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Journalism of Courage
A split in the separatist Hurriyat Conference has become inevitable with veteran hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani today saying ‘‘my chapter with the Hurriyat is closed’’.
In an interview to The Indian Express, Geelani said the door to Hurriyat was closed for him the moment new chairman Moulvi Abbas Ansari ‘‘gave a clean chit to the People’s Conference and compromised the very principle of the freedom movement’’. He even questioned Ansari’s appointment as forum chief saying his parent organisation Jamaat-e-Islami did not contest elections.
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Hurriyat chief now |
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Srinagar: Four days after he spoke against international mediation, the new Hurriyat Conference chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari today said the 23-party amalgam was not averse to a US role as a friend in resolving the Kashmir issue. |
Geelani had demanded expulsion of PC from the Hurriyat for ‘‘proxy participation’’ in last year’s Assembly elections, which he calls a brazen breach of the amalgam constitution and a step detrimental to the separatist cause. He questioned Ansari’s logic of exonerating the PC saying the party had indeed fielded its candidates. ‘‘How is it possible that their leader would have won in PC bastion without their backing?’’ he said. ‘‘Had the leader contested of his own, he would have lost,’’ he added.
On Ansari’s explanation that Geelani’s secretary Khaliq Haneef too had joined the poll fray, the separatist leader said: ‘‘We (Jamaat-e-Islami) expelled Haneef the moment he talked about elections and the result was that he lost very badly.’’
Geelani said the Jamaat’s executive committee was backing his stand. ‘‘I reiterate that let people decide whether they will support my stand which is on a principle,’’ he said.
Regarding the formation of a new party parallel to the Hurriyat, Geelani said: ‘‘I stand by what I told the people at Sopore.’’ On July 4 at Sopore, he had indicated the launch of a new party.
In fact, he had managed the support of a few second-rung Hurriyat leaders, including former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat’s deputy Ghulam Nabi Sumji and expelled PC leader Gulzar Ahmad Gulzar. However, Geelani’s biggest strength is his influence on militant outfits who have been supporting his leadership.
On his future course, Geelani said he will reveal his plans at the appropriate time.
He said since Ansari became the new chairman, neither he nor him (Ansari) have spoken to each other. Ansari, when contacted, said it was up to the Jamaat which representative they would like to send to Hurriyat. ‘‘Hurriyat is a forum of parties and not individuals and no one can dictate terms to the outfit,’’ he said. He said once Jamaat elections are over, he would welcome their representative to APHC Executive Council.
To a question that Jamaat had abstained from elections to Hurriyat chairman, Ansari said their vote would have mattered little since he had a majority vote.
