Srinagar, May 21 (IANS) On the 24th death anniversary of his father, late Abdul Gani Lone, authorities on Thursday put Peoples Conference (PC) chairman, Sajad Gani Lone, under house arrest in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar city.

The PC spokesperson described the house arrest of the party chairman as ‘undemocratic’.

Abdul Gani Lone was killed by terrorists in Eidgah grounds of Srinagar city on May 21, 2002, when he went there to pay tribute to senior separatist leader and chief cleric, Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq. The late Mirwaiz was killed by terrorists on May 21, 1990, in his Nigeen residence in Srinagar.

Abdul Gani Lone made his entry into politics by serving in the state Assembly as a Congress candidate in 1967. In 1978, he formed a Kashmiri separatist organisation called the Peoples Conference dedicated to “the restoration of ‘internal autonomy’ in Kashmir.

Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq emerged at the age of 19 as a leader during the agitation over the disappearance of the holy relic from Hazratbal Shrine. He led protests demanding its recovery and helped found the All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (ACC), a coalition of political parties in Kashmir, becoming its chairman.

Although primarily a religious figure, his role expanded into socio-political mobilisation, especially representing sections of Kashmiri Muslims outside the dominant regional parties.

In 2010, a terrorist of the Hizbul Mujahideen was convicted for Mirwaiz’s murder, and in 2023, two additional terrorists were arrested by the police in connection with the assassination.

In a press briefing, the police then said the arrested terrorists included the one who had entered the bedroom of Mirwaiz and opened fire at him.

Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq was succeeded as the chief cleric and chairman of the Awami Action Committee by his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while Abdul Gani Lone was succeeded by his son, Sajad Gani Lone.

Sajad is the chairman of his party and also the sitting MLA in the 90-member Legislative Assembly from the North Kashmir Handwara constituency.

–IANS

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