Syed ali shah geelani son

Kashmiri separatist leader (–)

Syed Ali Shah Geelani (29 September – 1 September ) was a Kashmiri separatist leader and politician^{[12][13][14][15]} in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Known for his pro-Pakistan stance,^[16][17][18] he was a key figure in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of separatist groups. A former Indian intelligence officer referred to him as the 'father of the Kashmiri jihad.'^[19][20][21]

Geelani helped found the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in and served as its chairman from to In , he formed his own faction of which he was later elected as the lifetime chairman.

He founded the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat party in , which became the leading organisation in the separate "Geelani faction" of the Hurriyat Conference. Geelani served as its chairman until he quit the position in March , though remaining the chairman of his faction of APHC.^[4][5] He later quit from his faction in ^[1][2]

He was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir since , and was regarded as one of its most significant leaders.

Geelani was also a three-time Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Sopore constituency, elected on a Jamaat-e-Islami ticket in , and in ^[22][3]

Early life

Syed Ali Geelani was born in in a village called Zurimanz, in the Bandipora tehsil, in the Baramulla district of North Kashmir.^[a] He was the son of a landless labourer in the canals department.

Geelani was educated partly in Sopore and the rest in Lahore. He studied in a madrasa attached to the Masjid Wazir Khan and later enrolled in the Oriental College. He completed Adib 'Alim, a course in Islamic theology.^[23][21]

Career

Returning to Kashmir after studies in Lahore, Geelani became active in the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.

He was appointed the secretary of the party unit in Zurimanj. In , during the Quit Kashmir movement of the National Conference, he came in contact with Maulana Sayeed Masoodi, the general secretary of the National Conference, who took a liking to him and made him a reporter to the party newspaper Akhbar-i-Khidmat.^[23][21]

Masoodi also sponsored further studies for Geelani, who completed an adib-i-fazil course in Urdu and other courses in Persian and English.

After this, he took a job as a school teacher, first at Pathar Masjid and later at Rainawari in Srinagar.^[23] Here he came in contact with Saaduddin Tarabali, a follower of the Jamaat-e-Islami founder Maulana Abul A'la Maududi. Maududi advocated a hardline Islamist ideology, whereby Islam had to be the foundation of the entire political order.^[21] Geelani had borrowed a book of Maududi from the local book store, which made a deep impression upon him.

He was to later say, Maududi had "beautifully.. expressed the feelings that lay deep down in my own heart".^[24] The National Conference headquarters, Mujahid Manzil, where Geelani apparently stayed, soon began to be seen as "a den of Pakistanis".

Geelani was soon moved out of Srinagar, and he came to work in the Intermediate College in Sopore.

He stayed in this position for six years. During this time, he was reading the literature of Jamaat-e-Islami and conveying its contents to his students in lectures. He also addressed congregations in mosques.

Syed ali shah geelani biography templates The appointment of Mohammad Abbas Ansari as chairman of Hurriyat precipitated a crisis in the organisation and it split in September Geelani had called for numerous general strikes or shutdowns, in response to the deaths of unnamed suspected militants, local militants and death of civilians in Kashmir. Archived from the original on 26 May Kashmir Observer.

He had become a full-fledged member of Jamaat in

Electoral politics

Geelani entered into electoral politics ahead of the Indian general election. Geelani had claimed that the Jamaat-e-Islami wanted to use it as an opportunity to spread its ideology, keep the Kashmir issue in prominence and protect basic and fundamental rights of the people.^{[citation needed]} Geelani contested as an independent candidate but lost to Syed Ahmed Aga,^[25] with the Jamaat alleging ballot rigging.^{[citation needed]}

He participated in the legislative assembly election from Sopore.

He won from the seat in that year and again in the legislative assembly election. He was however defeated in the election due to the sympathy wave generated for the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference by the death of Sheikh Abdullah.^[26] Geelani also contested the Indian general election as an independent candidate due to the banning of Jamaat in , but lost to Abdul Ahad Vakil.^[25][27]

In the legislative assembly election, Jamaat-e-Islami candidates including Geelani participated under a coalition of parties called the Muslim United Front (MUF).

