DM Monitoring
SRINAGAR: A symbol of the Kashmiri freedom movement, and former chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, aged 92, passed away on Wednesday in the Indian-occupied Kashmir city of Srinagar.
Geelani had been under house arrest for many years, KMS added. Syed Ali Geelani was born on September 29, 1929 in a village on the banks of Wular lake in Sopore area of Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
He remained a staunch opponent of India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and lead the Kashmiris’ struggle for their right to self-determination.
Geelani was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir but later on founded his own party by the name of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. He also served as the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a forum of freedom parties in Jammu and Kashmir.
The veteran leader was a member of the Kashmir Assembly from the Sopore constituency of Jammu and Kashmir three times–1972, 1977 and 1987.
Following the demise of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Pakistan will observe a day of official mourning.
PM said the country will observe a day of official mourning following the death of Kashmiri freedom fighter Syed Ali Geelani and the Pakistan flag will fly at half mast.
In his Twitter messages, PM paid rich tribute to Geelani’s courageous struggle for Kashmiris and their right to self-determination.
He said, “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kashmiri freedom fighter Syed Ali Geelani who struggled all his life for his people & their right to self determination.
He suffered incarceration & torture by the Occupying Indian state but remained resolute.”
“We in Pakistan salute his courageous struggle & remember his words: “Hum Pakistani hain aur Pakistan Humara hai”.
The Pakistan flag will fly at half mast and we will observe a day of official mourning,” said PM Khan.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “Pakistan mourns the loss of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, torch bearer of the Kashmir freedom movement. Shah Sb fought for the rights of Kashmiris till the very end, under house arrest of Indian occupation. May he rest in peace and may his dream of freedom come true.”
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has announced one day holiday and three-day mourning of the demise of Syed Ali Geelani. Funeral prayers in absentia for Geelani will be offered in all district headquarters of the AJK.
