Syed Ali Shah Geelani Remains Under House Arrest , Relief For Omar Farooq

23 May, Srinagar

There was still no relief for chairman of hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani while chairman of moderate HC Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq has been released from house arrest.

A spokesperson of the HC Aiyaz Akbar Saturday said Geelani remained under house arrest for the past more than three weeks. Security forces and state police personnel remained deployed outside the Hyderpora residence of Geelani, who was not allowed to offer Friday prayers in a mosque, he said.

Aiyaz strongly condemned curbs on Geelani, who applied for a passport to visit his ailing daughter married to a Kashmiri, living in Saudi Arabia. However, so far the amalgam chairman was not issued passport by the authorities, he said.

In reply to a question Aiyaz said Geelani would visit Regional Passport Office (RPO), Srinagar, only when he is released and security forces deployed outside his house are withdrawn. The RPO had asked Geelani to visit the office since he has submitted his passport form online and is yet to go for the biometric procedure due to restrictions placed on him.

Aiyaz said when people of India were fighting for their freedom from British, top leaders of the sub-continent including Mahatama Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and others visited abroad after they were issued passport by the then rulers. He, however, said Geelani would not beg for the passport since it is the right of every person.