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Former separatist Sajjad Lone jumps into electoral fray

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Life has come a full circle for former separatist leader and chairman of People's Conference (PC) Sajjad Gani Lone who is starting his second innings in the electoral politics by trying his luck from Handwara assembly constituency of border district of Kupwara.

It is for the first time after 1987 that the PC would be contesting the state assembly polls though the party had unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary elections of 2009 and 2014. Sajjad is among 19 candidates who will be trying their luck on PC ticket this time round in the Kashmir valley.

Son of the slain Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Gani Lone, Sajjad had emerged as the voice of separatists when thousands of people had taken to streets against the diversion of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board in 2008.

The 47-year-old Cardiff educated leader first hogged the limelight in May 2002 when his father was assassinated at Eidgah martyrs graveyard where he had gone to pay tributes to slain Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq who was killed in same fashion in 1990.

Sajjad openly accused Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his father's murder. A high-drama was witnessed at the funeral of senior lone, when Sajjad physically pushed Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders and verbally abused them.

This was however forgotten soon when Sajjad was made the chairman of the PC while his brother Billal Gani Lone was made the executive member of the Hurriyat Conference. However, Syed Ali Shah Geelani engineered a split in the conglomerate in 2003 after he accused Sajjad Lone for fielding proxy candidates in the 2002 assembly elections.

A year later Sajjad's party spilt after he decided to pull out of Hurriyat in protest against Mirwaiz for leading funeral prayers of his father's assassin. However, his brother Bilal Gani Lone rebelled and refused to leave Hurriyat.

Much water has flown down the Jhelum and Sajjad is now dabbling in the state politics. He is pitted against National Conference leader and consumer affairs minister Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan and People's Democratic Party leader Sofi Ghulam Mohidin in Handwara.

"There are two types of problems: Kashmir problem and problem within Kashmir. Unemployment and developmental issues are the problems within Kashmir. And these are growing by the day. People were coming to us with their pleas. So we thought we have to help them out. It is possible only when we will join the mainstream politics," said Rashid Mehmood, general secretary of PC.

Sources said Sajjad Lone had met BJP leader Ram Madhav who had arrived here to explore possibilities of stitching a post poll alliance with smaller parties and individual leaders in the Kashmir valley. Few months back BJP leader JP Nadda had also met Lone which had set tongues wagging in the valley.

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