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Lone may finally attend son's wedding

Senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone, who has been camping in New Delhi for more than a week, seeking government permission to attend his son's wedding in Islamabad, is expected to leave for the Pakistan capital on November 16, sources said on Monday.

The sources said that although Lone had not been given a passport, the government is likely to grant him travel documents in a day or two. He will leave for Islamabad on November 16 or 17. His family members are already in Islamabad, where Lone's son Sajjad is marrying Asma, the daughter of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front chief Amanullah Khan on November 19.

None of the other Hurriyat leaders, including Yaseen Malik, Syed Ali Shah Gilani and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, invited by Amanullah for the wedding, have been given permission by the government, the sources said.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum (JKDF) president Bhusan Bazaz, who is among many Kashmiri politicians invited for the wedding, has been allowed to travel to Pakistan. Bazaz is scheduled to leave for Islamabad on November 16 along with Lone.

The invitees include prominent Kashmiri Pandits, people from Jammu and some journalists from Delhi.

Lone had approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) last week for help, but it said Lone's appeal was premature as the Centre had not rejected his application.

The Hurriyat leader told UNI that he had put in an application at the regional passport office in Srinagar ''a long time back'' intimating them about his son's wedding. He received a reply on September 19, saying that the application had been forwarded to the ministry of external affairs.

A formal letter has also been sent to the ministry of external affairs by the Hurriyat leadership.

Alongwith Lone, five senior leaders of the Hurriyaat have applied for passports. They include Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Yaseen Malik, Syed Ali Shah Gilani, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat and Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

Meanwhile, a home ministry official claimed that Lone had not yet formally applied for permission.

However, Lone said he could only apply to the external affairs ministry and it was the responsibility of the latter to inform the home ministry.

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS
Lone unable to visit PoK for son's wedding
Farooq wants to attend JKLF chief's
daughter's marriage in PoK

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