The late Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani will be remembered in the Legislative Assembly during an obituary reference scheduled for Tuesday. The Speaker will pay tribute to Geelani along with other deceased former leaders, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former President Pranab Mukherjee, among others.
Geelani, who passed away in 2021, represented the Sopore assembly segment thrice, winning elections in 1972, 1977, and 1987. He was a prominent figure in Jammu and Kashmir’s politics and a leading advocate for Kashmiri “self-determination”, known for his strong pro-Pakistan stance
Born in 1929 in North Kashmir’s Sopore, Geelani’s political journey began with the Jamaat-e-Islami. He later became a central figure in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which he helped establish in 1993 as a coalition of separatist groups. His electoral career was marked by significant victories, but he grew disillusioned with electoral politics, especially after the alleged rigging in the 1987 elections, which contributed to the armed insurgency in the region.
For many years, he was a vocal critic of Indian policies in the region, condemning what he saw as human rights abuses and advocating for peaceful resolution through international intervention and dialogue. His consistent calls for strikes and protests gained him wide support within Kashmir, especially among youth, though his methods and alliances often faced criticism from Indian authorities.
In 2020, he was awarded Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, for his “lifelong commitment to the Kashmir cause”.
Geelani passed away on September 1, 2021, at the age of 91, after a prolonged illness.
