Third Anniversary of the Kashmiri Hurriyat Leader Geelani

By Sajjad Shaukat

Kashmiris living on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and their Pakistani brethren, including those living in rest of the world are observing the third anniversary of the Kashmiri Hurriyat [Freedom] leader Syed Ali Geelani who passed away in Indian custody on September 1, 2021.

Like the two previous anniversaries, Kashmiris have urged various entities to pay homage to Ali Shah Geelani.

Sources suggest that on this very day, complete shutdown is being observed in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to pay tribute to iconic freedom leader Geelani.

Tahreek-e-Kashmir Europe had announced that from 1th September, entire week will be commemorated as Syed Ali Shaheed [Martyr]. Conferences and seminars, including protest rallies were conducted in various countries against his forced burial and to pay homage to him.

Tahreek-e-Kashmir UK also held nationwide protests in different cities of the UK and held conferences from 2th to 8th September 2022 against the forcible burial of Geelani.

However, the untiring campaigner against Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir Syed Ali Geelani died late on September 1, 2021 at the age of 92. He had been under house arrest for the 11 years. He had been ill for several months. He was denied medical facilities due to which he died in police custody.

In 2021, thousands of Indian security forces had maintained a lockdown across IIOJK after the death of Geelani. Security forces were deployed around major mosques which remained closed and curfew was imposed in some sites across the Muslim majority region. An internet and mobile phone shutdown was ordered.

But, hundreds of the Kashmiris, angry at the refusal to let them pay a public tribute to Geelani, clashed with government forces—hurling stones at paramilitaries who chased them with batons.

Scores of armoured vehicles patrolled and troops put up barbed wire rolls and barricades on roads leading to Geelani’s house in the main city of Srinagar.

The circumstances leading to Geelani’s death and then the forcible burial have raised serious concerns.

Even the family and friends were not allowed to enter the house. Indian forces barged into the house and forcefully took Geelani’s dead body. The family was tortured and beaten to release the dead body against their will.

In this regard, the family of Geelani had pointed out that no relatives were allowed at the burial. And a video widely shared on social media has showed officers in a scuffle with Geelani’s relatives before taking away his body which was wrapped in a Pakistani flag.

In this respect, Geelani’s son Naseem Geelani told the media that police took his father’s body away to be buried in the middle of the night in a local graveyard, located near his house. Geelani had wanted to be buried at the Martyrs Cemetery in Srinagar along with other Kashmiri leaders. But, Indian authorities rejected the request.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and Geelani’s longtime associate, had indicated that the funeral restrictions were “extremely shameful and exposes the authoritarian mindset of the government”.

The funeral prayers of veteran Kashmiri Hurriyat leader and the icon of Kashmir freedom movement were offered in absentia at the Islamabad Faisal Mosque. Pakistan’s then President Dr. Arif Alvi, federal ministers, parliamentarians and a large number of people from different walks of life offered the prayers.

Notably, Pakistan on September 3, 2021 summoned Indian Charge d’ Affaires to the Foreign Office and conveyed a strong demarche on Indian occupation forces and “callous and inhuman” handling of the mortal remains of the Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.”

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhan said: “It was conveyed that the Indian occupation forces’ shameless act of snatching the body of Syed Ali Shah Geelani from his family and disallowing his burial according to his will—was in blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law and all tenets of civil and human rights—Pakistan condemns Indian act and demands UN probe into human rights violations in held Kashmir”.

The spokesperson added: Mr Geelani’s unflinching commitment to the Kashmir cause, in the face of persistent persecution and tremendous personal hardship, was unparalleled. He inspired three generations of Kashmiris in resisting the Indian occupation and unabated tyranny. He was a true voice and hero of the Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination—He would be remembered for his unconditional love for Kashmir and Pakistan”.

The then Pakistan’s Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other leaders of political and religious parties had also called for an immediate and impartial inquiry into the ‘custodial killing’ of Kashmiri Hurriyat Conference leader Geelani.

The then President Dr. Arif Alvi had conferred Nishan-i-Pakistan, the country’s highest civil award to Geelani in recognition of his decades-old struggle for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.

However, Syed Ali Geelani was born on September 29, 1929 in Zurimanj village-Bandipora tehsil, in the Baramulla district of North Kashmir.

Geelani was an uncompromising campaigner against Indian rule in Kashmir. The veteran politician had been a spike in India’s side since the early 1960s when he began campaigning for the territory’s merger with Pakistan. He also pursued his separatist calls as a member of the Kashmir assembly. He was jailed for nearly 10 years after 1962 and often restricted to his home after that.

Since his youth, Geelani had been a member of Jamaat-i-Islami, which was banned by the Hindu nationalist government in 2019.

In 2020, Geelani had resigned from his post as Chief of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) of which he had been a member since its formation in 1993 as a political arm of the anti-India movement. He was elected its chairman for life in 2003.

In August 2021, the APHC had said that the 11-years-long house arrest had taken a heavy toll on Geelani’s health and his condition continued to deteriorate.

In fact, he was a symbol of the Kashmiri people’s aspirations of their rightful and long-overdue right to self-determination. Throughout his life, he maintained an unequivocal stance on no dialogue with India until it recognises Kashmir as disputed territory—its use of military force against the Kashmiris.

And despite continuous detention and curbs, he penned down dozens of books related to Kashmir freedom movement.

Meanwhile, the APHC and other Kashmiri leaders have urged the clerics to hold special prayers for the veteran leader in the mosques. Posters appeared in different areas of the IIOJK urging the people to massively participate in the march and pay homage to Gileeni.

The posters read that the sacrifices of Kashmiri martyrs would not be allowed to go waste and their mission will be accomplished at all costs.

During his first anniversary, in a message from Delhi’s infamous Tihar jail, the imprisoned leader of the APHC Nayeem Ahmed Khan, highlighting the deceased leader’s matchless sacrifices and role in the Kashmiris’ ongoing struggle, stated: “Geelani was a fearless leader who championed the Kashmiris’ cause of right to self-determination with great conviction and consistency”.

The Secretary-General of World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Ghulam Nabi Fai paid high homage to Syed Ali Geelani, saying he was “incorruptible and conscientious.”

Dr. Fai said that Geelani stood firm in the struggle for the freedom of Kashmir, “the paradise on earth”, despite India’s oppressive measures”.

Chairman J&K [Jammu and Kashmir]—People’s Freedom League Muhammad Farooq Rehmani stated that the Indian Hindutva influence in Jammu and Kashmir was unsuccessful in weakening Syed Ali Geelani’s resolve in his pursuit of Kashmir’s freedom.

He indicated that “faced with the illegal and forceful occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani remained resolute in not surrendering his faith and ideology to the oppressors—employing various methods of torture, the occupiers relentlessly pursued him. Eventually, in 2010, he was arrested and confined, even in the midst of battling numerous ailments, while his own residence was transformed into a makeshift jail”.

Undoubtedly, his lifelong unwavering struggle and sacrifices for the cause of Kashmir is indeed a proud legacy which will continue to inspire upcoming generations, as during his struggle, Syed Ali Geelani along with his family suffered immense hardships, but, he remained firm as a rock in the face of immense adversity. He will remain alive in the hearts and minds of the Kashmiri people, struggling for the right to self-determination as recognised by the related UNO resolutions and against Indian state terrorism.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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