Latest news with #Rashid
Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Operator rapes boy in lift, gives him Rs100 to shut up
A lift operator of Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital has been arrested for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy. The suspect, after raping the child, gave him Rs100 to keep his mouth shut. However, the boy spoke up and subsequently; police arrested the accused, Abdul Waheed, following a complaint lodged by Rashid Ahmed, the father of the victim. According to the FIR, Rashid Ahmed, a daily wage worker, has been at the hospital for 13 days for his wife, admitted in the Medical Ward. On the night of July 7, at around 10:30pm, Rashid was present outside the ward with his three children, including his 10-year-old son. The child informed his father that a lift operator took him inside the OT Complex lift, transported him to the third floor, and sexually assaulted him. The accused then handed the boy Rs100 and warned him not to disclose the incident. Rashid immediately confronted the suspect, but became hostile when questioned. Other people present at the hospital, including security guards, helped Rashid in apprehending the accused. Sub-Inspector Anwar Baloch, present at the hospital, was informed, and he arrested the accused on the spot. During the investigation, police also recovered the stained green clothing of the accused, while after the medical examination; the police surgeon also confirmed the molestation of the child. The police have registered a case against the accused. The victim's identity has been withheld to protect his privacy.
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
A Jammu family's fight to get their mother back from Pakistan
Two months after her mother was deported from India, Falak Zahoor is disconsolate. 'If she had died, I would be at peace,' said Zahoor, a 32-year-old lawyer and Jammu resident. '[I would think] she has gone to another world and is with the Almighty. We would not be going through this hell.' Zahoor's 62-year-old mother, Rakshanda Rashid, was deported to Pakistan from India's Attari border in Punjab on April 29, barely a week after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 people. Rashid has since been living alone in Lahore at a paying guest facility. A Pakistani national, Rashid had married a man from the Jammu region in December 1989 and had been living in Jammu and Kashmir since then. She had a long-term visa, one of the categories exempt from the post-Pahalgam wave of deportations, which she had been renewing annually for three decades. At the time of Rashid's expulsion, her visa renewal application had been pending with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for more than three months. 'What is our fault?' asked Zahoor. 'As per procedure, we had applied for the extension of LTV [long-term visa] before its expiry. The government was sitting on our application for three months without either accepting or rejecting it.' The day after Rashid was deported, her family filed a writ petition before the High court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Nearly a month later, on June 6, a single-judge bench of the High Court ruled in Rashid's favour, directing the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring her back within 10 days and reunite her with her family in Jammu. But the Centre on June 29 challenged the repatriation order before a double bench, which issued an interim stay on July 2. In response to the fact that Rashid had applied for extension of her long-term visa on January 4, the ministry said that her application 'was not approved by the competent authority'. Scroll has a copy of the documents. Going by that logic, said Zahoor, her mother had been living in Jammu 'illegally' since January 16. 'Why didn't they deport her earlier then?' The bench asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to submit a response by July 17, the next date of hearing. With Rashid's case now caught in a legal tangle, her family has been worrying about how long she will be able to live alone in Lahore. 'She has already suffered a paralysis attack in the past. Her eyesight is weak and she uses contact lenses,' said Zahoor. 'How can such an individual survive alone?' Deportation and then a court order Ever since she got married, the only family Rashid knew was her husband and her two children. Both her parents in Pakistan died in 1989. When she moved to India after her marriage, Rashid lost touch with her family in Pakistan. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a long-term visa is granted to Pakistani and Bangladeshi women who are married to Indian nationals and have arrived in India on valid travel documents with an intent to acquire Indian citizenship. 'My mother's long-term visa had expired on January 16 and like every year, we had applied for its extension nearly two weeks before it did,' said Zahoor. She said it usually takes 40-60 days for the government to issue an extension. But this time, the government had taken more than three months to process the application. When the Pahalgam attack took place, Rashid's application was still under process. Those exempt from expulsion were people with long-term visas and those on medical, diplomatic and official visas. However, on April 28, Rashid received a 'leave India notice' from the local police in Jammu. With nobody ready to listen to their pleas, Rashid's family complied with the government's directions and she was deported on April 29. When the family went to court the next day, the bench took up the plea on the argument that the home ministry's orders had clearly exempted those with long-term visas and diplomatic visas, said Ankur Sharma, the legal counsel for Rashid's family in Jammu. Rashid, according to Sharma, had applied for Indian citizenship in 1996. 'She even has No Objection Certificates from authorities that say they don't have any objections if she becomes an Indian citizen,' he added. Sharma added that it is normal for long-term visa applications to take time to be processed. 'In case there's a delay in processing the extension application on time, it's considered granted unless it's formally rejected by the authorities,' he said. In Rashid's case, Zahoor said that the Foreigners Registration Office, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the visa extension process was still underway. 'In fact, I got an email on April 26 from the authorities that the application is under process.' Not only that, on May 9 – more than 10 days after her mother had been deported to Pakistan – Zahoor got an official intimation from the Foreigners Registration Office about her mother's long-term visa application being forwarded to the higher authorities. While ordering the home ministry to repatriate Rashid, the single judge bench of Justice Rahul Bharti had said that Rashid was deported ' without a proper, reasoned order '. 'Human rights are the most sacrosanct component of a human life,' the bench said, ...there are occasions when a constitutional court is supposed to come up with SOS like indulgence notwithstanding the merits and demerits of a case which can be adjudicated only upon in due course of time.' When she was deported, Rashid's family gave her Rs 50,000 –the maximum currency allowed to be taken to the other side of the border. Without an expensive roaming connection, Rashid's phone is not able to make or receive calls. 'We only talk to her when she's able to find a Wi-Fi connection,' said Zahoor. 'She's all alone,' said Zahoor. 'Whatever distant relatives we have there, they live in Rawalpindi and we don't share a good equation with them.' 'No visa', claims MHA The home ministry, in its appeal against the June 6 order, alleged that the High Court failed to appreciate the 'national security considerations' and apprehension posed by Pakistani nationals in India due to the 'war-like situation' between the two countries. The home ministry said that the High Court's order to repatriate Rashid was 'constitutionally impermissible and unsustainable' since it meant extending the judicial writ beyond India to Pakistan. 'There exists no extradition treaty, legal instrument, or international obligation binding Pakistan to return her to India,' the ministry said. 'The Indian government cannot, under existing international law, compel a sovereign nation to surrender a non-citizen.' The ministry also told the court that being married to an Indian national did not grant Rashid to 'claim a right to reside in India'. 'It is well settled law that a foreign national does not acquire Indian nationality or legal residency rights solely by virtue of marriage,' said the ministry's submission. In its appeal, the home ministry has also said that the High Court order could 'establish a dangerous precedent' since it could be used by foreign nationals for 'personal repatriation'. But the home ministry, soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, had on its own exempted the deportation of Pakistani Hindus whose long-term visa applications were 'under process.' Not only that, the exemption was also granted to Pakistani Hindus in India who had not applied for long-term visa status, provided they apply for it immediately. No such exemption, however, was granted to Rashid – a Muslim by faith. 'Isn't that discriminatory?' asked Zahoor. 'If women from Hindu and Sikh community are exempted, why not my mother?'
