Abdul Ghani Lone, the Hurriyat leader and chairman of the People's Conference, was assassinated in Srinagar on May 21, 2002 during a gathering commemorating the death anniversary of his friend, the Kashmiri leader, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, also slain by assassins 12 years ago. What follows is an outspoken and detailed interview given by Lone to the writer. The interview, published here for the first time, took place at Lone's residence in Srinagar in June 2001. Lone addresses frankly the 'colonial attitudes' of India and Pakistan toward Kashmir and the ways in which the Kashmir policies of both countries have consistently failed the people of Kashmir.
