Syed Ali Geelani-A symbol of resistance

Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani (87) was admitted in a private hospital in New Delhi after he complained about breathlessness and high blood pressure. He was brought to the hospital with an episode of syncope (fainting episode), and admitted in the ICU. The next day on his condition becoming stable, was shifted to the general ward. “He is at present stable and under evaluation by the cardiology and neurology team of the hospital,” said a statement issued by the hospital. In a message, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on behalf of the people of Pakistan and his own behalf, wished a speedy recovery for Syed Ali Shah Geelani, lauded his “indefatigable leadership”, which he said was a “beacon of freedom for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Though there are other leaders who are waging struggle against Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and have given sacrifices, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been consistent in his stance that the dispute must be resolved according to the UNSC resolutions. Even in his old age and deteriorating health, he is keeping the banner of independence aloft. People of Kashmir, people of Pakistan and expatriats in other countries pray for his early recovery and long life so that he could see the fruits of struggle waged by him, other Kashmiri leaders and people of Jammu and Kashmir. It is heartening to know that his health is improving. On Friday, in a statement from New Delhi, Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar said that Chairman Hurriyat Syed Ali Geelani is recovering and is feeling better.
On Thursday, Sayed Ali Geelani had a heart attack and was immediately admitted in ICU of the Max Hospital. A day earlier, he had termed the statement by British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond that “resolution of Kashmir should not be pre-condition for the Indo-Pak dialogue” as irrational and unreasonable. Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani said that “Kashmir dispute is the basic and real issue between the two countries and ignoring this issue had neither helped in the past and nor can we expect anything concrete in future”. He strongly condemned continuous detention of Sayeed Abdul Rehman Geelani, Hurriyat (G), continuous imprisonment of Hurriyat Secretary General Shabir Ahmad Shah at Rajbagh police station, house detention of Provincial President Nayeem Ahmad Khan and invoking of lawless law PSA against dozens of pro-freedom leaders and activists.
It would be appropriate to produce a brief profile of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a veteran of Kashmiri politics, the leader of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and a staunch opponent of union with India. Born in a town in the Bandipora area of northern Kashmir on September 29, 1929, Geelani received his preliminary education at Sopore, and finished his studies at the Oriental College, Lahore (Pakistan). Geelani initially formed the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in the early days of his political career, but then abandoned that platform to join the more established Jamaat-e-Islami (Jammu and Kashmir). He now uses the name of his original political party (re-formed in 2003) for his faction of the APHC, in contrast with the faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, which is known as the moderate APHC.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani had helped form the APHC in 1993, along with Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone (of the People’s Conference), Maulvi Abbas Ansari (of the Liberation Council) and Abdul Ghani Bhat (of the Muslim Conference). He succeeded Mirwaiz Farooq, the body’s founding chairman, in 1997. Geelani, in general, has taken the position that Kashmir must have the right of self-determination, but specifically advocates the position of union with Pakistan. He has been seen as close to the Pakistani government, but has not shied away from criticising Pakistan’s policies in the past. He was particularly critical of the Kargil episode, saying that while “Pakistan had been supporting the indigenous struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, morally, diplomatically and politically, but this does not mean Pakistan can take a decision on our behalf”.
Geelani began his political career in 1950, and has spent more than a decade in jail. He was first imprisoned in 1962, but spent several spells in jail (ranging from days at a time to just over a year) from then onwards, with the Indian authorities often arresting him before elections. Omar Abdullah, the then chief minister of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and the president of the National Conference (NC), had repeatedly blamed Geelani for the rise of militancy in Kashmir. Farooq Abdullah, Omar’s father and the patron of the NC, echoed this call, urging Geelani to “adopt a path which could save Kashmiri people from further destruction”. However, Syed Ali Shah Geelani always believed in peaceful protests, that became gory only when Indian police and military perpetrated atrocities on the people of Kashmir.