The separatist leader and Hurriyat Conference member Syed Salim Gilani on Sunday joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Gilani, who was associated with the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, for a long time, joined the PDP in the presence of party President Mehbooba Mufti at party headquarters in Srinagar on Sunday.
Mehbooba welcomed the Hurriyat leader Gilani to the party fold.
The PDP president said Gilani was offered to contest the upcoming elections on the party ticket but he refused and pledged to work for the betterment of the people in general and particularly for the party.
Speaking to reporters Gilani said, “I was associated with the Hurriyat Conference for the past 35 years and felt proud for working with that and today I am joining PDP is also a proud moment for me”.
“PDP is the only party that has touched all the issues concerning the people and has worked on them. PDP has raised the issues of the release of jailed youth, suppression, and other atrocities being faced by the people, and has impressed me to join the party,” he said.
Gilani said that during the past five years, nobody dared to raise their voices.
“I feel that the PDP talked about Kashmir issue, elections, people aspirations, atrocities and on the issues of democratic, political and human rights in Jammu and Kashmir”, Gilani said and added, “I could not find any better platform than the PDP from where I could serve the people”.
Asked whether he would be contesting the polls, he said contesting elections was not my motive. “My motive is to serve the people in any form”.
He also said the Kashmir issue can only be resolved politically. “Gun cannot be a solution. This is the only way to save lives that are being lost to violence.”
Welcoming Geelani, Mehbooba said it was good that the former separatist leader wants peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem.
“We requested Geelani to contest the elections on a PDP ticket but he has expressed inability to do so. He said someone else should get a chance to contest,” she added.
Last week, Aga Syed Muntazir, the son of Aga Syed Hassan Al Moosvi's president Anjuman Sharie Shian and a constituent of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, joined PDP in the presence of Mehbooba Mufti.
He has been fielded by PDP from Budgam assembly segment, which has a decisive Shia vote and is witnessing a political battle between the influential Aga family for decades.
Advocate Javaid Hubi son of former Hurriyat leader Dr Ghulam Muhammad Hubi has also joined the mainstream politics.
Dr Hubi, a member of Mirwaz’s Hurriyat faction (M) but has been inactive for many years now.
Advocate Javaid Hubbi, who is president of Bar Association Budgam, has joined Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) of jailed MP Er Rashid. He would contest from Budgam’s Chrar-i-Sharif Assembly constituency on an AIP ticket.