Sajad Gani Lone, a separatist-turned-politician and chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, has announced a trilateral coalition with Jamaat-backed The Justice and Development Front (JDF) and the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) here in Srinagar on Monday.
The announcement was made by the JDF president, Shamim Ahmad Thoker, during a press conference in Srinagar. During his interaction with the media afterwards, Shamim said the alliance, named the People’s Alliance for Change, aims to provide a reinforced and united political platform for addressing the political and developmental concerns of the people of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Thoker said, “We have joined hands with the Sajad Lone-led Peoples Conference and Hakeem Yaseen of the People’s Democratic Front.”
He also raked up historical connections of the JDF with the Lone's late father to merge a unified front against the other political parties in the region, particularly against JKPDP and JKNC.
He said, “The JDF has a historical connection with the Peoples Conference through the late Abdul Ghani Lone, and we are building on that legacy.”
The alliance would work closely to serve the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “We will speak the same language in Kashmir and Delhi, unlike others who say one thing here and another there,” he said.
Meanwhile, it's pertinent to mention that all of these parties have failed to make any significant impact on the politics of Jammu and Kashmir due to certain issues, including political immaturity, which was reflected in their campaigns in the 2024 assembly elections.
Though since two of the three parties in the new coalition are relatively new in the political realm of Jammu and Kashmir, the bulk of the work will be on the shoulders of Sajad Gani Lone, who has seen himself as an ideal candidate to run politics in the UT.
Realising that they may not be able to create a sizable individual voter base, all of these parties have joined hands to maximise their prospects in the upcoming municipal and Panchayat polls.
“We must unite. We will invite other like-minded parties and individuals to join this platform,” Thoker added.
JKPC President Sajad Gani Lone and PDF Chairman Hakeem Yaseen have expressed support for the initiative and agreed to work jointly under the alliance.
The fresh alliance will start consultations and outreach in the coming weeks to expand its base, with a likelihood that others might also join hands in the coming days.
Follow us
