The Hindu : 'My father wanted peace in Kashmir'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 22, 2002

National

National

'My father wanted peace in Kashmir'

By Pranab Dhal Samanta

NEW DELHI MAY 21. It was not a particularly long flight. But between his departure from Srinagar and arrival in Delhi, a whole era seemed to have got erased from Bilal Gani Lone's life. The son of the senior Hurriyat leader, Abdul Gani Lone, is yet to fully realise that the man he bid adieu at 2-15 p.m. today was no more by the time he was collecting his baggage at the airport here.

"I was to come here on some important business. Throughout the day, I waited to get a few moments with my father, but he was too busy attending to the hundreds who had come to meet him. Finally at about 2-15 p.m., I sneaked past and said goodbye before leaving for the airport. And when I arrived here, there was a call on the mobile giving me the bad news.''

Immediately, Mr. Bilal was busy making arrangements for his return to Srinagar on Wednesday. Once that was done and he was amid friends at his Alaknanda flat, the news began to gradually sink in. Friends called to condole, but he began to lose hold over himself. And the frustration reached its peak as he rebuked a friend: "Don't call me. It is only when you call me that I cry. I can't believe he is no more.''

Oscillating between extreme emotions, Mr. Bilal could hardly give any statement. Yet, he did not singularly blame anyone for his father's death. "I don't know who did this, but whoever they were, they were enemies of peace. My father just wanted peace in Kashmir.''

According to Mr. Bilal, his father was not in favour of the coming elections in Jammu and Kashmir. ``He wanted the killings to stop before any such step. While he was not against the principle of elections, he would not have participated in it. Let me tell you, he always thought very positively about the future of Kashmir.''

Unwilling to get dragged into the question of how this incident could impact the present stand-off between India and Pakistan, Mr. Bilal said: "My father had always wanted that the Kashmir issue be resolved through a three-way dialogue between both countries and the Kashmiris. He never advocated war.''

He, however, did make the point that the security cover provided to his father was not enough. "For the past 18 months, we had been asking for more security, but the Government did not acknowledge it. All he had were two personnel with him and four at home.''

With his eyes fixed at his father's treadmill lying across the sitting room, he said, between sobs: ``My father kept telling me to lose weight, to exercise like him, and remain fit. Oh! he was such a fit man. I know everyone has to die one day, but not like this.''

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