Engineer Rashid evicted from outside CM house

: Legislator Engineer Rashid was evicted from the pavement outside chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's residence in Srinagar, where he was on a 48-hour sit-in to protest, on Saturday noon.

Rashid was protesting the issuance of “domicile certificates” to West Pakistan refugees (WPR) living in Jammu and Kashmir from Friday night.

The state government has clarified that the WPRs were not given domicile certificates but only identity certificates, which in no way made them state subjects.

The government had also clarified that the identity cards have been issued to facilitate West Pakistan refugees get jobs in paramilitary forces and other central government establishments.

The cards are in the same format as the voter list for the parliamentary polls.

All the major separatist groups have lambasted the government for attempting to “change the demography” of the state.

Rashid, who heads the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), along with his supporters, spent the entire night sitting in the open, facing sub-zero temperature.

A banner at the site of the protest said: “Refugees are Refugees. Deport them back to Pakistan. Issuing domicile certificates not acceptable.”

Pictures of Engineer Rashid as well as his supporters , sitting outside Mehbooba Mufti's residence on Gupkar road with blankets wrapped around them, did the rounds on social media and many commented on how the lawmaker had “gone out of his comfort zone” to protest.