Days before his assassination, J-K Education Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone had said in a rally that he would not have joined politics if friends had not requested him to do so to pursue their dream ‘‘of rebuilding Kashmir.’’ ‘‘It was by accident. It was a decision taken in the heat of the run-up to the last elections,’’ he had told people at Kreeri. ‘‘I was not interested in politics. I was doing well as a doctor. But I could not say no to my friend and benefactor Beigh Sahib who urged me to join politics to rebuild Kashmir,’’ he had said. ‘‘I knew it would be risky. My family tried to dissuade me. But I made up my mind and didn’t look back.’’But once in politics, Lone exhibited a broader focus and an instinctive concern for the public good. A reputed physician in Baramulla, his home district, Lone had earned enormous goodwill in his constituency of Sangrama where he ran his clinic. This is why, when suddenly fielded as a People’s Democratic Party candidate against the seasoned National Conference politician Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, the people were upset — they were going to lose their village doctor. Lone had an impressive win in the elections. Born at Nowpora in Baramulla on April 15, 1943, Lone served the state’s health department for 33 years. He retired in 2001, a year before he joined politics. He was an outspoken minister with a sense of humour. This had made him very popular with the media, and he was always easily accessible, ready with stories about the functioning of the government — often critical.Lone soon become one of the most well-known ministers of the People’s Democratic Party government for his excellent handling of the education department, one of the largest departments in the state, with a large teaching community protesting for years about the pay anomaly. Lone won them over after he facilitated the settlement of the problem. It is said about the minister that he reserved his weekends for listening to the problems of the people.
