Kashmiri separatist party co-founded by Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Minister and Kashmiri independence leader Abdul Ghani Lone (died on May 21, 2002 by assassination) and Shia cleric Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansar. Party leadership shifted to Ghani Lone's son and former J&K Legislative Assembly member, Sajjad Gani Lone, in 1993.