Sajjad Gani Lone Biography

About Sajjad Gani Lone

Sajjad Gani Lone is one of the most famous political faces from the Kashmir Valley. He is a former separatist who had an alliance with the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC). He is the leader of the J&K People's Conference (PC) which was formed to achieve the purpose of "the restoration of 'internal autonomy' in Kashmir".

Early Life of Sajjad Gani Lone

Sajjad Lone was born on 9 December 1966. He is the youngest of moderate Kashmir leader Abdul Gani Lone's sons. Sajjad's father was the founder of the People's Conference who was in favour of a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue. But he was assassinated in 2002 in a rally commemorating the death of the Kashmiri leader, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq in Srinagar.

Sajjad Lone attended Burn Hall School in Srinagar. He completed his high school education in 1980. Lone graduated from the University of Wales College of Cardiff, UK in 1989. He married Asma Khan Lone, a Pakistani national of Kashmiri origin, in the year 2000. Asma Khan Lone earned a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge. The couple is blessed with two children - Emad Lone and Adnan Lone.

Political Career of Sajjad Gani Lone

Sajjad Lone joined active politics following his father Abdul Gani Lone's death in 2002, when he succeeded him as the PC chairman. According to Lone's Facebook page, “Thrown abruptly into politics in a conflict zone and bereft of guiding father figure, Sajjad Lone's learning curves in politics are harsh derivatives of mistakes. Sajjad Lone pleads guilty of being a politician but aspires to be a leader”. Sajjad Lone joined the separatist politics soon after he took over the responsibility of PC, but later parted ways with the separatist Hurriyat Conference in 2009. Subsequently, Lone went on to contest the 2009 Indian General Elections from the Baramulla Loksabha Constituency as an independent candidate, but he could not win.

After a few years of obscurity and political absence, Sajjad Lone again caught the eye-balls across the political realm by having met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in connection with the ongoing J&K assembly elections. It is being speculated that Lone's PC might share the pie with the BJP after the Assembly polls, although, according to some media reports, he made it very clear that his party would contemplate any alliance with any party only after the polls are over and results are announced.

It is worth considering that the BJP has not fielded any of its candidates in the Handwara Assembly constituency from which Sajjad Lone is contesting elections. Lone somewhat seems displeased with the Congress' performance in the Valley and disapproves of its policies as far as Kashmir and its problems are concerned.

A certain section of the political analysts considers Sajjad Lone a contender for the post of the Chief Minister as well, but he will have to heavily depend on full support from the BJP. It remains to be seen whether the BJP would still like him to ascend to the CM's chair just in case there is a fractured judgment. The People's Conference has deployed 18 candidates in the Valley with an expectation to grab four of those. Sajjad Lone's prospects in the Assembly polls will largely depend on the number of total seats his party and the BJP manage to get hold of.
WBVivek05.12.2014