Admin imposes restrictions
Senior separatist leader and former Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani breathed his last at his Srinagar residence on Wednesday evening. He was 92.
His family said he developed serious complications on Wednesday afternoon and breathed his last in this evening.
“He had chest congestion and breathing problems. He passed away at 10:30 PM,” they said.
Geelani, who was under house detention since 2010, was ailing for a long time.
He had quit Hurriyat Conference faction headed by him in June last year. He had been chairman of his faction of Hurriyat since 2003 after the split of the united Hurriyat Conference.
He was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir but later on founded Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.
He was an MLA from Sopore constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in 1972, 1977 and in 1987.
He was an ideologue and a proponent of the merger of J&K with Pakistan. Geelani. He had emerged as a hawk among the separatists and was opposed to any bilateral or Track II talks with New Delhi. He was the only Kashmiri leader to oppose former Pakistan military ruler General Parvez Musharraf’s 4-point Kashmir formula.
He also refused to meet an all-party delegation from Delhi in 2016 by not opening doors of his house.
After Geelani’s death, authorities imposed restrictions in Srinagar to maintain law and order. The security men have placed concertina wires in the area near his residence to restrict public movement.
The authorities may also suspend mobile internet to maintain law and order.
Geelani, who was born September 29, 1929 in Sopore had contested 1972, 1977 and 1987 Assembly elections. He, however, had quit the mainstream politics and joined separatist politics after eruption of militancy in 1989.
He had spearheaded the 2008 land row agitation, 2010 agitation and 2016 agitation after Burhan’s killing in Kashmir.
Geelani received his preliminary education at Sopore, and finished his studies at the Oriental College, Lahore (Pakistan).
Geelani spent his boyhood in the headquarters of Plebiscite Front at Mujahid Manzil where Moulana Syed Masoodi patronized him.
It was perhaps Masoodi’s influence that made him (Geelani) join the National Conference for a while. In 1953, Jama’t Islami Jammu Kashmir was part of Jama’t-e-Islami Hind. Since the local mood was against India then, Jammu Kashmir got its own unit of Jama’t-e-Islami.
Geelani joined it and never looked back, at least not until 1997 when severe differences with the then Jama’t chief, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat prompted him to quit the party and float new party Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.
Geelani contested controversial elections in 1972 when Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah had called for election boycott.
Justifying his joining the fray, he once said: “The Plebiscite Front had deviated from the basic stand way back in 1969 when it decided to contest municipal elections. Some Plebiscite Front leaders also informed the people of Sheikh Abdullah’s wavering stand but people did not take note. The Plebiscite Front, therefore, had no valid reason to call for election boycott. Further, the decision to contest the elections was taken by Jama’t-e-Islami not Geelani.”
Geelani believed in merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. However, he did not shy away from criticising Islamabad’s policies at times.
Geelani began his political career in 1950, and has spent more than a decade in jail. He was first imprisoned in 1962, but has spent several spells in jail (ranging from days at a time to just over a year) from then onwards.
He leader was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2007. In 2008, he was put under house arrest during the Amarnath Land Row and the house detention continued till his death.
Geelani is survived by his widow Jawahira Begum. His son Dr Nayeem and his daughter in law are doctors in Pakistan. They returned to Kashmir in 2010. His second son, Zahoor, lives in New Delhi Izhaar, his grandson, is a crew member of a private airliner in India, while his daughter Farhat is a teacher in Jeddah. His son-in-law Altaf Shah is presently under detention in Tihar jail. Another son-in-law Iftikar Geelani is in Turkey.
Geelani loved Urdu and spoke it fairly well. He would urge people to learn Urdu. He also knew Persian.
With his death an era has ended.
Admin imposes restrictions
Senior separatist leader and former Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani breathed his last at his Srinagar residence on Wednesday evening. He was 92.
His family said he developed serious complications on Wednesday afternoon and breathed his last in this evening.
“He had chest congestion and breathing problems. He passed away at 10:30 PM,” they said.
Geelani, who was under house detention since 2010, was ailing for a long time.
He had quit Hurriyat Conference faction headed by him in June last year. He had been chairman of his faction of Hurriyat since 2003 after the split of the united Hurriyat Conference.
He was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir but later on founded Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.
He was an MLA from Sopore constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in 1972, 1977 and in 1987.
He was an ideologue and a proponent of the merger of J&K with Pakistan. Geelani. He had emerged as a hawk among the separatists and was opposed to any bilateral or Track II talks with New Delhi. He was the only Kashmiri leader to oppose former Pakistan military ruler General Parvez Musharraf’s 4-point Kashmir formula.
He also refused to meet an all-party delegation from Delhi in 2016 by not opening doors of his house.
After Geelani’s death, authorities imposed restrictions in Srinagar to maintain law and order. The security men have placed concertina wires in the area near his residence to restrict public movement.
The authorities may also suspend mobile internet to maintain law and order.
Geelani, who was born September 29, 1929 in Sopore had contested 1972, 1977 and 1987 Assembly elections. He, however, had quit the mainstream politics and joined separatist politics after eruption of militancy in 1989.
He had spearheaded the 2008 land row agitation, 2010 agitation and 2016 agitation after Burhan’s killing in Kashmir.
Geelani received his preliminary education at Sopore, and finished his studies at the Oriental College, Lahore (Pakistan).
Geelani spent his boyhood in the headquarters of Plebiscite Front at Mujahid Manzil where Moulana Syed Masoodi patronized him.
It was perhaps Masoodi’s influence that made him (Geelani) join the National Conference for a while. In 1953, Jama’t Islami Jammu Kashmir was part of Jama’t-e-Islami Hind. Since the local mood was against India then, Jammu Kashmir got its own unit of Jama’t-e-Islami.
Geelani joined it and never looked back, at least not until 1997 when severe differences with the then Jama’t chief, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat prompted him to quit the party and float new party Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.
Geelani contested controversial elections in 1972 when Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah had called for election boycott.
Justifying his joining the fray, he once said: “The Plebiscite Front had deviated from the basic stand way back in 1969 when it decided to contest municipal elections. Some Plebiscite Front leaders also informed the people of Sheikh Abdullah’s wavering stand but people did not take note. The Plebiscite Front, therefore, had no valid reason to call for election boycott. Further, the decision to contest the elections was taken by Jama’t-e-Islami not Geelani.”
Geelani believed in merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. However, he did not shy away from criticising Islamabad’s policies at times.
Geelani began his political career in 1950, and has spent more than a decade in jail. He was first imprisoned in 1962, but has spent several spells in jail (ranging from days at a time to just over a year) from then onwards.
He leader was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2007. In 2008, he was put under house arrest during the Amarnath Land Row and the house detention continued till his death.
Geelani is survived by his widow Jawahira Begum. His son Dr Nayeem and his daughter in law are doctors in Pakistan. They returned to Kashmir in 2010. His second son, Zahoor, lives in New Delhi Izhaar, his grandson, is a crew member of a private airliner in India, while his daughter Farhat is a teacher in Jeddah. His son-in-law Altaf Shah is presently under detention in Tihar jail. Another son-in-law Iftikar Geelani is in Turkey.
Geelani loved Urdu and spoke it fairly well. He would urge people to learn Urdu. He also knew Persian.
With his death an era has ended.
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