Handwara: Thousands of people from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir gathered in Mawar Payeen area of Handwara on Tuesday to participate in the funeral procession and Namaz-e-Janazah of Haji Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, father of Member of Parliament Baramulla Engineer Rashid.
The large turnout turned the ancestral village into a focal point of public mourning as mourners, relatives and supporters assembled to pay their last respects to the elderly teacher and former Jamaat-e-Islami figure.
Earlier in the day, Engineer Rashid reached Kashmir after being released from Tihar Jail on interim bail.
After arriving at Srinagar Airport, the Baramulla MP travelled directly to Mawar to attend the final rites of his father.
The funeral prayers were led by senior Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) leader and MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad amid an atmosphere marked by grief and emotional scenes.
People from various districts, including political workers, social activists, religious figures and local residents, visited the bereaved family and offered condolences.
The funeral also drew attention because it followed days of uncertainty surrounding whether Engineer Rashid, who remains incarcerated in a terror-funding related case, would be able to attend the burial of his father.
During a brief address to mourners after the funeral prayers, Engineer Rashid urged people to reflect on the meaning of life and the inevitability of death.
He said human beings should draw lessons from mortality rather than remain consumed by hatred, revenge and hostility.
Rashid said his struggle had never been against individuals or ordinary citizens but against injustice and systems that permit injustice to continue.
In an emotional reflection, he recalled an incident from his years as a social activist before joining electoral politics.
He narrated how authorities had once announced a reward to capture a man-eating animal alive rather than kill it, with the intention of reforming its violent behavior.
Drawing a parallel from that experience, Rashid said if society could attempt to reform even a dangerous animal, then human beings who commit mistakes should not be permanently condemned and denied dignity or chances of reform.
The MP said justice and compassion must remain central to public life.
He also asserted that his political struggle was broader than debates limited to Article 370 or restoration of statehood and was fundamentally linked to dignity, justice and respect for people.
Rashid thanked those who visited his ailing father during illness, attended the funeral, or sent condolences to the family.
He reiterated that he harbored no hostility toward the people of India and said his disagreement remained with systems that perpetuate injustice and inequality.
Many among the gathering appeared visibly emotional during his remarks, which largely centered on reconciliation, humanity and reflection.
Meanwhile, AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi thanked the authorities, civil administration and police for facilitating crowd management and maintaining order during the funeral proceedings.
The funeral concluded amid prayers and continued condolences as visitors remained present at the family residence through the day. [KNT]
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