Sajjad Gani Lone


Sajjad Ghani Lone is an Indian Kashmiri politician, and former Member of the Legislative Assembly elected from the Handwara constituency. He is the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference

Early and personal life

Sajjad Ghani Lone is the youngest son of Abdul Ghani Lone, who was killed in a rally in Srinagar in 2002. He has a sister, Shabnam Lone, who is a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.
Sajjad Ghani Lone is married to Asma Khan, daughter of the Pakistan-based pro-independence JKLF leader Amanullah Khan. They have two sons.

Career

After the assassination of his father, Lone became the chairman of People's Conference. In the 2009 Indian general election he stood as an independent candidate in Baramulla. He was defeated by the National Conference candidate Sharifuddin Shariq.
In 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, he was criticized by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sajjad Lone won Handwara in north Kashmir in the state assembly elections, by a margin of more than 5000 votes. In the 2014 state election, Lone was elected as MLA of Handwara, one of two People's Conference candidates elected to the state legislative assembly in that election.
His party JKPC leaded in all blocks of Handwara constituency including Rajwar, Ramhal and Magam.

Opposition to the revocation of special status

Sajad Gani Lone has been vocal supporter of special status of Jammu & Kashmir. He was part of an-all party group formed for safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Hours before BJP-led centre revoked the special status of the status by reading down the Article 370, Lone was put under house arrest. On 5 August, Lone was arrested by Jammu & Kashmir police and lodged in a jail in Srinagar. He was taken into police custody on 5th August 2019 and was freed from detention on 31st July 2020.

Recognition