Srinagar, May 12: For the first time in the recent past authorities on Thursday officially declared that the chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani would not be allowed to move towards Shopian on Friday.
Geelani last week had announced that his conglomerate would launch a district-wise “awareness campaign” to highlight the plight of Kashmiri detainees languishing in various jails. He had to kick-start the campaign from south Kashmir’s Shopian town tomorrow. However, authorities scuttled his move by placing him under house arrest this afternoon.
The District Magistrate Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo late Thursday evening issued an order stating that Geelani would not be allowed to move towards Shopian on Friday.
“It has been observed on a number of previous occasions that whenever Syed Ali Shah Geelani visited a public place, the incidents of stone pelting and disruption in peace were reported. On April, 22, when he visited Baramulla and on May 6, when he visited Batamaloo, stone pelting incidents were reported which disrupted the peace in these areas, besides injuring a number of persons and damage to property,” the order stated.
The Inspector General of Police Kashmir - S M Sahai - told Greater Kashmir that police would not allow any activity that would disrupt peace.
Asked do they apprehend that Geelani’s awareness campaign could lead to another agitation this year, Sahai said, “We will not allow anyone to indulge in any sort of anti-national activity. We cannot predict what will happen but we want normalcy to prevail so that people don’t face any difficulties.”
The IGP said that whenever Geelani has addressed any gathering in the recent past it has led to stone pelting. He rubbished Geelani’s statement about him asking youth not to indulge in stone pelting. “His (Geelani’s) actions speak louder than words,” he added.
The Hurriyat (G) spokesperson Ayaz Akbar described government’s decision to stop Geelani as “unwarranted.” “The government is scared of Geelani’s popularity. They have accepted defeat by putting Geelani Sahib under house arrest and declaring it officially that he won’t be allowed to move towards Shopian,” Akbar said.
He claimed that conglomerate expected one lakh people to reach Shopian on Friday. “We had announced that we will start district wise awareness campaign. There was no call for any protests,” Akbar added.
Referring to the recent tweet of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that he had made Geelani a hero by keeping him under arrest and he Geelani has “lost his popularity,” Akbar said; “If this was true then he should have allowed Geelani Sahib to go to Shopian.”

GEELANI REITERATES SHUTDOWN CALL
Meanwhile, Geelani in a statement said that conglomerate would hold a rally at Shopian after Friday prayers on May 13, and urged people to observe a shutdown on May 14 to highlight the issue of Kashmiri detainees.
“Calling for a shutdown is a compulsion. We have asked people top observe  a shutdown to highlight the plight of 1500 detainees, who are lodged in different jails only for their political ideology, and press for their immediate and unconditional release. Overwhelming majority of people are feeling the pain of their brethren detainees and will support every programme of Hurriyat for their release,” Geelani said.
Commenting on the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s remarks, Geelani said, “I have no personal differences with him. