The newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is holding its first session in more than six years and on its second day, a list was released to pay tribute to 51 MLAs, including hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. At the same time, on the first day of the session, a proposal was brought against the removal of Article 370, which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed as baseless. The very first session of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is facing controversy.
Paying tribute to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, PDP MLA Rafiq Naik said that keeping aside political differences, the House should remember him as a former MLA.
Apart from Geelani, the agenda issued by Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather includes the names of former members of the House and national leaders like former President Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Somnath Chatterjee and former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan Malhotra. . Syed Ali Shah Geelani represented Sopore Assembly constituency in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly thrice in 1972, 1977 and 1987.
Geelani formed Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in 2004
When separatist violence began in Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani became a supporter of the separatists and publicly advocated the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. He was also the chairman of the separatist group All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of 26 political, social and religious parties formed on 9 March 1993. The clear objective of the Hurriyat Conference was to provide a political platform to the rebel movement in Kashmir.
The irony was that Hurriyat included parties from different and often disagreeing political groups. Jamaat, represented by Geelani, was in favor of Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan, while Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) was in favor of independent Kashmir. Due to Geelani’s radical, uncompromising attitude, Hurriyat split into so-called fundamentalist and moderate groups on 7 September 2003. Geelani left Jamaat-e-Islami and formed his own party named Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in 2004.
What did CM say on proposal of 370?
At the same time, yesterday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the resolution brought in the Assembly demanding the restoration of Article 370 was presented only for the cameras. It has no real significance. If there was any real intention behind the proposal, it should have been discussed with the National Conference, the ruling party in the Union Territory.
