Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani passed away in Srinagar on Wednesday evening. The former Hurriyat Conference leader died at around 10.35 PM at his residence in Hyderpora in Srinagar at the age of 92 years.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti shared the news of death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Twitter. “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,” she tweeted.
Born in Sopore Baramulla in North Kashmir in 1929, Geelani had served as the chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of pro-Pakistan separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir. In June 2020 he had left the Huriyat. He had founded Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and was previously associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir. He had won the assembly elections to became MLA from Sopore in 1972, 1977 and in 1987.
Geelani was a key hardliner separatist leader in Kashmir, who had played a major role in the increase in separatist activists in the region. He was slapped with sedition charges in 2010 for his anti-India activities.
Geelani is survived by his two sons and four daughters. At present, it is not confirmed whether the burial will take place at Sopore or Hyderpora. Reportedly, his family is wishing to bury him at Hyderpora.
