Writer Mod Date & Time PARTITION: Tape 39 (cont) 255MODEM 255MODEM Mar 09 14:21 ABDUL GHANI LONE interviewed at his home in Srinagar, 9 March 1997 regarded as perhaps the best politician within the All Party Hurriyat Conference, and the most articulate; a leader of the People's Conference - not openly pro-Pakistan; aged about 11 at the time of partition, living in his home village near Kupwara; repeatedly jailed from cl949 down to 1990s (I saw his last arrest at the time of Hazratbal crisis in 1993); once a minister in the state government interviewed in his massive but fortified house, with high fence and security grills, and a police post by the entrance; says there were first a series of grenade attacks, then a big RDX car bomb - to floor still not fully repaired, and showed me cracks in the walls; side A from 326 330 - [village near Kupwara, not affected by Oct 47 raiders but by 2nd wave from other part of J and K who came in Jan 48] 'local people were v much receptive to them ... very much joyful, and they welcomed them, people came out of their houses and welcomed them' 337 - 'the people who came from our side, were not tribesmen ... they were from the state of J and K [tho didn't speak Kashmiri] ... they crossed with the motive of liberation ... by then, people had got a lot of hatred for Indian forces, they were thinking them to be the forces of occupn, so they welcomed the forces ... they provided them food, shelter and all that' 354 - these forces controlled entire district of Kupwara for about 6 months, in June they had to retreat 360 - 'I was a small boy, but when a contingent of mujahideen had to retreat and they were going from my village, people - more part womenfolk - they were crying, they were weeping, that I army is going to take us over; the Indian airplanes came and dropped a bomb in an adjacent village' [and gives names of both villages] ' and there was some firing, strafing also' to 374 Side B 6 - 'people at that time were out and out for Pak, they were saying at that time that Mah has run away, he has left for Jammu, and people weere v much opposing him, cos he had joined the state with I ... nobody wanted I' 35 - 'people were not liking the rule of the Mah ... people were liking at that time Sheikh Abd, they were supporting him ... that much I remember' 58 - 'I saw first Sheikh Abd in 48, in the month of June or July ... when Ind army advanced ... then Sheikh A toured those northern areas; I was a young boy and I was one of the students who was playing in the band ... he made a small speech there ... in Kashmiri ...