Former separatist leader Bilal Gani Lone has entered mainstream politics, aiming to represent his father's legacy and address the issues facing Kashmiri youth.
The party terms the move from the Centre as 'positive'.
Since Sunday, a total of eight leaders have been released from preventive custody.
Sajjad is the younger son of Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone who was assassinated on May 21, 2002, by militants
Omar Abdullah told the media on Friday, April 12, 2024, that he is contesting from north Kashmir as the National Conference wanted to defeat the central government, which is eyeing the Baramulla constituency as Sajjad Lone is contesting from the seat.
'I have faced 18 hours of darkness daily all my life.'
'The Congress backstabbed us and the BJP frontstabbed us.' 'This is the only difference between the two parties.'
Lone had put up at his home in the border town, where the counting centre for the constituency was set-up. After he was declared winner, thousands of people took him in a procession to Boen Bagh (Chinar Garden) of Handwara where he made his first speech after becoming MLA.
It's just not a date. It's just not about selecting a candidate. It's not about helping some candidate win. It's about expressing emotion, after ten years, that could reach out in India and beyond it, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Malik said that as per the state Constitution he did not have to take permission from the president or Parliament.
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leaders Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari have also been arrested, they said.
'They keep issuing statements to win a few rounds of applause.'
The Centre is planning a series of political initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir which may include discussion with mainstream parties of the Union Territory and elections to the assembly in the early part of next year, officials said in New Delhi.
From the beginning of next month, the bench will commence hearing to examine the constitutional validity of the scrapping of the article's provisions and the subsequent presidential orders on it, an official source said.
'It is not something that is going to unfold in the next few weeks or even the next few months.' 'This process will continue for some time. And that's how it should be.' 'If the politicians are coming on board, then that is a welcome step.'
A bank employee from Rajasthan was shot dead on Thursday by terrorists in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
'The Governor himself had clarified matters on (Article) 35A yesterday in Baramulla and the day before in Srinagar,' the statement added.
In the backdrop of the latest unrest in Kashmir, separatist leader Sajjad Lone said the demand for independence for the region could be the reference point for starting a dialogue with the union government.
'His revelation about what went on behind the scenes make it abundantly clear that the BJP must have indulged in similar tactics in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya where it formed a government even though it did not have a majority,' says Amulya Ganguli.
The return of around 6,000 paramilitary personnel to Jammu and Kashmir after election duty elsewhere has triggered large scale rumours, ranging from further bifurcation of the union territory to announcement of elections after realigning districts, for the last three days.
People's Conference chairman Sajjad Lone has conceded that the high voter turn-out for the Jammu and Kashmir elections not only surprised him but other separatist leaders in the Valley as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ongoing delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to instal an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to chair a meeting with all political parties from Jammu and Kashmir on June 24 as part of the Centre's initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the union territory, officials said in New Delhi.
The Centre has said that it will hold talks with a cross-section of separatist leaders from the state and is also likely to call other separatist leaders outside Hurriyat, including Shabir Shah.
The cases of persons under detention in the state were reviewed and 44 of them were released.
Terming the invitation by the Centre as 'positive', Lone said he also laid emphasis on identification of other parties and individuals necessary for an inclusive Kashmir participation in peace talks.
Nine seats have been proposed for STs and seven for SCs in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. This is the first time that seats have been proposed for STs in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
With no agenda announced for the meeting, the leaders from Jammu and Kashmir said they have come with an open mind.
Sulking over denial of weighty portfolio to separatist-turned-politican Sajjad Lone, his party People's Conference today issued a veiled threat that it may consider quitting the ruling coalition of Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the officials privy to the development, Centaur Hotel, owned by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), has submitted a bill of nearly Rs 3 crore to the home department for over 100 days of boarding and lodging of the detenues.
Separatist-turned politician Sajjad Lone dismissed reports that he was miffed over being given a low-key portfolio in the PDP-BJP govt.
In the bitterly-fought election, the BJP secured a landslide mandate, winning 312 out of 403 seats in the northern state.
What the leaders said after the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.
President Ram Nath Kovind signed the proclamation for imposition of central rule in the state, which plunged into a political crisis in June after the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government was reduced to minority following withdrawal of support by the 25-member Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.
This is likely to be the last extension of the central rule in the state as the Election Commission had issued a statement recently stating that elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be announced after the annual Amarnath Yatra beginning on July 1.
The PDP has 28 MLAs, followed by NC's 15 and the Congress's 12. The three parties together will have majority in the 87-member House. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the second largest party in the state with 25 members.
Nearly two years after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs and revocation of its special status, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with top political leaders from the erstwhile state, and said the Centre's priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy there for which delimitation has to happen quickly so that polls can be held.
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