Sajad Lone, Chief of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), claimed that his party is under pressure from certain forces-either governmental or non-governmental—to grant “safe passage” to individuals in the Kupwara assembly segment.
Addressing the issue during a press conference, Lone firmly stated that neither he nor his party would yield to any form of intimidation.
Lone said “Whether these pressures come from government or non-government entities, directly or indirectly, we will not grant safe passage to anyone in Kupwara,” Lone asserted. “No matter what happens, such attempts will not succeed. They are wasting their time.”
Lone stated that the resilience of his party, making it clear that threats or coercion would not sway their resolve. “We are not afraid, and we will not bow to any pressure,” he declared, adding that even the reopening of old cases would not intimidate his party. “We remain unconcerned by such tactics,” he stated.
In a strong appeal to the central and local administrations, Lone urged them to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1987 Kashmir elections, which he described as a tragedy for the region.
“I appeal to the central government and local authorities to remember the events of 1987 and avoid any repetition. It would be a tragedy if those events were to recur, directly or indirectly,” Lone said. “The Kashmir region, unlike Jammu, seems to be overrun by agencies, and nothing is clear anymore. We no longer know who is aligned with whom or what is happening.”
He criticized the situation as a poorly executed plan from Delhi, saying, “It’s a very badly managed operation from Delhi, with so many obvious clues and missteps that it’s hard to comprehend.”
