In the Lok Sabha elections, two separatist MPs including Amritpal Singh were elected from two seats in Punjab. Concerns were also raised about this trend that why did the separatists win the elections, even though many big parties including Congress, AAP, BJP and Akali Dal were in the fray. Now, on the lines of Punjab, many former terrorists and separatists are also going to enter the electoral fray in Jammu and Kashmir. These people united on Monday and announced the formation of a new party Tehreek-e-Awam. Assembly elections are to be held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases, starting from September 18.
In Jammu and Kashmir too, separatist Rashid Engineer defeated Omar Abdullah in the Lok Sabha elections. Many of those who have joined Tehreek-e-Awam say that we have formed this party in view of Engineer’s success. One of the prominent people who joined Tehreek-e-Awam is Afzal Guru’s brother Ejaz Ahmed Guru. Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013 in the case of the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2001. Apart from this, another famous name is that of Sarjan Barkati, who is currently lodged in jail in Srinagar.
He is accused of carrying out incidents of stone pelting after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Barkati, known as the Kashmiri Pied Piper, has been in jail since August 2023. After this, in November itself, his wife was also arrested in a terror funding case. There is talk that his daughter may announce Barkati’s candidature. The important thing is that these separatists can also spoil the game of parties like National Conference and Congress on many seats in the valley.
Who campaigned for Rashid Engineer and how much impact did it have?
Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. He had campaigned through his sons and secured 4.7 lakh votes in the elections. This was a huge public support, which he received through the ballot. Since then, the separatists feel that there is a vote in the valley, which can go to separatist elements instead of any mainstream political party. Due to this, these people decided to form a party. The name of Rashid Engineer’s party is Awami Ittehad Party. It is also not recognized, but under its banner, it has also announced the names of many candidates. Not only this, the chief of his party Altaf Bukhari has met Rashid Engineer’s brother Sheikh Khurshid and son Abrar and talked about the possibilities of alliance.