Where are hurriyat leaders now: The Daily Excelsior. Published By:. The funeral happened on Thursday in Srinagar. All his life, he articulated his demands through peaceful channels.

Geelani won the seat from Sopore, but was expelled from the MUF in ^[28] Geelani resigned as an MLA in August due to alleged widespread ballot rigging in the election.^[27]

Separatist leader

Geelani was viewed as a key separatist leader in Kashmir.^[29]Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, blamed Geelani for the rise in militancy and bloodshed in Kashmir, while his father and former Union Minister Farooq Abdullah urged Geelani to follow a path which would "save Kashmiri people from further destruction".^[30][31]

He was one of the founding members of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an alliance of Kashmiri social and political organisations who supported a referendum for Kashmir, in and was the initial choice for the position of its chairman.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was however chosen instead due to the secular organisations forming majority of the alliance.^[32] Geelani became the chairman in ,^[33] and was replaced by Abdul Ghani Bhat on 20 July ^[34]

He also criticised the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference for fielding proxy candidates in the assembly election and sought its removal, threatening to launch his own party.^[35] In May , the Jamaat-e-Islami removed him as its representative from the executive body of Hurriyat in order to counter hardliners in the organisation.^[36] In August it removed him from the position of head of its political bureau, appointing Ashraf Sehrai in his place.^[37]

The appointment of Mohammad Abbas Ansari as chairman of Hurriyat precipitated a crisis in the organisation and it split in September ^[38] Geelani formed his own faction within the Hurriyat Conference, called the "All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G)", in September and was elected as its chairman for three years, replacing its interim chairman Masarat Alam Bhat.

It consists of 24 parties. In he was re-elected for a term of three years despite expressing his desire to step down owing to ill health.^[39][40][4] In , he was appointed as the lifetime chairman of the faction.^[41]

In February , he sought to form his own party.^[42] The Jamaat-e-Islami prohibited him from doing so^[43] and suspended him.^[44] In response, he dropped the idea for launching the party and tried to take over the leadership of the organisation.^[45] Bowing to the pressure, the Jamaat readmitted him in August and allowed him to form his own party.^[46] In the same month he founded the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and was elected as its chairman for three years in October ^[4][47] He was re-elected to the position for three year-terms consecutively in , ^[48] and ^[49] In he was given a year-long extension after the party failed to hold regular elections in due to the – Kashmir unrest.^[50]

Jammat-e-Islami removed Geelani from its advisory council in ^[51] It later started distancing itself from him and stated that he did not represent them, but the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.^[52] In April it temporarily expelled him from the organisation due to him defending the freedom of the author of his biography Qaid-e-Inqilab – Ek Tareekh, Ek Tehreek over making derogatory remarks against the party,^[53] but later restored him as a basic member (rukun).^[54]

Geelani had called for numerous general strikes or shutdowns, in response to the deaths of unnamed suspected militants, local militants and death of civilians in Kashmir.^[55][56]

Geelani had appealed to people of Kashmir to boycott the legislative assembly elections completely, not accepting the proposals for self-rule or autonomy that had been offered by the People's Democratic Party and the then ruling National Conference.^[57][58] Despite repeated boycott appeals, the elections had record voter turnout of more than 65%, which was the highest in 25 years of history of the state.^[59][60][61] After record voting percentage in Kashmir, Geelani, along with other separatists, were criticised by Indian media for misleading people of Kashmir and for not representing true sentiments of Kashmiri people.^[62][63]

Geelani received the invitation to participate in the annual meeting of the foreign ministers of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Kashmir Contact Group to be held in New York from 27 September ^[64] After the killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani and the unrest that followed it, to restore normalcy in Kashmir, Geelani sent a letter to United Nations listing six confidence-building measures.^[65][66][67]

In March , Geelani announced his resignation as chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat citing ill health, being replaced with Ashraf Sehrai.

However he remained the chairman of his faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.^[5][4] In June he announced his resignation from the faction, accusing it of nepotism and corruption, in addition to misinterpreting his speeches and taking decisions without him.^[1][2] It however refused to accept his resignation and did not name a new chairman until after his death.^[3]

Sedition charge

On 29 November , Geelani, along with writer Arundhati Roy, activist Varavara Rao and three others,^[68] was charged under "sections A (sedition), A (promoting enmity between classes), B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) and (false statement, rumour circulated with intent to cause mutiny or offence against public peace) to be read with Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of ".

