Hurriyat leader Geelani put under house arrest ahead of Modi rally
SRINAGAR: Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been put back under house arrest, as PM Narendra Modi gets set to address a rally in Srinagar on November 7, according to India Today.
A few days ago, Geelani had announced plans of holding a parallel rally to Modi’s on the day. Several separatist leaders were detained in Srinagar on Sunday ahead of the rally. The moderate faction of Hurriyat, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Sunday extended its support to Geelani’s rally.
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah and other separatist leaders were detained late Saturday night and early Sunday by police, their aides claimed.
“Malik and three other JKLF leaders were detained last evening and lodged at police station Kothibagh,” a JKLF spokesperson told PTI. However, senior police officials did not respond to the repeated calls. A police spokesman refused to comment on the alleged detentions.
Shah, who is under house arrest, was moved to Rajbagh police station this morning while searches were on to detain his deputy Mohammad Abdullah Tari. Geelani, who is under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence, had called for a ‘Million Men March’ at Tourist Reception Centre ground here on the day the Prime Minister is scheduled to address a public rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium.
“The Hurriyat fully endorses and supports Geelani’s proposed ‘Million Men March’ programme that runs parallel to the programme of Prime Minister on November 7 in Srinagar,” a spokesperson of Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference said.
He said the meeting should send message that Kashmiris were not after “petty” economic packages and that “the Kashmir issue was not an economic issue”. “The issue of Kashmir has to be resolved in the light of its historical and human context recognising and respecting the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir and honouring them,” he said.
