Srinagar, May 19 -- Thousands of people from across Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday participated in the Nimaz-e-Jinazah of Haji Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, the father of Member of Parliament from Barramulla, Engineer Rashid, at the family's ancestral village of Mawar Payeen in Handwara.

The funeral prayers were led by senior Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) leader and MLA Langate, Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad, in an emotionally charged atmosphere. Earlier in the day, Er Rashid was released from Tihar Jail on interim bail, arriving directly at Srinagar Airport before proceeding to his native village to perform the last rites of his father.

Addressing the gathering, the AIP chief made an emotional appeal, urging people to reflect upon the futility of hatred ...