Five members join Sajad Lone’s party

Sajad Lone-led People’s Conference (PC) received a major boost on Saturday when five new members, including two former parliamentarians formerly associated with People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and District Development Council chairperson from north Kashmir joined the party

Sajad Lone-led People’s Conference (PC) received a major boost on Saturday when five new members, including two former parliamentarians formerly associated with People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and District Development Council chairperson from north Kashmir joined the party.

Sajad Lone exuded hope that his party is coming up with a stronger team to the challenges J&K was facing. (ANI)

Former member of legislative council Murtaza Khan, former parliamentarians Nazir Ahmad Laway and Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Baramulla DDC chairperson Safina Baig and former deputy mayor of Srinagar, Sheikh Mohammad Imran joined PC in presence of PC chairman Lone at Church-lane Srinagar.

Lone exuded hope that his party is coming up with a stronger team to the challenges J&K was facing.

The PC and Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party have been increasingly emerging as a force to reckon with for the traditional National Conference and PDP.

Sajad Lone, a former separatist, switched sides in 2009 and joined pro-India politics by fighting parliamentary elections, a first separatist to do so in Kashmir after militancy erupted in the Valley in 1989. Since then, his party has slowly but surely grown, particularly in north Kashmir.

Laway, former Rajya Sabha member from south Kashmir, was expelled from PDP after he had attended the swearing-in ceremony of new J&K lieutenant governor GC Murmu in November 2019 months after J&K’s special status was revoked and the region split into two UTs.

Fayaz, whose Rajya Sabha tenure ended in February, had become distant from his party and would of late praise PM Narendra Modi for the schemes implemented in J&K.

Safina Baig, who won the DDC chairperson post in Baramulla with the help of PC, is wife of former PDP leader and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Baig.

Baig had recently fallen foul of the PC after his utterances during the all-party meeting with the PM on June 24.

Laway said after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s death, PDP ‘scattered’.

“I did not leave PDP but was expelled. After Sayeed’s death, the party dispersed. After his death, there was no direction where to go and hence I decided join PC,” he said.

Murtaza Khan said they were the founding members of PDP. “We gave our blood to PDP but with time, the misery against which we had raised our voice hit the party and hence we separated,” he said.

Lone, in a statement, said the organisation will immensely benefit from the leaders’ political experience and expand the outreach of the party beyond its strongholds.

“They are experienced leaders with a huge base of supporters and will in the coming years play a crucial role in shaping the politics and welfare of J&K. People’s Conference is growing stronger with each passing day. The party is emerging as a formidable political force to reckon with,” he said.

He said PC will play a constructive role in the region to create an enabling environment for engagement.

Laway said: “There is a leadership deficit in J&K. J&K politics needs new ideas and energy. Lone is the only leader who can take us out of this impasse and restore the rights of people.”

Safina Baig said PC is the only party standing for the interests of people of J&K.