Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Monday announced his decision to part ways from the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. The 90-year-old leader was a part of the Conference since 1993 and was elected as the lifetime chairman in 2003.
Geelani has not mentioned the specific reasons for his resignation. “In view of the present situation, I resign from All Parties Hurriyat Conference,” Geelani said in an audio message. “I have informed all the constituents of the Hurriyat about the decision.”
Geelani also wrote a detailed letter to the members of the Hurriyat Conference, accusing them of inaction after the government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 in August. “Despite government’s crackdown and restrictions, it was expected from the leadership which wasn’t put behind the bars, to stand up against the government’s naked oppression and to lead and give hope to the besieged people of Kashmir,” Geelani wrote. “Despite being under arrest and restrictions, I tried to find and reach out to all of you, regularly sent messages to you but all in vain. Even after making hectic efforts to reach you, I was unable to find you.”
“Now that the sword of accountability is hanging over your heads for the financial and other irregularities, you thought of calling the advisory committee meeting,” Geelani added in his letter, according to NDTV.
Geealani also accused Hurriyat constituents of hatching “conspiracy and resorting to lies against him” and establishing ties with the Hurriyat chapter in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. “Instead of reprimanding them, you called a meeting in Srinagar and ratified their stand. You people have become part of the conspiracy and lies,” Geelani wrote. “The lack of discipline and other shortcomings were ignored and you did not allow a robust accountability system to be established over the years but today, you have crossed all limits and indulged in rebellion against the leadership.”
In his letter, Geelani also spoke about the conflict and infighting in the Azad Kashmir chapter of the Hurriyat. “Since long and particularly in the last two years, we have been getting a lot of complaints about this forum,” he wrote. “Using your family status to willfully become part of the government structure there [Azad Kashmir], infighting, friction between the members , financial irregularities and many such countless issues have become a source of discussion among the public.”
The Hurriyat Conference is a conglomerate of various pro-freedom political outfits and socio-political religious organisations.
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