Deepanboopathy at 06:08, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T06:08:23Z

New page

{{Short description|Kashmiri Pro-Indenence Leader}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|office1 =Former Cabinet Minister of Education and Health
(J&K)
| 1blankname1 = [[Chief Minister]]
| 1namedata1 = [[Syed Mir Qasim]]
|office2 = Former Deputy Minister of, Law, Irrigation, Flood control, Animal husbandry and Power
| name = Abdul Gani Lone
|native_name =
| caption =
|party = [[Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference]]
|otherparty = Jammu and Kashmir People's Independence Conference
| birth_date ={{Birth date |1932|5|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = Dard Harie, [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu & Kashmir]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2002|5|21|1932|5|6}}
| death_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| death_cause = [[Assassination]]
| children = [[Bilal Lone]]<br/>[[Sajjad Lone]]<br/>[[Shabnam Gani Lone]]
| occupation = [[lawyer]], [[Politician]]
}}

'''Abdul Gani Lone''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Abdul Ghani Lone from India pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|ˈ|ɑː|b|d|ʊ|l|_|ˈ|ɡ|ɑː|n|i|_|ˈ|l|oʊ|n}} {{respell|AHB|duul|_|GAH|nee|_|LOHN}}; 6 May 1932 – 21 May 2002) was a [[Kashmir insurgency|Kashmiri nationalist]] political leader.

==Life==
Lone was born in Dard Harie in the [[Kralpora]] tehsil of the [[Kupwara district]] of the [[princely state]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Kashmir and Jammu]] in [[British Raj|British India]] into a [[Kashmiri Muslim]] family. He earned a law degree from [[Aligarh Muslim University]] in 1957.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hurriyat Leader Lone Shot Dead|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/hurriyat-leader-lone-shot-dead/215704|access-date=2020-12-16|website=www.outlookindia.com|publisher=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook magazine]]}}</ref>

His sons Bilal Lone and [[Sajjad Lone]] are Kashmiri politicians. Sajjad Lone was a member of the [[Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]. His daughter [[Shabnam Gani Lone]] is a lawyer at the [[Supreme Court of India]],<ref>[https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/shabnam-lone/215725 Shabnam Lone], ''Outlook'', 23 May 2002.</ref> while his eldest daughter Safiya Lone, a teacher by profession, died on 22 October 2017.

== Career ==

He made his entry into politics serving in the state assembly as a [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] candidate in 1967. In 1978, he formed a Kashmiri separatist organization called People's Conference dedicated to "the restoration of 'internal autonomy' in Kashmir."{{Citation needed|date= April 2012}}
== Electoral performance ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Election !! Constituency !! colspan="2"|Party !! Result !! Votes % !! Opposition Candidate !! colspan="2"|Opposition Party !! Opposition vote %|| Ref
|-
|[[1987 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election|1987]]||[[Handwara Assembly constituency|Handwara]]||{{party name with color|Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference}}||{{Lost}}||43.88%||Chowdary Mohammed Ramzan||{{party name with color|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}||46.93%||<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1987 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1987/StatisticalReport_jk_87.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114084427/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1987/StatisticalReport_jk_87.pdf |archive-date=14 January 2012|access-date=15 February 2024|format=pdf}}</ref>
|-
|[[1983 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election|1983]]||[[Handwara Assembly constituency|Handwara]]||{{party name with color|Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference
}}||{{Lost}}||45.46%||Chowdary Mohammed Ramzan||{{party name with color|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}||45.48%||<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1983 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1983/StatisticalReport_JK_1983.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117082124/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1983/StatisticalReport_JK_1983.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2012|access-date=15 February 2024|format=pdf}}</ref>
|-
|[[1977 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election|1977]]||[[Handwara Assembly constituency|Handwara]]||{{party name with color|Janata Party}}||{{Won}}||51.78%||Sharif Ud Din||{{party name with color|Jammu & Kashmir National Conference}}||44.73%||<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1977 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1977/StatisticalReport_JK_77.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117081946/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1977/StatisticalReport_JK_77.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2012|access-date=15 February 2024|format=pdf}}</ref>
|-
|[[1972 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election|1972]]||[[Handwara Assembly constituency|Handwara]]||{{party name with color|Indian National Congress}}||{{Won}}||88.41%||Sharif Ud Din||{{party name with color|Independent politician}}||11.59%||<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatisticalRep_JK_72.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117083027/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatisticalRep_JK_72.pdf|archive-date=17 January 2012|access-date=15 February 2024|format=pdf}}</ref>
|-
|[[1967 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election|1967]]||[[Handwara Assembly constituency|Handwara]]||{{party name with color|Indian National Congress}}||{{Won}}|| colspan=5|'''Elected Unopposed''' ||<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1967 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20Report_Jk_1967.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006052138/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20Report_Jk_1967.pdf|archive-date=6 October 2010|access-date=15 February 2024|format=pdf}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Death==

Lone and his guards were gunned down by two young assassins before they threw grenades and escaped on 21 May 2002 while commemorating the twelfth death anniversary of Kashmiri leader, [[Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq]]. Eyewitnesses said that earlier in the day a group of youths arrived at the Idgah, shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, and two of them fired on Lone.<ref name="shot_dead">{{cite news|title=lone shot dead|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020522/main2.htm|accessdate=7 April 2015|work=The Tribune|date=22 May 2002}}</ref>

[[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] Chief Minister [[Farooq Abdullah]] said "Pakistan wants Kashmir and so is desperate in its action, which this killing has proved." The then Prime Minister of India, [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], said, "Mr. Lone was assassinated because he was working for peace in Jammu and Kashmir."<ref name="shot_dead" />

His son [[Sajjad Lone]] said separatist leader [[Syed Ali Shah Geelani]] and Pakistani spy agency [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]] were responsible for his father's death, then later said Abdullah had provided inadequate security to his father.<ref>{{cite news|title='White-collar' men killed Abdul Ghani Lone: Sons|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/white-collar-men-killed-abdul-ghani-lone-sons/article1-648809.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226031843/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/white-collar-men-killed-abdul-ghani-lone-sons/article1-648809.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 December 2014|accessdate=7 April 2015|work=Hindustan Times|date=11 January 2011}}</ref><ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2002410.stm Thousands mourn Kashmiri separatist]</ref>

The United States condemned the assassination, with Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] issuing a statement, calling Lone a moderate who sought a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18311.htm Country Reports on Human Rights Practices], U.S. Department of State, 31 March 2003, Retrieved 14 January 2012</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of assassinated Indian politicians]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/15062002/1506200222.htm ''Milli Gazette'']

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lone, Abdul Ghani}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Aligarh Muslim University alumni]]
[[Category:Kashmiri politicians]]
[[Category:Kashmiri Muslims]]
[[Category:People murdered in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:People from Kupwara district]]
[[Category:Kashmir separatist movement]]
[[Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1967–1972]]
[[Category:Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference politicians]]
[[Category:2002 murders in India]]
[[Category:Asian politicians assassinated in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Indian politicians assassinated in the 21st century]]
[[Category:Assassinated subnational legislators]]
[[Category:Politicians assassinated in 2002]]
[[Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1972–1977]]
[[Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1977–1983]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Janata Party politicians from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Muslims]]

Abdul Ghani Lone - Revision history

Deepanboopathy at 06:08, 2 February 2026