asking for privileges. We are asking for fairness. A man who won from jail and who represents lakhs of people should not be shackled in silence inside the very Parliament he was elected to enter,” Inam said.

A former MLA and vocal critic of both mainstream and separatist politics in Kashmir, Engineer Rashid has remained behind bars since 2019 under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, linked to a terror funding case. Despite his imprisonment, he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and won Baramulla with a stunning margin, defeating high-profile candidates – including J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Since his victory, public pressure has been growing for his release or at least his presence in Parliament. The court’s recent order answers that call partially. But for the AIP and many in Kashmir, the relief is thin and the restrictions speak louder than the permission.

As the Monsoon Session of the Parliament is going on, Rashid may step into the Lok Sabha but not as a free man. Each day, his route will trace the same path: from the iron gates of Tihar to the echoing halls of the Lok Sabha and back again, under guard and silence.