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| Follow Sajjad Lone to end conflict in Kashmir | | | If not anyone else in the separatist camp it is chief of Peoples' Conference, Sajjad Lone, who has shown the way to those who have been sitting on the other side of the fence waiting for some miracle to happen. Sajjad has announced that his party will field candidates for the ensuing civic elections in Srinagar and in other towns of the Kashmir valley. Asserting that his party would field candidates from Srinagar city and all towns in the forthcoming Municipal polls, Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone has hinted at going alone in the elections. Lone declared his intentions of contesting the civic elections during the joining of a Congress leader Muhammad Kamal Malik from central Kashmir's Budgam district in the party, Lone said that PC would field its candidates in all towns and Srinagar city 'if government dares to hold the Municipal polls.' "We are ready for participation provided government holds the elections," he said. Lone, who is trying to make inroads beyond the party stronghold of north Kashmir, hinted that PC wouldn't join with any political force in Municipal as well as 2014 Assembly polls.
Lone's plan to go alone in the elections is the result of his belief that he has not been able to find a political party which has its outlook and ideology similar to that of the Peoples' Conference. "I don't see any like-minded force in Kashmir," he has said while replying to a query on whether he would like to ally with any political party in the electoral process. Lone said that his party would revive its cadre in central Kashmir's Budgam district as the area is not alien to to him and to his party. "After we have successfully managed to make deep inroads in Srinagar, our focus would be now on Budgam. Before '90s PC fielded its candidates from areas like Khansahab and Beerwah and managed to fetch 3000-4000 votes from each of the segments," he has claimed.
In fact right from 2002 Assembly elections Sajjad Lone has been harbouring his ambition of fielding his candidates in the elections. Since he had fallen out with the Hurriyat Conference he had, in 2002, lent indirect support to some candidates contesting the Assembly elections from Baramullah and Kupwara districts. Sofi Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din was one among the candidates Lone had given the support and interestingly Sofi had won the elections. Even in 2008 Assembly elections candidates supported by Lone had done well inviting criticism from the separatist camps. However, credit should be given to Lone for having shown the courage in announcing his decision to field PC candidates for the civic elections. He has shown that he has political wisdom and guts his father, Abdul Gani Lone, had demonstrated during his long political career.If other separatists, including those who had been political colleagues of Sajjad Lone, join hands with the PC Chief or follow his political line one can expect the level of violence and conflict within the Kashmir valley to register a new low. Already Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, has announceed that he would step down in case the separatists decide to contest the Assembly elections. During the last over two decades the battle lines have been drawn between the mainstream politicians and the separatists. This is one reason for growing political and security instability in Jammu and Kashmir. It will end once the separatists and the mainstream political leaders remain on one side of the fence. |
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