The charges, which carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, were the result of a self-titled seminar they gave in New Delhi, "Azadi-the Only Way" on 21 October, at which Geelani was heckled.^[69][70]

Personal life

Geelani lived in Hyderpora, Srinagar. Geelani has 2 sons; Nayeem and Naseem, and four daughters; Anisha, Farhat Jabeen, Zamshida, and Chamshida.^[71] Anisha and Farhat are Geelani's daughters from his second marriage.

Nayeem and his wife are both doctors who used to live and practise medicine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, but they returned to India in ^[72] Geelani's younger son, Naseem works as a Senior scientist at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Srinagar.^[73] Geelani's grandson Izhaar is a crew member in a private airline in India.

Geelani's daughter Farhat is a madani teacher in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and her husband is an engineer there.^[74][75] Geelani's other grandchildren are studying in leading schools of India. His cousin Ghulam Nabi Fai is presently in London.^[76] Ruwa Shah, daughter of Kashmiri separatist Altaf Ahmad Shah (SAS Geelani's son-in-law) is a journalist.^[77][78][79] She previously worked as a journalist in India with organisations including the Al Jazeera, IANS and The Indian Express.^[80][81]

Health issues, passport suspension and house arrest

Geelani's passport was seized in due to accusations of "anti-India" activities.

With the exception of his Hajj pilgrimage in , he has not been allowed to leave India.^{[needs update][82]} He was diagnosed with renal cancer, and advised treatment from abroad in the same year. On the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention, the government returned Geelani's passport to his son.^[83] In , his condition worsened,^[84] although in the early stages of the cancer, it was life-threatening and surgery was advised.

Geelani was set to travel to either the UK or the United States.^[85] However, his visa request was rejected by the American government citing his violent approach in Kashmir conflict and he went to Mumbai for surgery. His supporters and family alleged that this was a "human rights violation".^[86]

On 6 March , Geelani fell ill with a severe chest infection, shortly after returning to his home in Srinagar.^[87] He has been under house arrest for most of the time since ,^[88][89] and was put under house arrest again on his return.^[90] In May , Geelani applied for passport to visit his daughter in Saudi Arabia.

The Indian government withheld it citing technical reasons, including the fact that he deliberately failed to fill in the nationality column required in the application.^[91][92] On 21 July, the Government granted him a passport on humanitarian grounds, with a validity of nine months, after Geelani acknowledged his nationality as an Indian.^[93][94]

Death rumour

On 12 March , rumors of Geelani's death, spread by edits to his Wikipedia entry, "a particular Hindi news channel", and pages on Facebook led the government of Kashmir to suspend internet and phone service, according to some sources.^[95][96][97] However, the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the failures had nothing to do with Geelani's health and were due to a snapped power line as well as an optical fibre cut due to heavy snowfall, which left most of the valley without power.

The cuts in Internet service, hours after a statement by Hurriyat that Geelani would be flown to New Delhi for medical treatment, were blamed for spreading the rumours.^[98][99][]

FEMA case

After the Pulwama attack, India took stronger action against pro-Pakistan separatists including Geelani.

The Enforcement Directorate levied a penalty of ₹ lakh and ordered confiscation of nearly ₹ lakh in connection with a Foreign Exchange Management Act case against him for illegal possession of foreign exchange.^[]

Death

Geelani reportedly developed breathing complications and died on 1 September at his Hyderpora residence in Srinagar due to his prolonged illness.^[][][] His son Naseem alleged that police raided the house, took the body forcibly and buried it in a graveyard in his Hyderpora locality in the middle of the night.^[][89] According to Naseem, no one from the close family was allowed to attend the burial, but they visited the grave next morning.^[89] Dilbag Singh, the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, however denied the allegations.^[][89]

Restrictions on travel and internet were imposed in Kashmir soon after Geelani's death.^[][] On 2 September , FIR was registered against his family members under UAPA for clothing his body with a Pakistani flag and for allegedly raising “anti-national” slogans.^[][89]

Kashmiri political leaders,^[][] as well as members of Government of Pakistan, condoled his death.

