Separatist Ideology

Lone, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Baramulla constituency, said one of the reasons he wants to go to Parliament is to strive and advocate for the same set of laws for the children of Kashmir and the rest of the country.

He cited the example of police verifications in Jammu and Kashmir.

While police verification in other parts of the country entails checking if an individual has any criminal antecedents or if an FIR is registered against them, in Kashmir, the entire family tree is investigated, he said.

“So, if in a family of 500 people, cousins and second cousins, one person is involved in violence, 499 will not get police clearance. This means they will not get a job, they will not get a passport, they can’t participate in government contracts and probably they (government) might even pass a law that they can’t get a bank loan,” he said.

Lone also underlined the importance of reintegration in conflict resolution.

“Those who rebelled against the system, how much time will you give them to reintegrate into the system? So, if they are clean for 10 years, it is time to take the stigma off and let them live like normal civilians. This is done in all civilised countries,” he said.

In response to a question, the JKPC president said he would not want Kashmir to be an issue between India and Pakistan, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir should focus on their lives and development.

“If there is an issue, the two countries have their foreign ministries to deal with it. We are a union territory, hopefully (will become) a state, and let’s focus on development. It (their issues) is something that the two countries will take care of,” he said.

He said his opinion might not be politically very correct or palatable but it was the truth which would save lives.

“Anybody saying anything to the contrary is talking about sacrifice. Sacrifice means blood, dead bodies and jail. Whosever says so should first qualify whose children will die and whose children will go to jail.

“I don’t want… the army of orphans to supply more (bodies) to the graves,” he

“All options are open to us. First and foremost, we appeal to the Election Commission not to do it (postpone the elections). The Election Commission should issue a directive to the local administration to keep the road open,” he said.

Abdullah, who was accompanied by National Conference candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat Mian Altaf Ahmad, said the EC should not pay heed to the letter written by some parties and individuals, including the BJP for postponement of the elections under the garb of closure of the Mughal Road, the fair weather road which connects south Kashmir to Poonch-Rajouri region on other side of the Pir Panjal mountain range.

Abdullah said he failed to understand why anyone would seek postponement of an election based on presumption that the road will be closed due to inclement weather.

“The road is open today. Even if there is rain, it won’t be difficult to restore the road. Even if the road gets closed,