On the 24th death anniversary of his father, late Abdul Gani Lone, authorities placed Peoples Conference (PC) chairman, Sajad Gani Lone, under house arrest in Srinagar. The PC spokesperson criticized the house arrest as ‘undemocratic.’ Abdul Gani Lone was assassinated by terrorists in Srinagar on May 21, 2002, while paying tribute to senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq.
Abdul Gani Lone entered politics in 1967 as a Congress candidate and later founded the Peoples Conference, advocating for ‘internal autonomy’ in Kashmir. Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq, a prominent figure in Kashmir, played a key role in political mobilization. He led the All Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee and represented Kashmiri Muslims beyond regional parties.
In 2010, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was convicted for Mirwaiz’s murder, and in 2023, two more terrorists were arrested in connection with the assassination. The police revealed that one of the arrested terrorists was responsible for the fatal attack on Mirwaiz. Mirwaiz’s son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, succeeded him as the chief cleric and chairman of the Awami Action Committee, while Sajad Gani Lone took over his father’s role in the Peoples Conference.
Sajad Gani Lone currently serves as the party chairman and represents the North Kashmir Handwara constituency in the Legislative Assembly.