Syed ali shah geelani tweet On 12 March , rumors of Geelani's death, spread by edits to his Wikipedia entry, "a particular Hindi news channel", and pages on Facebook led the government of Kashmir to suspend internet and phone service, according to some sources. The Hindustan Times. His cousin Ghulam Nabi Fai is presently in London. In several interviews, he said he would accept the results of the plebiscite even if Kashmiris chose India.

Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered flags to be flown at half-mast to mourn his death.^[][]

Honours and awards

On 14 August , Pakistani President Arif Alvi conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan, Pakistan's highest civil award on Geelani to recognise his decades-long struggle for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.^[]

Views

In February , he said prisoners in Kashmir "are the victims of custodial violence and are harassed in Indian jails especially in Tihar Jail" after an incident where parents of Javaid Ahmad Khan, serving a life sentence, "had travelled thousands of kilometres and invested a lot of money to reach Delhi to meet their jailed son but were denied a meeting with him.

"This is state terrorism", he said.^[]

He is viewed as sympathetic to Jamat-e-Islami.^[] His official residence was viewed as Jamat property before he donated it to the Milli Trust.^[]

Geelani called Islamist leader and founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Abul A'la Maududi his mentor.

In November , Geelani called for protests against the alleged "objectionable anti-Islamic" content on the social networking website Facebook, which he described as a "satanic audacity". His call triggered protests in various parts of the Kashmir valley, leading to minor clashes between the protestors and the security forces.^[]

Geelani condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden by the US.^[] After Bin Laden's death in May , Geelani said that he would lead last rite prayers in absentia in Srinagar for the slain al-Qaeda leader.^[][] After holding prayers for Osama in congregation of thousands of Kashmiris, a European Union delegation snubbed Geelani by cancelling a scheduled meeting with him.^[][][] He further supported Indian Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru^[] and one of Mumbai Attacks masterminds and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.^[]

Kashmir

Geelani said that while Pakistan supported "the indigenous struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, morally, diplomatically and politically this does not mean Pakistan can take a decision on our behalf."^[]

Geelani would only support a dialogue process aimed at resolving Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of the state.

But he believed that dialogue between India and Pakistan starts under diplomatic compulsions, and it is nothing but just a time delaying tactics. He was of the opinion that Kashmiris are not enemies of India or hold any grudge against its inhabitants. We are desirous of a strong India and Pakistan and it is only possible when Kashmir issue is resolved to pave the way for peace, prosperity and development in the region.^[]

He said, "Kashmir is not any border dispute between India and Pakistan which they can solve by bilateral understandings.

It is the issue concerning future of 15 million people. The Hurriyat is not in principle against a dialogue process but without involvement of Kashmiri people, such a process has proved meaningless in the past. We don't have any expectations of it being fruitful in future too."^[] He further stated, "India should immediately and unconditionally release political prisoners, and withdraw cases against youth, which are pending in the courts for the past 20 years."^[]

Separatism and relations with Pakistan

Geelani has been repeatedly criticised by Indian authorities for inciting violence in the Kashmir Valley and working as offshoot of Pakistan.^[][] Geelani said openly that he was not Indian.

"Travelling on the Indian passport is a compulsion of every Kashmiri as Kashmir is an Internationally accepted Disputed region between India and Pakistan" are his words when applying for Indian Passport.^[][][] "We are Pakistani; Pakistan is ours,"^[] he said in a big gathering of his supporters.

While Geelani's personal opinion about Kashmir was that it be merged with Pakistan, he stood up against both Indian and Pakistani governments, including former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf, who did not support Kashmiri people's right to self-determination.^[][]

Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, a senior leader of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference and son of Sheikh Abdullah criticised Geelani for working on "dictations" given by Pakistan.

He accused Geelani of being "a double agent" on "the payroll of Pakistan's ISI".^[][][]

Pakistan also openly supported Geelani, the three-member delegation from Pakistan High Commission led by Abdul Basit met Geelani at his Malviya Nagar residence in March Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit assured Geelani of complete support conveying that the country's stand on Kashmir remains unchanged despite regime change in New Delhi.^[][][][] Abdul Basit also invited Geelani for Pakistan Day function on 23 March.

