Immediately after he took oath as minister in the PDP-BJP government, Sajjad Lone got a warm hug from Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed. But behind the scenes it was the PDP’s cold feet to Lone’s inclusion in the Cabinet that even delayed his visit to Jammu for the oath ceremony.
It was on late Saturday finally that Lone, the BJP’s first ally in Kashmir, was informed about his inclusion in the Cabinet. With the last flight having left Srinagar by then, he had to travel by road to reach Jammu on time.
The son of slain Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Lone, who has taken a long, arduous and ambitious journey from separatist to mainstream politics, needed the Cabinet berth to strengthen his foothold in north Kashmir.
Many players in the separatist camp, who have been watching him closely, would have taken note of Sunday’s development. This was reflected in Mufti’s first press conference as CM. “Sajjad Lone has given an opening, an avenue for others to follow,” he said.
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