By IANS
Srinagar : Sajad Gani Lone, the separatist People's Conference leader, Tuesday sought trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir asserting that the three regions of the state had little in common.
"The people of Jammu and Ladakh call the separatist movement in the Valley as terrorism. If we are seeking freedom then we must first free those who seek freedom from us," Sajad told a public meeting of his supporters at the Sher-e-Kashmir Park in summer capital Srinagar.
Sajad, the younger son of slain People's Conference founder Abdul Gani Lone, is heading a faction of the party while his elder brother Bilal's People's Conference is a constituent of the Mirwaiz-led moderate Hurriyat group.
"We have nothing in common with the people of Ladakh and Jammu. Their language, dress, culture and political belief, all are different from ours," Sajad told his supporters.
He said the state must be divided into three regions of Jammu, Ladakh and the Valley in order to ensure that the political aspirations of the people here did not clash violently with each other.
His demand evoked sharp criticism from Communist Party of India-Marxist state general secretary Yusuf Tarigami, who labelled it as anti-Kashmiri and dangerous for the unity and integrity of the state.