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| Geelani’s absence from Iftihar party hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner meaningful | | |
Srinagar, October 11 :-Significance is being attached to the absence of Tehrik Hurriyat Conference Chief, Syed Ali Shah Geelani,in the Ifthar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commissioner in Delhi on Tuesday.Mr Geelani was among a number of Kashmiri separatists who had been invited to the party but he preferred to stay back in Srinagar and instead sent a couple of junior leaders of Tehrik Hurriyat Conference to the party.
Chairman All Party Hurriyat Conference,Molvi Umar Farooq,could not attend the party as he was engaged in a function in his house.The APHC was represented by Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat and Molvi Abbas Ansari..
Reports from the separatist camp revealed that during the last two years Mr Geelani has not attended the Iftihar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commissioner when prior to that he would be the first Kashmiri leader to be present in such parties where he was accorded special treatment.
These reports said that during the last over two years the distance between Mr Geelani and and the establishment in Islamabad has widened after Gen. Parvez Musharraf accorded red carpet treatment to the APHC leaders who visited POK and Pakistan.At one stage the Pakistani President announced,to the chagrin of Mr Geelani,that APHC represented people of Kashmir.
Differences between Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the establishment in Pakistan surfaced after Islamabad did not heed Mr Geelani’s suggestion that peace process and confidence building measures with India should remain Kashmir centric.He started criticizing Islamabad for having given weightage to the opening of border and air and rail links thereby relegating the Kashmir dispute to the background.
He was also critical of Pakistan Government for having granted a semblance of recognition to APHC leaders who had accepted an offer for talks by the Government of India.Once Mr Geelani found himself having been isolated his criticism of Gen. Parvez assumed pungency.Hence he preferred to avoid traveling to Delhi for attending the Iftihar party.
Informed sources,however,stated that the way Islamabad has distanced itself from Mr Geelani was a strategic move.Knowing that Mr Geelani has a large clout in Pakistan Gen. Musharraf cannot totally ignore him and whenever Islamabad found the need for cultivating Mr Geelani it will not be a difficult exercise because among the senior separatists Syed Ali Shah is considered an ardent pro-Pakistan leader.He is the only separatists who has been shouting in favour of incorporation of Kashmir with Pakistan. |
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