ENGINEER RASHID IS SEEN AS THREAT ACROSS THE BOARD

Who is financing AIP, which has fielded candidates from every constituency in the Valley, as its founder had been in Tihar for 5 years?

- Rashme Sehgal

The Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla Engineer Rashid's release oninterim bail till October 2 has elicited a storm of protests from leaders across the board in the Valley.

Mehbooba Mufti, who is heading the PDP, and Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, minced no words in voicing scepticism at the timing of release. They suspect this is yet one more sinister move on the part of the central government to ensure further fragmentation of the vote, thereby allowing the BJP to emerge as the largest political party in the UT.

Mufti is fighting with her back to the wall with many of her party stalwarts having been either won over by the BJP or are contesting as Independent candidates. A Delhi court's move to grant bail to Engineer Rashid, the Lok Sabha MP from north Kashmir, is likely to fire up party's electoral campaign ahead of the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.