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi court reserves order on Engineer Rashid's plea to attend Parliament
A Delhi court Tuesday reserved its order on an interim bail plea by Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid for attending the monsoon session of Parliament starting July 21. Rashid, who defeated National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla seat by over two lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 in a 2017 terror funding case. Represented by advocates Aditya Wadhwa, Vikhyat Oberoi and Nishita Gupta, Rashid argued in court that he should either be granted interim bail or permission to attend Parliament in custody, without payment of travel costs. The lawyers also argued that Rashid had been granted interim bail in September last year for campaigning for the elections and since this bail had been extended thrice, he could not be considered a security threat. Opposing his plea, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) argued that Rashid should not be granted bail and if he is allowed to attend Parliament in custody, then he should be made to pay the travel expenses. Rashid's lawyers argued that he shouldn't be made to pay travel expenses as he was seeking to attend Parliament as his public duty and not for some personal work. After hearing the arguments from both sides, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh reserved the order for July 21. Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court had allowed Rashid to attend Parliament on two occasions – on March 10 and February 25. The MP was arrested on August 9, 2019, four days after the abrogation of Article 370 and the removal of J&K's special status. According to the NIA, Rashid used various public platforms to 'propagate the ideology of separatism and secessionism', and was closely associated with various terrorist organisations. The agency had also alleged that he wanted to 'legitimise' the United Jihad Council (UJC), a platform of anti-India militant groups in J&K. According to the NIA, Rashid's name cropped up during the interrogation of businessman and co-accused Zahoor Watali. After being chargesheeted in October 2019, a special NIA court framed charges against Rashid and others in March 2022 under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government), and 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Court reserves verdict on Baramulla MP's plea for interim bail to attend Parliament
A Delhi court on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) reserved its order on a plea by the Member of Parliament from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias 'Engineer' Rashid, who sought permission to attend the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, set to begin on July 21. Mr. Rashid sought parole to carry out his duty as a parliamentarian. Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh of the Patiala House Court reserved the order on the plea. Mr. Rashid defeated the incumbent J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Also Read | Delhi HC asks jailed MP Engineer Rashid to deposit ₹4 lakh for going to Parliament in custody Advocates Aditya Wadhwa, Vikhyat Oberoi, and Nishita Gupta, argued for Mr. Rashid. The counsel stated that Mr. Rashid should be granted interim bail, or alternatively allowed to attend Parliament in custody (being a prisoner), without being required bear the potentially substantial travel costs, as he was seeking to attend Parliament as a matter of public duty, and not in his personal capacity. The petitioner submitted that the trial court had granted interim bail to him on September 10, 2024 to campaign for the J&K Assembly election, which was extended thrice. The Delhi High Court had allowed him to attend Parliament twice in custody twice, they said, with vide orders issued on February 10, and March 23. 'Hence, he cannot be considered a security threat,' Mr. Rashid's counsel said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) opposed the plea, and said interim bail should not be granted. The agency also said Mr. Rashid should pay for his own travel expenses, if he was being allowed to attend Parliament in custody. Lodged in Tihar jail since 2019, Mr. Rashid was arrested by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a 2017 terror funding case. According to the NIA's First Information Report, Mr. Rashid's name had come up during the interrogation of businessman and co-accused Zahoor Watali.
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Egypt Independent
PM witnesses launch of 1st water ambulance in Alexandria
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Monday, July 14th, 2025, witnessed the launch of the first water ambulance in Alexandria governorate. The launching ceremony of the boat came at a time when the premier was inspecting the sites of a number of finalized and underway service and development projects in the coastal governorate. Chairperson of the Egyptian Ambulance Authority Amr Rashid told the Prime Minister that the ambulance boat was fully built and manufactured in Egypt. The vessel meets both medical and maritime standards and is designed to serve beachgoers, visitors to ports and marinas, and yacht tourism, Rashid said. It will also enhance the country's ability to respond to emergencies aboard passenger and commercial vessels operating in Egyptian territorial waters, as well as offshore oil platforms, Rashid added. Rashid stated the boat is 13 meters long and four meters wide and has the capacity to transport four sick or injured people, along with the ambulance and navigation crew at a time. The ambulance boat is equipped with three engines with a speed of 35 knots and various modern navigation and marine safety devices, as well as medical equipment necessary for emergency rescue operations, Rashid noted.
