EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 9: NC’s controversial parliamentarian Akbar Lone who used to chant pro-Pakistan slogans in public rallies has all of a sudden become a peace dove, demanding thaw between India and Pakistan and end to border skirmishes.
In the political circles, Lone is one of the few mainstream politicians who used to be considered as a Pakistani supporter and was famous for triggering rows over his controversial and erratic statements. Now all of a sudden, this MP from north Kashmir has come out cautioning the dark sides of the border hostilities while demanding end to the skirmishes at an earliest.
“Widespread distress is found among the people living alongside LoC over continued shelling from across the border resulting in loss of lives and property. There can be no substitute to talks and that only dialogue between the two neighbours can bring an end to border skirmishes. If dialogue could be employed as a medium to deescalate soaring up tensions with China after it had squatted Indian Territory, why it cannot be done with Pakistan,” he said in his latest statement.
In the past, interestingly, erratic and controversial statements have become Akbar Lone’s best friends. He was earlier seen in the video seeking help from the militants so that he could win the polls. “I know Omar and Dr Farooq would be angry, but I want to tell you 'tik tik' wala (terrorists), I am talking about you today, when I'm nothing. Tomorrow when I will win, I will talk about you and your cause more - what has happened to you? Why will you go to my workers' place? Why will you harass him? Then he won't vote for me, which means sending BJP candidate to parliament, one who is against your Kashmir cause,” Lone had said in one of his rallies.
Earlier, on March 17, 2019, when an election rally of the national conference was being held in north Kashmir with Akbar Lone as the campaigner, not even the Prime Minister of India was spared in order to grab the headlines. Lone in open used derogatory language against the Prime Minister.
On March 23, last year, this erratic NC leader already known for his bizarre, unfounded and unnatural statements and comments threw all ethics to wind when he declared in a public rally that he wasn’t ashamed of lauding Pakistan. “ Wo musalmaan mulk hai, wo abaad rahay, hamari aur unki dosti badhe, uss dosti ka mai ashiq hun…Agar unko koi aik gali dega mai unko yahan se dus galiyan dunga,” Lone said in his address.
“By saying that Modi can break the back bone of militancy means that they treat all Kashmiri as militants, and they can do anything for that, even they kill civilians during encounters. Govt. doesn’t care about people of Kashmir which Modi proves by his statement about militancy. They can do that but they also kill civilians which people have seen in 2018,” he said in another lecture. |
