Kashmiris have to take decisions themselves: Bilal Lone

Srinagar: Stating that mere condemnation and protest statements won’t do, senior Hurriyat Conference leader Bilal Gani Lone said that unless Kashmiris won’t take their decisions themselves there will be no resolution to the Kashmir problem.

Addressing a gathering of people who had assembled to mark the death anniversary of Bilal Lone’s father and former senior Hurriyat leader Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone, the Hurriyat leader said that the worst misfortune of Kashmiris was that nobody was willing to say that “this is our issue.” Lone said that Kashmiris are confused as some say this is an issue between two nuclear powers India and Pakistan. He said Kashmiris have no ‘locus standi’ as “either we look towards Islamabad or towards New Delhi.”

Notably, the seminar was held at town hall Kupwara to pay tributes to Shaheed-e-Milat Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq and Shaheed-e-Hurriyat Khawja Abdul Gani Lone on their martyrdom anniversaries. The seminar was presided over by Bilal Gani Lone while as Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman; Mirwaiz Umar Farooq couldn’t attend the seminar as he continues to remain under house detention.

According to the KNS correspondent, without naming anybody Bilal Lone said everybody in Kashmir is walking with a ‘traitor stamp’ in his pocket and no sooner one speaks he is branded as a traitor. He however said that the Kashmiris must now realize the things have moved far ahead and only condemnation and protest statements won’t work. He quickly added that leadership must choose a leader and he will be the first to follow.