Syed Ali Shah Geelani quits Hurriyat Conference

Srinagar: Veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Monday announced his dissociation from the faction of the Hurriyat Conference that he floated in 2003 by enforcing a vertical split in the amalgam. In a four-line letter and an audio message to the media, a spokesperson for the 90-year-old leader said, "Geelani has announced complete dissociation from Hurriyat Conference forum."

Geelani has written a detailed letter to all constituent parts of the amalgam about the reasons behind his decision to leave the Hurriyat Conference, of which he had been nominated as a lifetime chairman, he said. Geelani said the activities of Hurriyat Conference members currently in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were being investigated by the amalgam for various allegations.