Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti Monday raised pointed queries to ascertain who is funding the election campaign of  Sheikh Abdul Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) in Kashmir Valley especially when he is kept behind bars.

Sharing her serious concerns Mehbooba Mufti also claimed after the proxy parties failed to bail out the ruling party they seemed to have revisited their strategy and supported the AIP candidates in the Assembly polls.   Rashid defeated former chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency earlier this year. His brother Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh is set to contest the Assembly polls from Langate. 

Addressing the media persons in the Khanabal area of Anantnag district  Mufti questioned how the AIP was organising resources and candidates when their chief was behind bars.

“I want to know that Rashid is in jail. (PDP founder) Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) took 50 years to form the party, we still do not have the resources to field candidates everywhere. Who is behind his (Engineer’s) organization as their candidates are fielded everywhere, wherefrom is the funding coming? Where are they getting such courage to engage in hooliganism?” she added. 

In the same vein the PDP Chief said, “I want to ask the government if you have again come up with a proxy party, Engineer Rashid’s party, when all your other proxy parties have failed, you have brought Engineer Rashid’s party to the fore, and you are supporting them fully with funds and everything, then tell us clearly that others parties do not have to contest elections,” she said.

PDP candidate from south Kashmir’s Shopian assembly segment Yawar Shafi Banday was injured in an alleged attack by the workers of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) in the Balpora area of Shopian.

“Our candidate was going to his constituency, some workers associated with AIP assaulted them, even our candidate Yawar Banday was beaten and he is fighting for his life, his ribs broken, his condition is serious,” Mehbooba claimed.