Srinagar, OCT 2 : Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) president Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid on Tuesday dismissed speculation of an alliance with the BJP, saying his party’s main aim is to restore peace in Kashmir. “Why would I join hands with the BJP? Power is a very small thing for me. If power was my priority, I would have joined hands with PM Modi. Many people have been killed in Kashmir. My biggest concern is to ensure that these killings should stop,” the Baramulla MP said. “The priority is how the leadership will work after getting the people’s mandate. Will they move around like VVIPs after winning elections like traditional parties PDP, JKNC, Congress and BJP… Kashmir has to go beyond this… Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) will aim to bring lasting peace in Kashmir,” he said. Engineer Rashid blamed state repression for the recent rise in voting in Kashmir. He stressed that the people of Kashmir are eager for change and want to express their feelings through democratic means. Rashid said, “The voting percentage has increased because people have been victims of state repression. Since the PDP came to power in 2014, people’s voices have been suppressed. People want to express their feelings and they want change because they have understood that they can achieve something only through democratic means. Violence has no place in society. The people of Kashmir have always believed in democracy. They also want a democratic solution to the Kashmir issue. I hope an era of reconciliation will begin after the polling.” Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party has fielded 34 candidates in the assembly elections. His younger brother Khurshid Ahmed Sheikh is a candidate from Langate seat.
Power is not my priority, I want to restore peace in Kashmir : Engineer Rashid
