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Lone gets permission to visit Pakistan

After much suspense, the Centre has finally decided to allow senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Ghani Lone to attend his son's marriage in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Lone, according to family sources in Srinagar, flew to New Delhi late on Tuesday afternoon on his way to Islamabad. The sources said that Lone would fly to Islamabad on November 16.

His wife and other family members are in Pakistan for the marriage of their son Sajjad Lone with Asma Khan, the daughter of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Amanullah group) chief Amanullah Khan.

"I am hopeful the government will allow me to travel to Pakistan to attend the marriage," Lone had told rediff.com on Monday evening. "I am yet to receive my travel documents."

Two other leaders of the APHC - Moulvi Abbas Ansari and Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq - who are in Doha, Qatar, attending the Organisation of Islamic Conference will fly directly to Islamabad on November 16 to attend the marriage.

Lone said Farooq will supervise the nikah ceremony.

Sources in Srinagar said that other senior leaders of the APHC, including chairman Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Jamaat-I-Islami, JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Sheikh Abdul Aziz, chairman of the People's League, have not been permitted to attend the marriage yet.

This is for the first time that J&K leaders have been allowed by the government to visit Pakistan.

Earlier, then National Conference president Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had visited Islamabad in 1964. However, he had cut short his visit following the sudden demise of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

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Hurriyat leader awaits govt nod to attend son's wedding
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