May 23, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10,1423

SRINAGAR, May 22: Thousands of supporters of slain Kashmiri leader Abdul Gani Lone on Wednesday poured on to the streets of occupied Kashmir to take part in his funeral procession.

Lone, an influential moderate leader, was shot dead on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen as he attended a rally in Srinagar.

His body, draped in green cloth, was placed in a truck for the 12- kilometre journey from his home in the Rawalpora district of Srinagar to the Martyrs Graveyard where he was buried, a couple of metres from where he was killed.

The 70-year-old had been at the cemetery attending a function to mark the anniversary of the death of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in 1990.

As Lone was leaving he was gunned down at close range. One of his security guards was also killed and seven other people wounded.

Security was extremely tight during the funeral procession, with police vans mounted with machineguns leading the hearse-truck and hundreds of police and paramilitary officers lining the roads.

More than 10,000 supporters followed Lone’s body in cars, jeeps, buses and on motorbikes and cycles.

Many carried blue flags of the People’s Conference — the political party Lone formed in the 1970s, which is part of the All Party Hurriyat Conference. Lone was one of the seven executive members of the APHC.

People’s Conference supporters shouted “We want freedom. Freedom is our birthright. We will get it at any cost” as the hearse-truck crawled the streets to finish the journey in more than two hours.

Women and children stood on roofs of centuries-old buildings while elderly men sat on cots placed on footpaths to pay their respects to Lone.

Hurriyat leaders, including chairman Abdul Gani Bhat, Omar Farooq, Javed Mir and Syed Ali Geelani followed the procession in cars.

“It is a tragic loss to the movement,” said Shabir Shah, a senior leader who has spent more than 20 years in various jails.

Hyder Ali, a businessman attending the funeral, said Lone had stuck bravely to his ideals.

“He had the courage to speak for the people. After so many years of violence he believed only dialogue could resolve the issue of Kashmir. It is a sad end.”

Another in the procession, Kashmir Alif Khan, wept as he said: “He was a great leader who worked for peace. It is a great loss for us.”

Lone’s family had wanted him to be buried in Handwara, 85 kilometres north of here, near his birthplace, but Hurriyat leaders managed to persuade them he should be laid to rest at the Martyrs Graveyard.—AFP