Days after Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two absconding killers of Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Conference and former minister Sajad Gani Lone, raised the issue of the murder of his father Abdul Gani Lone.
Sajad Lone regretted that even after the passing of 21 years, not even a single person has been arrested in connection with the killing of his father.
Remembering his father on his 21st death anniversary, Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone said that he was killed for saying what he believed in.
"Remembering my father Abdul Gani Lone, killed for saying what he believed in. Two decades have passed. Those moments of helplessness in the face of brute violence persist even today. They are a grim reminder of bestiality and savagery where you violently silence a person because you don't agree with his views. Targeted killings take place even today. They are as futile as the killings of the past. It is a fervent hope that Kashmir exits the vicious cycle of violence", he said, in a statement.
Lone said that regrettably, despite the passage of time, not a single person has been apprehended for the murder of Late Lone, and he is not alone in this regard.
There are active and passive murderers in Kashmir
Sajad Lone said that in Kashmir there has always been an active murderer and a passive murderer. The active murderers are the hitmen with a limited life. They don't stay around for too long.
"It is the passive murderers who are the greatest danger. They are white-collar killers. They are a part of the society. They are non-combatants. They don't have a gun. But they conspire to kill with their evil words and deeds," he said.
"They are the prime conspirators and also the prime commiserators. They are the ones who make the loudest noises at the condolence ceremonies", he said.
"These passive murderers are still there. And the concept of active and passive murderers has been present in both sides of the divide, of the violent conflict", he said. "I wish we all wake up and understand the passivity part of these crimes", he added.
Mirwaiz Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone were killed by terrorists on May 21
It was on May 21, 1990, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq — the then Mirwaiz of Kashmir, and father of incumbent Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was assassinated at his Nigeen residence by Pakistan-trained local terrorists of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit.
On May 21, 2002, when a group of Hurriyat Conference was observing the death anniversary of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq another Hurriyat leader, and founder of Peoples Conference, Abdul Gani Lone, was assassinated right inside the Eidgah grounds where a large number of people had assembled.
Two absconding killers of Mirwaiz Farooq were arrested on May 16
Jammu and Kashmir Police's intelligence wing on Tuesday announced that two of his "absconding killers" have been arrested and handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The police added that the two accused, Javaid Ahmad Bhat alias Ajmal Khan from Srinagar's Azad Basti and Zahoor Ahmad Bhat alias Bilal from Srinagar's Batamaloo, were involved in the killing of the Mirwaiz on May 21, 1990.
Besides Ajmal Khan and Bilal, three others were involved in the Mirwaiz's killing, according to the police. Of the three, Abdullah Bangroo is considered to be a pioneer among Kashmir's global jihadists. Bangroo and another person involved, Reham Shigan, have been killed in encounters.
The fifth person involved, Ayub Dar, was arrested, prosecuted, and convicted. He is currently serving a life sentence. The police said all of the five terrorists belonged to pro-Pakistan Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
