Sajjad hits back, expels brother

In a tit-for-tat, Sajjad Gani Lone on Tuesday expelled his older brother Bilal from the People's Conference.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the party's working committee, three days after Sajjad's brother expelled him.

At a press conference in Srinagar, Sajjad also said he had severed ties with the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, of which the People's Conference was a constituent.

Sajjad claimed that Bilal's decision had no constitutional validity as all the office-bearers were behind him. As many as 22 of the 25 members of the working committee, formed by their slain father Abdul Gani Lone, founder of People's Conference, were present at the press conference.

"All the working committee members are here and there is no question of a split. If you want to see a split it is up to you," Sajjad said.

In a dramatic move, Abdul Gani Lone's wife, appeared at the press conference and announced her support for the younger son.