A major development which can be termed an effort to strengthen and unite the battered pro-freedom camp, three top separatist leaders Wednesday joined Hurriyat (G) led by ailing octogenarian leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The trio - Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, National Front chairman Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Anjuman-e-Shar-e-Shian president Agha Syed Hassan - were welcomed by Geelani in his fold who later addressed a press conference at his Hyderpora residence in their presence. The three leaders had reached the Geelani’s residence early in the morning to join the amalgam.
“My doors are open for everyone who believes in unity among pro-freedom camp and want to strengthen it,” Geelani said while addressing the press conference.
Taking dig at the pro-Indian parties, Geelani said that leaders NC and PDP were responsible for the bloodshed of Kashmiris people all these years. He cautioned people not to trade thousands of sacrifices of youth with jobs and added that India and its “puppet” governments in the state were fleecing people in the name of development. “Oppressed people are fed the doses of development like wine to keep them in inebriated, while in free societies development is a spontaneous process,” he said, while asking people not to fell in the trap of pro-Indian parties.
Accusing National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress and CPIM of trading interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir for their personal interests, the Hurriyat (G) chairman asked people that supporting such parties was akin to disrespecting the sacrifices made by thousands of Kashmiri youth for the greater cause of freedom.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Geelani said the present government has squeezed the space of pro-freedom activities in the state by random arrests and detentions of separatists and their activities. “We are prevented from going to the people and i warn the Mufti led government that such policy of arrests and detentions is fraught with dangerous consequences,” he said, adding India or its “puppet” governments in J&K have no legal or moral legitimacy in curbing the freedom of the separatist leadership.
Speaking in the occasion, Shabir Shah said that it was in June 19, 2008 that unity efforts among pro-freedom camp began. “Then in 2014 geelani sahib constituted a team for unity among Hurriyat leaders and the team did met various organisations and factions of the hurriyat,” he said.
Shah added:
“When anti-Kashmir people from Nagpur to Srinagar are getting one, I feel the need of having unity based on strength and common ideology was the need of the hour.”
Nayeem Khan while speaking said that he invites other depratists leaders and organisations to get unite under Geelani’s command for the larger benefit of freedom movement.
Shah and Khan, it needs to be mentioned, had launched Hurriyat JK last year after differences with Hurriyat (M) chairman MIrwaiz Umar Farooq.
Agha Hassan was expelled from Hurriyat (M) for ‘maligning’ the image of the amalgam days after he expressed his ‘dissatisfaction’ over its functioning in June earlier this year. Hassan said that he joined hands with Geelani for larger benefit of Kashmiri nation and of freedom movement.