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| Kashmiris by and large ignore Geelani's diktats | | |
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Jan 22: Fed up of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani's frequent strike calls, the people of Kashmir have finally started countering his diktats by doing exactly the opposite of what the pro-Pakistan hawk wants them to do.
For January 21, Geelani had given directions for area wise strikes in Kashmir over separate issues. To remember the Gaw Kadal killings of 1990, Geelani exclusively asked the Gaw Kadal locality here to observe strike, whereas against the recent civilian killing in Pulwama on January 20, Geelani asked the south Kashmir to observe shutdown.
But the results on the fateful day remained exactly the opposite. Barring Pulwama town where the killing had taken place, shutdown was observed in other parts of south Kashmir. A youth Parvez Ahmad Sheru was killed after the forces opened fire on the mob protesting killing of a Hizb militant in Pulwama.
Hurriyat Conference-led by Syed Ali Geelani had called for a shutdown in south Kashmir. Though shutdown was observed in district headquarters of Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian and other small towns, however, shops and commercial establishments were conspicuously open in Pulwama, where from the deceased youth actually hailed.
"Who the hell is Geelani, a Pakistani agent to dictate things to us? His stand on Kashmir is exposed and this is why we deliberately countered his strike call, openly with normalcy," said some traders of Pulwama district.
They said "turncoats" like Geelani are giving the best of the facilities to their families whereas common man down the lane was being made to suffer in the name of strike calls.
In Srinagar, on the other hand, civil lines including business hub of Lal Chowk observed shutdown against the Gaw Kadal killings though Geelani wanted only one mohalla to observe shutdown.
Geelani's rivals in the separatist camps said he had deliberately given strike call to selective Gaw Kadal locality as otherwise it would have hampered interests of a mainstream political party.
"He (Geelani) didn't want entire Srinagar to observe hartal as it would dent image of the mainstream party, he secretly favors and gets favors in return," the senior separatist leader told Early Times.
On Thursday giving a damn to Geelani's exclusive Gaw Kadal strike, the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and adjoining marketplaces observed spontaneous shutdown, only to defy his "sinister designs."
"By which yardstick had Geelani asked only the Gaw Kadal locality to observe hartal whereas otherwise in such cases he asks for hartal in entire district? It was only to get some personal favors from the mainstream leaders," said some shopkeepers of Residency Road, adding they deliberately observed shutdown only to "counter Geelani and his authority".
The general observation of the people has been that Geelani was using his son Naseem Geelani as conduit with some mainstream leaders.
Over the last few months though Geelani is being pampered by Pakistan, he is losing his hold on the people and his party alike.
It is for the first time in the past around two decades that Geelani didn't leave for winter vacations to New Delhi where he loves to live in plush Malwiya Nagar locality only to be away from the biting cold of Kashmir.
Given the growing resentment within his party against his dictatorial policies, Geelani stayed back in Srinagar lest he is overthrown in his absence.
Even the constituents of the Hurriyat-G including his spokesman Ayaz Akbar have openly opposed his recent decisions including giving more lucrative portfolios to his favorites like Shabir Shah where as other cadres like Masrat Aalam, whom Geelani has been jealous have been sidelined.
A Kashmir university teacher said the public response to Geelani's leadership strike call should serve as an eye-opener on downfall of separatists. "The reaction to his recent hartal call has proved beyond reasonable doubt that his diktats get topsy-turvy (Ulta Pulat) response," the teacher told Early Times. |
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