Photo: Nissar Ahmad

PAYING HOMAGE: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed placing flowers on the coffin of Education Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone at the police control room in Srinagar on Tuesday. Mr. Sayeed's daughter and PDP leader, Mehbooba Mufti, follows him to pay homage.

SOPORE: The killing of Ghulam Nabi Lone, Minister of State for Education, on Tuesday has evoked widespread condemnation from political leaders who termed it as an act of cowardice.

Soon after the 62-year-old doctor-turned-politician was declared dead at the hospital, a large number of people, mostly political workers thronged the Police Control Room in Srinagar where the body was kept. Governor S. K. Sinha, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and a host of Ministers placed wreaths on the coffin which was wrapped in the tricolour.

A police contingent lowered its guns and sounded the last post to pay respect to Dr. Lone who joined politics three years ago. Mr. Sayeed and Ms. Mufti consoled the Minister's relatives, who were present at the time of the attack. Dr. Lone's body was later taken to his residence here. Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Union Minister for Urban Development Ghulam Nabi Azad also visited Sopore. Dr. Lone was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard at Nowpora. The State Government announced a three-day State mourning. All government offices and educational institutions remained closed for the day.

Mr. Sayeed described the killing as "inhuman" and said it was all the more reprehensible as the militants had struck at a time when the State was mourning the deaths of thousands of people in the October 8 earthquake. But such attacks would not deter the people from pursuing the path of peace and the process of dialogue and reconciliation would be carried forward. The killers had violated the sanctity of the holy month of Ramzan.

Mr. Sayeed described Dr. Lone as an honest and upright person who, as Minister made improvements in the education sector. Mr. Sinha described Dr. Lone as an able politician and a nationalist who served his people. Dr. Abdullah said the Minister was a gentleman serving the people and not an army man. "The peace we are searching for is miles away. This peace will not come until the Kashmir issue is solved," he said.

Mehbooba Mufti termed the killing as a great loss to her party. "These innocents killings will not serve any purpose to anyone." With tears in her eyes, she said, "Kashmir has been going through a critical phase and there is only addition of widows and orphans in the society." Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Housing Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, CPI (M) leader M. Y. Tarigami, National Conference leader A. R. Rather and senior vice-president of Congress Abdul Gani Vakil condemned the killing.

Mr. Sayeed visited the residence of Mr. Tarigami who survived the attack.

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