Srinagar: The hard-line separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Friday said that New Delhi was “working on a plan to convert the Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir state into a minority on the Palestinian pattern.”
Geelani, who after giving a slip to the police made his first public appearance in the south Kashmir Shopian town where two young women were raped and murdered on May 30 and whose bodies were recovered from a stream. He said that “security force camps have been set up in every nook and corner of Kashmir.”
“India wants to convert this Muslim majority state into a minority on the pattern of Palestine, and if we maintain our silence on the troop withdrawal now, future generations will not forgive us.”
Shopian town, 54 km from here observed a complete shut down as part of Geelani’s “resistance program” against occupation of land in the state which he announced here last week and the delay in delivering justice to the two rape and murder victims and their families.
Geelani, who offered the first Friday prayers at a mosque in Shopian town led a massive procession in the town Friday afternoon.
Addressing a huge rally after the prayers in the Shopian town where the authorities had sealed all roads leading to the town, Geelani said that “the presence of troops has made the life and honor of our women difficult” and called for a strike in north Kashmir Baramulla district on Oct. 30 to press the demand for withdrawal of security forces from Kashmir. The leader who was arrested on June 3 while spearheading the agitation against the rape and murder of 17-year- old Asiya Jan and her 22-year-old sister-in-law Neelofar Jan was released on court orders last week.
He was, however, confined by the authorities in his uptown Hyderpora house and again on the intervention of the state high court the restriction was lifted.
The separatist leader said that he “had to seek permission even for offering prayers from the state authorities.”
