Shehla Rashid’s father alleges death threat from daughter, seeks funds probe

SRINAGAR: The father of activist and former JNU Students' Union vice-president Shehla Rashid on Monday wrote to J&K DGP Dilbag Singh, saying he feared for his life after being threatened by his daughter's armed "bodyguard" into leaving the family's Srinagar home because he disapproved of her political and financial dealings. Abdul Rashid Shora sought an inquiry into his daughter's finances, accusing her of receiving Rs 3 crore from two people under investigation for terror funding.
Shora said Shehla had been first offered the amount through him to join a party that was to be floated by former IAS officer Shah Faesal. While he refused, his daughter allegedly accepted the "deal".
Just two months before the arrest of Zahoor Watali and (ex-MLA) Engineer Rashid in a terror funding case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, I had been called to the former's residence at Sanat Nagar in Srinagar. It was June 2017 and Shehla was in her last semester at JNU. They asked me to make Shehla join the JKPM party (which hadn't been formed then) and they would give me Rs 3 crores," he alleged.
Shora claimed to have turned down the duo immediately and advised his daughter to stay away from such people. "Despite my resistance, I found my wife Zubaida Shora and my elder daughter Asma supportive of Shehla and becoming party to this deal along with a boy named Sakib Ahmad from Srinagar downtown, who was introduced to me as Shehla’s pistol-carrying personal security guard," he said.
"Shehla threatened me not to disclose this deal to anybody or my meeting with Zahoor Watali and Engineer Rashid; otherwise my life would be in danger," Shora said.
Shehla responded to the allegations with a statement on Twitter about her "abusive and violent" father getting back at her for getting him legally restrained from entering their home at Lal Nagar in Srinagar's Chanapora neighbourhood. She cited a November 17 court order in this regard.
"As we mourn the death of a close family member, it is extremely sad that my father has chosen this time to level absolutely disgusting, baseless allegations against me, my mother and sister," Shehla said. "The fact of the matter is that my mother, sister and I have filed a complaint of domestic violence with the court...The false allegations he is making are a reaction to that."
In his complaint to the DGP, Shora said he had a "strong belief that anti-national activities are going on in my house".
He said the restraining order mentioned by Shehla had been stayed by the court of the additional sessions judge of Srinagar and that the authorities had been directed to allow him to return to his house. "Despite the court order, the local police did not accompany me to my home. I went on my own, but was threatened by Sakib and his armed associates, after which I ran away from Srinagar to Jammu."
The DGP has forwarded the letter to the IGP (Kashmir range) for appropriate action.