KL Report
Srinagar
In yet another interesting move, Independent lawmaker Er Rashid announced to support coalition candidates in upcoming council elections on the condition of releasing Masarat Aalam Bhat and Dr Qasim Faktoo. Rashid revealed that government sought support from him and he has put forth his condition to the government.
“Coalition partners approached me to support their candidates for the upcoming Legislative council polls and I informed them that I am ready to support their candidates subject to the condition that political prisoners including Dr Faktoo,Masrat Aalam Bhat ,Ghulam Qadir Bhat,Tariq Ahmad Dar and others, languishing in jails since long may be released,” Rasheed said in a press conference.
He added that if the coalition government releases Masarat Aalm and Faktoo like prisoners and withdraws all FIR’s against youth allegedly involved in stone pelting since 2008 then he was ready to support their candidates.
“If state and central Governments claims that 90 percent people have voted in the recent panchayat elections is true then they should not afraid in fighting people like Dr Farktoo and Masrat Aalam politically. It should be left to the people of the state that which ideology they want to subscribe their support,” Rasheed said.
MLA Langate expressed surprise over National conference leader Dr Meboob Beighs demand for release of Dr Faktoo and said, “There can be no big joke than this. Dr Mehboob beig is himself in the power and honorable High court of Jammu and Kashmir has let it to the prerogative of state government to release Dr Qasim”.
Rashid criticized coalition Government for “politicizing” Panchayat institutions by nominating candidates from political parties for upcoming Legislative Council Polls.
Rasheed said that Panchas and Sarpanchs should be seen as pure Kashmiri nationalists as they too have sacrificed a lot during the ongoing struggle for the resolution of Kashmir issue. Rashid expressed surprise on the remarks of chief minister Omer Abdullah asking Parvez Musharraf if Pakistan was sincere in resolving Kashmir issue.
“Omar should ask this question to himself and the government of India as Pakistan has always supported Kashmiris on all fronts for resolution of the issue,” Rasheed said.
Rasheed offered his support to PDP for the upcoming Legislative council polls if it was ready to bring a resolution in the state Legislature seeking clemency for Afzal Guru in same manner as the Tamil Nadu assembly successfully did in the case of Nalini and others.
