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A special NIA court granted bail to Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer on September 11 after which he interacted with the media and briefed on several points. The NIA alleged that Engineer had defended the 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s terror activities as a ‘political cause,’ suggesting an alignment with extremist narratives. According to the NIA, Engineer is part of a strategy by Pakistani and secessionist groups to portray terrorist acts as political struggles aimed at inciting separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. Given these concerns, the NIA urged the Patiala House Court to reject Engineer’s bail application.
