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| Of Lone sister, brothers and call of democracy | | | ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
SRINAGAR, Nov 11: Amidst anti-poll campaign and call of social boycott of those contesting assembly elections, the separatist political spectrum in Kashmir finally has a genuine contest within which underlines that elections for forming a government and the vexed ‘Kashmir issue’ are two different processes altogether.
Separatist ‘stalwart’ Sajjad Lone and his brother Bilal Lone of the Peoples Conference (founded by their father Abdul Ghani Lone) are out on a well drawn up anti-poll campaign in Kashmir. They don’t have the well explained and cogent reasons for opposing polls but their bottomline is that elections have to be opposed because they don’t lead towards resolution of Kashmir. This may true in that context but after all government are also required for running day to day affairs of the public life which, of course, can not be held hostage to the issue which has been lingering on for six decades.
Closer to home and much closer to heart, the sister of Lone brothers, Shabnam Lone has filed her nomination papers as an independent candidate from Kupwara constituency which goes to polls in third phase of elections on November 30. Shabnam’s participation is an election is not a token presence and apparently not at all any ploy which may be difficult to understand. “I am serious and my people are much serious about it”, says the Supreme Court lawyer Lone who has left the separatists in Kashmir surprised. Shabnam challenges Mir Saifullah of National Conference who has represented Kupwara twice since 1996.
Not only Kupwara constituency, a significantly major part of Kupwara district in North Kashmir draws an influence from ideology of slain Hurriyat leader Abdullah Gani Lone. A moderate face and ready with imaginative ideas on Kashmir, Lone was shot dead by unidentified militants in May 2002, the day then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee reached J&K on a two-day tour. As Vajpayee had come with his proposal of resolving Kashmir issue under the ‘ambit of humanity’ (breaking far from clichéd four wall of constitution), it was widely expected that Lone may meet the Prime Minister to give a new shape to the dialogue process but this initiative was cut short by mysterious bullets that afternoon.
Six years down the line, the Lone brothers have tried to do well keeping his name alive, but it is their sister which appears to have donned mettle of the father and represent his people. Shabnam says, “I have been forced by the supporters and followers of my father to represent them where exactly they need someone to speak for them”. She admits that Kashmir issue can’t be resolved through elections but firmly believes that elections are important democratic exercise of empowering people. Observers believe Shabnam would not have been the lone aspirant to represent people had her father Abdul Ghani Lone been alive.
The Kupwara is the north district of Kashmir valley which is going to polls for five seats of Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara and Langate on November 30, 2008. The Kupwara district is having 341946 electors and a total of 448 polling booths are being set up across the north Kashmir district of Kupwara.
According to official figures Kupwara Assembly segment leads the district with the largest electorate of 90,805 which includes 47,131 male and 43,674 female voters.
"Shabnam has a chance to win in Kupwara constituency as her father has done a lot for the area" said Advocate Bushan Lal Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit, who originally belongs to the same district and now resides in Jammu.
Elections in Kupwara district are up for an interestingly battle as the 2002 element of proxy is missing. In 2002, the Peoples Conference of Sajjad Lone had fielded and supported proxy candidates in Kupwara and Handwara constituencies. Sofi Ghulam Mohiuddin, a staunch follower of Lone, won from Handwara defeating NC stalwart Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan. This time the Lone brothers are leading an anti-election campaign. Not it has to be seen as how democracy responds to call of brothers and sister. |
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