Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Face of Kashmiri Separatist Politics breaths his last at 92, Hamas, WFPIST offer condolences to family

• FIR registered against miscreants for raising anti-national slogans in Budgam after Geelani’s death

• Palestine’s Hamas, Iran’s WFPIST offer condolences to Hurriyat over Geelani’s demise

• Mobile internet to remain suspended in Kashmir, says Admin

• Geelani’s sons say went searching for father’s grave in the morning, body forcibly taken away at 3 am, buried without letting family perform last rites

Pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani died at the age of 92 at his home in Srinagar late on Wednesday evening. The hardliner Islamist leader — who has been the face of the separatist politics in Jammu and Kashmir — had been ailing for long and had resigned from politics and Hurriyat last year. The funeral took place this morning.
In March 2018, he suffered a minor heart attack and was hospitalised.
“Saddened by the news of Geelani Sahab’s passing away. We may not have agreed on most things but I respect him for his steadfastness & standing by his beliefs. May Allah Ta’aala grant him jannat & condolences to his family & well-wishers,” former Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti has tweeted.
Saddened by the news of Geelani sahab’s passing away. We may not have agreed on most things but I respect him for his steadfastness & standing by his beliefs. May Allah Ta’aala grant him jannat & condolences to his family & well-wishers.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 1, 2021

Security has been strengthened in Kashmir Valley following his death late on Wednesday evening.
Restrictions, including suspension of internet services, have been imposed in Kashmir Valley, said Vijay Kumar, a senior police officer in Kashmir. Security has also been strengthened outside Mr. Geelani’s house in Hyderpora. Mobile phone services, except that of BSNL, have been suspended.
Some senior members of Hurriyat have been detained. Senior Hurriyat leader Mukhtar Ahmed Waza has been arrested from his residence in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town.
Mr. Geelani had quit the separatist body after 27 years’ association after he was sidelined by Pakistan and its army intelligence, the ISI, sources in the home ministry had told.
While stepping down from Kashmir Valley’s biggest separatist amalgam, he accused it of conspiring against him and failing to fire up the separatist movement after the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
“Geelani’s letter was an eye-opener. He admitted his path was wrong, Kashmir used for personal gains,” state police chief Dilbagh Singh had told NDTV.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly from the Sopore constituency in 1972, 1977, and 1987.

Who was Syed Ali Shah Geelani?
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, born on 29 September 1929, was a Kashmiri separatist leader in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
He was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir and later founded Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, a conglomerate of pro-separatist parties in Jammu and Kashmir. He served as the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. He quit the Hurriyat in June 2020.
Earlier, he was an MLA from the Sopore constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in 1972, 1977, and 1987.
In 2010, Geelani was charged with sedition and has remained mostly under house arrest ever since.
In all his claims, Geelani said he was for a referendum in Jammu and Kashmir and a non-violent resolution of the Kashmir issue. But he often lauded terrorists and his name cropped up in cases related to terror funding and money laundering.
In 2020, Pakistan awarded its highest civilian honor ‘Nishaan-e-Pakistan’ to Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has sent a condolence letter to Hurriyat Leader Ghulam Muhammad Safi on the demise of Kashmir’s Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Geelani passed away on Wednesday at the age of 92.
From Iran, the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought has also expressed condolences over the demise of Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
In his condolence message, Ali Akbar Velayati, the secretary-general of the organization wrote that Geelani passed away after a life of endeavors and 11 years of house arrest.
He expressed solidarity with Geelani’s bereaved family and the people of Jammu Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Police filed an FIR against some miscreants for allegedly raising anti-national slogans and putting Pakistan’s national flag over them in Budgam after the death of former Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on September 1.
“Police Station Budgam has registered a general FIR against miscreants and other elements who raised anti-national slogans and resorted to other anti-national activities putting the Pakistani flag over them after the separatist leader’s death at his home,” said Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Meanwhile, mobile service (voice call) and broadband services on all platforms that were snapped following the demise of former Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani were restored Saturday at 10 am.
Kashmir Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar on Friday informed that the situation in the Valley has been remained peaceful and is under control.
The restrictions and internet shutdown were imposed in the Kashmir Valley after the demise of former Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on September 1.

