Abdul Ghani Lone

{{Infobox officeholder

|office1 =Former Cabinet Minister of Education and Health

(J&K)

| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata1 = Syed Mir Qasim

|office2 = Former Deputy Minister of, Law, Irrigation, Flood control, Animal husbandry and Power

| name = Abdul Gani Lone

|native_name =

| caption =

|party = Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference

|otherparty = Jammu and Kashmir People's Independence Conference

| birth_date ={{Birth date |1932|5|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = Dard Harie, Jammu & Kashmir, British India

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2002|5|21|1932|5|6}}

| death_place = Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

| death_cause = Assassination

| children = Bilal Lone
Sajjad Lone
Shabnam Gani Lone

| occupation = lawyer, Politician

}}

Abdul Gani Lone ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Abdul Ghani Lone from India pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|ˈ|ɑː|b|d|ʊ|l|_|ˈ|ɡ|ɑː|n|i|_|ˈ|l|oʊ|n}} {{respell|AHB|duul|_|GAH|nee|_|LOHN}}; 6 May 1932 – 21 May 2002) was a Kashmiri-separatist political leader.

Life

Lone was born in Dard Harie in the Kralpora tehsil of the Kupwara district of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu in British India into a Kashmiri Muslim family. He earned a law degree from Aligarh Muslim University in 1957.{{Cite web|title=Hurriyat Leader Lone Shot Dead|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/hurriyat-leader-lone-shot-dead/215704|access-date=2020-12-16|website=www.outlookindia.com|publisher=Outlook magazine}}

His sons Bilal Lone and Sajjad Lone are Kashmiri politicians. Sajjad Lone was member of the Legislative Assembly. His daughter Shabnam Gani Lone is a lawyer at the Supreme Court of India,[https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/shabnam-lone/215725 Shabnam Lone], Outlook, 23 May 2002. while his eldest daughter Safiya Lone, a teacher by profession, died on 22 October 2017.

Career

He made his entry into politics serving in the state assembly as a Congress candidate in 1967. In 1978, he formed a Kashmiri separatist organization called People's Conference dedicated to "the restoration of 'internal autonomy' in Kashmir."{{Citation needed|date= April 2012}}

Electoral performance

class="wikitable sortable" ! Election !! Constituency !! colspan="2"\|Party !! Result !! Votes % !! Opposition Candidate !! colspan="2"\|Opposition Party !! Opposition vote %	Ref
1987	Handwara	{{party name with color\|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}	{{Lost}}	43.88%	Chowdary Mohammed Ramzan	{{party name with color\|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}	46.93%	{{cite web\|publisher=Election Commission of India\|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1987 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir \|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1987/StatisticalReport_jk_87.pdf\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114084427/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1987/StatisticalReport_jk_87.pdf \|archive-date=14 January 2012\|access-date=15 February 2024\|format=pdf}}
1983	Handwara	{{party name with color\|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}	{{Lost}}	45.46%	Chowdary Mohammed Ramzan	{{party name with color\|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}	45.48%	{{cite web\|publisher=Election Commission of India\|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1983 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir \|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1983/StatisticalReport_JK_1983.pdf \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117082124/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1983/StatisticalReport_JK_1983.pdf \|archive-date=17 January 2012\|access-date=15 February 2024\|format=pdf}}
1977	Handwara	{{party name with color\|Janata Party}}	{{Won}}	51.78%	Sharif Ud Din	{{party name with color\|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}	44.73%	{{cite web\|publisher=Election Commission of India\|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1977 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir \|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1977/StatisticalReport_JK_77.pdf\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117081946/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1977/StatisticalReport_JK_77.pdf \|archive-date=17 January 2012\|access-date=15 February 2024\|format=pdf}}
1972	Handwara	{{party name with color\|Indian National Congress}}	{{Won}}	88.41%	Sharif Ud Din	{{party name with color\|Independent politician}}	11.59%	{{cite web\|publisher=Election Commission of India\|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir \|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatisticalRep_JK_72.pdf\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117083027/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatisticalRep_JK_72.pdf\|archive-date=17 January 2012\|access-date=15 February 2024\|format=pdf}}
1967	Handwara	{{party name with color\|Indian National Congress}}	{{Won}}	colspan=5\|Elected Unopposed	{{cite web\|publisher=Election Commission of India\|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1967 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir \|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20Report_Jk_1967.pdf\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006052138/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20Report_Jk_1967.pdf\|archive-date=6 October 2010\|access-date=15 February 2024\|format=pdf}}

Death

Lone and his guards were gunned down by two young assassins before they threw grenades and escaped on 21 May 2002 while commemorating the twelfth anniversary of the death of Kashmiri leader, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq. Eyewitnesses said that earlier in the day a group of youths arrived at the Idgah, shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, and two of them fired on Lone.{{cite news|title=lone shot dead|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020522/main2.htm|accessdate=7 April 2015|work=The Tribune|date=22 May 2002}}

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said "Pakistan wants Kashmir and so is desperate in its action, which this killing has proved." The then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said, "Mr. Lone was assassinated because he was working for peace in Jammu and Kashmir."

His son Sajjad Lone said separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Pakistani spy agency ISI were responsible for his father's death, then later said Abdullah had provided inadequate security to his father.{{cite news|title='White-collar' men killed Abdul Ghani Lone: Sons|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/white-collar-men-killed-abdul-ghani-lone-sons/article1-648809.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226031843/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/white-collar-men-killed-abdul-ghani-lone-sons/article1-648809.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 December 2014|accessdate=7 April 2015|work=Hindustan Times|date=11 January 2011}}[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2002410.stm Thousands mourn Kashmiri separatist]

The United States condemned the assassination, with Secretary of State Colin Powell issuing a statement that said Lone was moderate who sought a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18311.htm Country Reports on Human Rights Practices], U.S. Department of State, 31 March 2003, Retrieved 14 January 2012