'Who are Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to issue certificates?'
'Aaya Aaya, Kaun Aaya?'
'Kashmir Ka Sher Aaya'
(Look who has come? The Lion of Kashmir).
These words echoed on the roads of Tral, terrorist Burhan Wani's hometown.
Burhan Wani was the face of Kashmir terrorism until he was killed by the Indian Army in an encounter on July 8, 2016.
This was in the past and now it looks the winds of change are blowing across Tral.
People queue up to watch Rashid Engineer (Sheikh Abdul Rashid), whose Awami Ittehad Party is making waves across Kashmir in the assembly elections. The party, which is yet to be officially registered, has fielded candidates in 35 seats in Kashmir (the Union territory's assembly has 90 seats).
Engineer was elected as a member of Parliament from Baramulla in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, defeating the National Conference's Omar Abdullah while in Tihar jail in a terror funding case.
Imprisoned since August 2019, he is out on interim bail for a month after a National Investigation Agency court allowed him to campaign for his party till October 1.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections are significant as this is the first to be held after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Rashid Engineer spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com on the importance of these elections, his views on Article 370 and his plans for Jammu and Kashmir if his party wins a majority.
Are you nervous because of the burden of hope that the people of Kashmir seem to have put on you? Wherever you go, thousands throng to hear you, will you be able to meet their expectations?
I believe in them and they believe in me. I will deliver for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. I know myself and I will do the deliverance. I will sacrifice everything that I have for the people of Jammu Kashmir.
The number one problem that the youth of Kashmir face today is lack of jobs. How do you plan to create those jobs?
I have my roadmap. I have a vision for (the development of) Jammu and Kashmir. Things will turn from worse to good in te future. Things will change, and be assured of this fact.
People are calling you the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
You will have to wait for that. I cannot comment on that now.
You were in jail for more than five years and now you have come back a hero, so what keeps you going?
I believe in myself. I believe in doing things with conviction. I believe in my ideology, that keeps me going.
And what is that ideology?
Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris.
We are in Tral where Burhan Wani lived and operated. It is known for militancy.
(Interrupts) It is not a question of militancy. Be it militancy or a political movement, it is all for the vision of Kashmir.
People had used militancy to resolve the Kashmir issue as an option earlier and now they are using the election option to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Does it mean that the Kashmiri people have moved on from militancy and are accepting the democratic way now?
Yes, there is transformation. But this democratic process is not for Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his vision for Kashmir.
So whatever democracy we are seeing right now and in future too, will it be within the framework of the Indian Constitution?
Let Prime Minister Modi talk to us on this issue. There is the external dimension also.
They (the BJP) say that Pakistan occupied Kashmir is a part of India, so let us talk about that too sincerely.
Do you believe, then, that talking to Pakistan is important for any peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue?
Yes, why not? Pakistan is a party to this (Jammu and Kashmir) dispute.
You were in jail for five years from where you filed your nomination for the Baramulla parliamentary seat. Your margin of victory was more than two lakh votes, did you expect the huge victory against Omar Abdullah?
I was in jail and I had no idea of the results. But, I was sure from jail that I will win against Omar Abdullah.
Do you feel parties like the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party are losing ground after your release?
One does not need to feel that, but one can see that on the ground.
The Abdullahs' and Mehbooba's politics is over in Kashmir.
You just see the crowd right now where you are interviewing me. People are coming in thousands just to see me or hear my words. This is the verdict of the people against them.
How many seats are you expecting to win?
Don't be in a hurry. You need to wait. People will decide the outcome of elections.
What is your schedule during the elections?
I am visiting as many constituencies as possible in Kashmir.
My day starts early and ends at around 11 pm. Even after this rally I have to attend two more rallies.
It is a hectic schedule as I have to reach every corner of Kashmir.
Some say you have joined hands with Modi to defeat Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti's parties.
No issues with that, let some people talk such things.
I can only say justice will be done. You will see that in the coming days.
That I am close to the BJP is all rubbish.
Omar Abdullah lost to me in the last general election. Mehbooba Mufti lost from Anantnag-Rajouri (to National Conference leader Mian Altaf Ahmad). Who are they to comment about my campaign or my party?
They are nobody to issue certificates.
You come from the North Kashmir area of Baramulla. You are now in Anantnag. Do you feel you would have defeated Mehbooba Mufti had you contested from here?
Yes. I regret that I did not contest against Mehbooba Mufti. I was in jail and could not do more, therefore I contested only from Baramulla against Omar Abdullah.
Had I been out of jail, I would have defeated Omar as well as Mehbooba by contesting from Baramullah and Anantnag-Rajouri.
In your opinion, why are Kashmiris giving up hope in the National Conference and PDP?
Because these two parties have let them down many times in the past and now they do not believe in them.
What are your views on Article 370?
Article 370 was a bridge between Srinagar and New Delhi. Prime Minister Modi destroyed that bridge with Srinagar. He will have to restore it.
Article 370 has to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir.
If you get enough seats to be kingmaker rather than become king, will you extend support to INDIA bloc parties like the Congress and National Conference to form the government?
Let the INDIA bloc come and talk to me.
I have made my stand very clear to them; until Article 370 is restored in Indian Constitution I will not support INDIA or any other such alliance parties.
