Why is his homecoming important to the politics of the area, and who is he? Reports from Auqib Javeed in Srinagar.
On terror funding charges that he disputes, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who has been detained since Article 370 was repealed in 2019, was given temporary bail earlier this month.
The 57-year-old, sometimes referred to as Engineer Rashid, has asked voters to support his candidates rather than local or national political parties. In excess of thirty seats, his Awami Ittehad Party has put up candidates.
Since the area’s autonomy was taken away in 2019, these crucial assembly elections are the first of their kind. With 873 applicants in total.