Syed Ali Shah Geelani buried within hours of his death even as Pakistan scrambled to instigate locals
SOURCE: OP INDIA
Syed Ali Geelani, a hardline pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader, who spearheaded the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for over three decades, was buried in Srinagar’s Hyderpora area at 4:37 am on Thursday.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani died in Srinagar on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. The former Hurriyat Conference leader died at around 10.35 PM at his residence in Hyderpora in Srinagar at the age of 92 years.
Security arrangements were made for the final rites of Geelani, who was buried at Srinagar’s ‘Martyrs’ Graveyard’, where most terrorists and separatist leaders have been buried. The police allowed only a limited number of his relatives to attend the funeral.
Following Geelani’s death, the security forces have been put on high alert in the region and police and paramilitary forces have been deployed for a possible curfew. Meanwhile, Pakistan has been trying to use Geelani’s death to instigate locals to unleash violence on the streets of Kashmir.
Soon after his death, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to condole the death of Geelani and claimed that Pakistan saluted his courageous struggle. He said Pakistan’s flag would fly at half-mast, and the country will observe a day of official mourning.
Pakistan’s General Qamar Javed Bajwa has called the separatist leader an “icon” and expressed his “deepest grief” on his demise.
The pro-Pakistan separatists had given a call to Kashmiris to hit the streets to attend Geelani’s funeral procession in Srinagar and organise such mass events to mourn his death across Kashmir.
However, anticipating that Pakistan would use Geelani’s death to again stoke instability in the valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police buried him in the early hours of Thursday.
The security officials have shut down mobile internet in Kashmir valley as a precautionary measure to prevent confusion due to the spreading of rumours and incitement of violence by anti-India elements.
