Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 04
Former separatist leader Bilal Ahmad Lone on Sunday called for greater focus on the future of Jammu and Kashmir’s younger generation rather than prolonged political arguments over accountability for the region’s violent past.
Speaking at the fifth Halla Bolle conclave in Srinagar, Lone said more than three decades of conflict had caused extensive loss of life and suffering and that affected families should be given space to heal.
“We have lost more than one lakh lives; our homes have been severely affected,” Lone said.
He said repeatedly revisiting questions over who was responsible for the deaths would not help the next generation and called for an end to the cycle of violence.
“No graveyards anymore,” he said.
Lone, who has moved towards mainstream politics and is seeking to carry forward the political legacy of his late father Abdul Gani Lone, said Kashmir needed to rebuild trust between political leaders and the public.
He said the moderate Hurriyat Conference had previously engaged with successive Congress and BJP-led governments in an effort to pursue dialogue on the Kashmir dispute.
“We were in politics, we are in politics, and, Insha Allah, we will remain in politics,” he said.
Lone declined to directly answer whether Hurriyat leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and jailed JKLF leader Yasin Malik should apologise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He instead urged people to participate collectively in democratic politics.
Lone said the political environment remained difficult under the BJP-led government but argued that trust could be rebuilt through sustained engagement with people.
He said a relatively small section of Kashmir’s population was economically and politically better placed while many others continued to face difficult circumstances.