Mobile internet services in Kashmir Valley shall remain suspended till 6 September, Admin has said.
The Admin had snapped telephone and internet except for lesser-used BSNL services following the demise of Hurriyat Conference chairman on the evening of 1 September.
In an order, Principal Secretary to Government, Shaleen Kabra, said that mobile internet shall remain suspended till 1700 of 6 September “unless modified earlier.”
The order was issued on 3 September after making an “objective assessment of the prevailing circumstances and the necessity of continuation of (the) restrictions.”
He said reports were sought from the law enforcement agencies, in which it has been brought out that these directions have had a salutary effect on “misuse of data services for rumor-mongering, circulation of lake news, instigation for violence, etc.”
While the situation has by and large remained peaceful, he said, there have been “sporadic incidents” at some places.
He said there was an apprehension of breach of peace and public order remains due to the “nefarious designs by Pakistan supported handlers from across the border and the secessionist’s forces within, through misuse of mobile data services.”
“The IGP Kashmir shall ensure compliance of this order by the service providers forthwith. He shall also closely monitor the impact of the lifting of restrictions,” the order added.

Meanwhile, “We were not allowed to conduct his last rights as per Islam. This was our right in every sense. But this right was also taken away from us. We are very sad about it,” says a bereaved Dr. Nayeem, the son of Syed Ali Geelani. “But what brings peace to us is the fact that our father’s body was treated in the same way our father was treated when he was alive. It was all struggle and torture and oppression.”
Dr. Nayeem and his brother Dr. Naseem said they could not participate in the funeral of their father. On Wednesday night when Syed Ali Geelani breathed his last, police and government officials came and took away the body, forcibly. The family could neither give Geelani his last bath, nor offer his funeral prayers, nor lower him down into the grave, the duo said.
In the 92 years of his life, Syed Ali Geelani was imprisoned for 20 years and spent the last decade under house detention. He was imprisoned in jails outside J&K as well. During this period he suffered several ailments, including heart problems for which he had to undergo a pacemaker implant. One of his kidneys had to be removed and he was being treated for asthma of the lungs. But his teeth had been intact, very rare in a person his age. His one remaining kidney, which was only half of the normal size, had begun to grow again, performing the function that two kidneys do. In between these health complications, Geelani, however, continued his political life, and wrote over 30 books on subjects ranging from religion to literature to politics.
Dr. Naseem Geelani told Kashmir Reader that his father, despite many difficulties, never gave up his routine. He would wake up before Fajr prayers, take a walk, recite the Quran, and read books. After August 5, 2019, however, the day when New Delhi scrapped J&K’s special status in the Indian Union, Geelani’s health began to deteriorate. He started losing his appetite and also his memory. He would offer prayers sitting on the chair with gestures of his eyes, a method of prayers allowed for persons who are ill.
“It was under these health conditions that he left this temporary world,” Dr. Naseem said. An hour before Geelani died, Dr. Naseem had gone to see him. He sat beside him and his father held his hand very firmly, like never before. Dr. Naseem kissed him after Geelani said his health was fine.
“I left to offer evening prayers. While I was doing it, I was called by the domestic help to see about something that was not right with Abu ji’s health. His oxygen level was dropping. We put him on oxygen, but the level was not coming to normal,” Dr. Naseem said.
Since August 5, 2019, Geelani had been telling his family that he gets a sense of three persons regularly visiting him, asking him to be ready to leave this world. Dr. Naseem would brush it aside, telling his father to tell the three persons that he still has a lot to do in this world.
But when the final moments arrived, Geelani gave no inkling of it to his son. In fact, his health seemed to be all right until the sudden fall in the oxygen level. It was around this time that medical assistant Omar, who had been attending to Geelani’s health since long, was called. He sounded an alert and soon after, the Director of SKIMS Hospital arrived. He declared that Geelani had passed away. Meanwhile, police and paramilitary forces surrounded the house. Two senior officers started a conversation about how the last rites would be conducted.
“We told them (police) that it will be done tomorrow morning so that all the relatives arrive and have a last glimpse of Geelani sahab. Women present at the home also told them to not touch the body with their hands. But then they (police) came at 3 am after we refused to do the last rites during the night. They forcibly took the body and did the last rites without family members,” Dr. Naseem told Kashmir Reader.
“They wanted us to be part of their game. They wanted us to offer funeral prayers with them so that they can click photos and show them to the world. We did not allow that to happen,” he added.