By TEHELKA WEB DESK
Former Hurriyat leader Bilal Lone on Tuesday announced his entry into active politics, saying he was moving beyond his long-standing passive role to engage directly with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters, Lone said his association with politics stemmed from his family’s legacy but that he had remained only passively involved over the past two decades.
“I basically belong to a political family. After my father’s martyrdom in those circumstances, we had to enter politics. For the last 20-25 years, I have been in passive politics. Now I am becoming a little active in politics,” he said.
Lone described the decision as a natural progression rather than a major political development.
“There is no major issue in it. It is not that something different has happened,” he said.
He said he was entering public life as an individual and intended to connect with people before deciding his future political course.
“I have come out as an individual. I have my own small constituency and my own way of thinking. Whatever I have learnt over the last 20-25 years, I will try to discuss it with my people. Then it is for them to decide. They will either lead us forward or we will sit at home.”
Dismissing speculation about joining any particular political party, Lone said, “I do not respond to rumours. A rumour is a rumour. What I say is what should be taken as correct.”
He also said his return to active politics was not aimed at targeting anyone.
“I have not come out to insult anyone or take anyone’s place. But, God willing, I will now play an active role in politics,” he said.
