A Delhi court on Wednesday asked the National Investigation Agency to file a reply regarding the bail plea of jailed Kashmiri lawmaker Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid.

The Awami Ittehad Party has decided to approach courts for 45-day parole of its leader and Lok Sabha MP, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, to campaign in the forthcoming three-phase Assembly elections.

Their parole orders stated that during their period of temporary release, they can neither speak to or address the media on any issue or make any statements. Their family members also cannot make a statement in any form of media. 

Prince Parvez Shah, General Secretary of the Awami Ittehad Party, confirmed that several party leaders and Rashid's family members were in Delhi for the ceremony.

What makes the case of the MP-elect a little more complicated is not the custody parole but the timings and restrictions that the court has imposed.

Ishtiyaq Qadri, chairman of Awami Ittehad Party’s political affairs committee, said on Thursday that the party is now seeking candidates with clean records.

Engineer Rashid, incarcerated in connection with a money laundering case linked to terror funding, had sought interim bail or parole for the swearing-in ceremony in Lok Sabha.

According to news sources, the NIA has given its consent to independent MP Rashid taking oath on July 5 in Parliament on the condition that he will not interact with the media. The Patiala House Court will pass an order in this regard on July 2.

Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah has stressed on the significance of honouring the democratic mandate of the people of North Kashmir who elected Engineer Rashid.