Sajad Lone vows to hold NC accountable for ‘atrocities’ on Kashmiris

Srinagar, Apr 24: People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Wednesday pledged to hold National Conference leaders accountable for their alleged involvement in innocent killings, torture, incarceration, the proliferation of graveyards since 1987 and “unjust imposition” of the Public Safety Act (PSA) on Kashmiri people.
Addressing the gathering in his hometown in Kupwara, Sajad said there is a strong ideological alignment between the National Conference and the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing historical instances when Omar Abdullah, as an NDA minister, “shamelessly defended the killings of Muslims”.
Lone said, “In every village, the graveyards are full of our young people, and these young people have died due to the rigging of 1987 done by NC. They have to answer for these killings.”
He said that before he dies, he will “definitely make these people accountable for the mass killings in the Kashmir Valley”. “In the past, they have sent 10 MPs; somebody tell them what they have done for North Kashmir. Currently, whenever they are being asked anything, they are saying these A, B, C teams of BJP, and they have nothing except this because they have sent people to jails and put false PSA against them.”
The PC chief added, “When my father (Abdul Gani Lone) was in jail, Farooq Abdullah was saying in New Delhi that there is no one in jail in Kashmir, everything is fine in Kashmir. Where was he when he was lying to New Delhi just to make them happy? These are the people who were issuing orders to kill people in Kashmir.”
“Even when Vajpayee’s government rejected NC’s proposal for greater autonomy in the 90s, NC leaders unethically chose to accept a mere ministerial role. They have long been allies of the BJP. Yet now, they callously invoke Islam in Kashmir to obscure their unforgivable crimes against Kashmiris,” he stated.
Sajad proclaimed that north Kashmir has resolved not to allow “tourists” to determine the destiny of their future or that of their children any longer.
“Those who failed to advocate for our rights for over 28 years in Parliament are undeserving of even contesting candidates from the Baramulla Parliamentary constituency. NC has consistently prioritized self-interest over the pressing issues of livelihood, sustenance, and development that have left the people suffering for decades,” he concluded.