Remembering Syed Ali Shah Geelani: Iconic Figure of Kashmirs ...

Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, ritually invites pro-separatist leadership of Jammu and Kashmir. On 14 August, the Pakistani government awarded him its highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Pakistan.^[11][]

In the last few decades, Geelani refused any proposal from Governments of India and Pakistan and was consistent in his demand for the United Nations promised plebiscite of ^[][]

Works

Books

Some of his works include:^[][]

• Rūdād-i qafas (transl.&#;Story of jailhouse), Author's memoirs of his imprisonment.
• Navā-yi ḥurriyyat (transl.&#;Voice of Hurriyat), Collection of letters, columns and interviews on Kashmir issue.
• Dīd o shunīd (transl.&#;Acquaintance), Compilation based on answers to the various questions relating to Kashmir issue.
• Bhārat ke istiʻmārī ḥarbe!&#;: Kurālah Gunḍ se Jodhpūr tak! (transl.&#;India's colonial wars: From Kralgund to Jodhpur), Autobiographical reminiscences with special reference to his struggle for the liberation of Kashmir.
• Sadāʼe dard&#;: majmuvʻah taqārīr (transl.&#;Cry of pain: collection of speeches), Collection of speeches on Kashmir issue.
• Millat-i maz̤lūm (transl.&#;Nation of oppressed), Collection of articles and columns on various issues of Jammu and Kashmir with special reference to autonomy and independence movements of Kashmir.
• Safar-i Maḥmūd z̲ikr-i maẓlūm (transl.&#;Journey of the commendable account of the oppressed), Compilation based on answers to the various questions relating to Kashmir issue.
• Maqtal se vāpsī&#;: Rāncī jail ke shab o roz (transl.&#;Back from the gallows: night and day in Ranchi jail), Autobiographical reminiscences.
• Iqbāl rūḥ-i dīn kā shanāsā (transl.&#;Acquaintance with Iqbal's spirit of religion), Study on the works of Muhammad Iqbal.
• ʻĪdain (transl.&#;Eids), Collection of sermons delivered on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha, and Friday prayers.
• Vullar kināre&#;: āp bītī (transl.&#;By the Wular: autobiography), Autobiography.
• Qissa e Dard (transl.&#;Account of pain)
• Muqadma al-haq (transl.&#;Trial of truth)
• Tu baaki nahi (transl.&#;You are no more)
• Mera pyaar aur hai (transl.&#;My love is something else)
• Talkh haqayak (transl.&#;Bitter truth)
• Elaan-e jungbandi (transl.&#;Declaration of armistice)
• Hijrat aur shahadat (transl.&#;Migration and martyrdom)
• Qurbani (transl.&#;Sacrifice)
• Umeed-i bahar (transl.&#;Hope of spring)
• Payam-e aakhreen (transl.&#;The final message)

Letters

Source:^[]

Others

• Vinoba Bhave se mulaqaat (transl.&#;A meeting with Vinoba Bhave).

  Pamphlet, about a meeting with Indian social reformer Vinoba Bhave.

• Aulaad-e Ibrahim (transl.&#;Children of Abraham). Pamphlet.
• Ek pahlu yeh bhi hai Kashmir ki tasvir ka (transl.&#;Another aspect of Kashmir's affairs). Pamphlet.
• Qaul-e-Faisal (transl.&#;Final judgment)
• 11 September ke baad (transl.&#;After 9/11)
• Rasool-e rahmat aasir-i hazir main (transl.&#;Prophet Muhammad in present times)
• Iqbal apni paygam ki roshni mein (transl.&#;Iqbal in light of his message)
• Shayad ki utar jaaye tere dil mein meri baat (transl.&#;Maybe you will understand me)
• Wa'tasimu bihablillahi jamia (Surah Al ImranQuran)
• Shahadat Gahe Ulfat (transl.&#;Martyred in love)
• Rahravani ishq (transl.&#;Travelers of love)
• Kunu Ansarullah (transl.&#;Willing helpers of Allah)
• Kar-i jahan be-sabaat (transl.&#;Unstable world affairs)
• Kargil

Source:^[]

See also

Notes

References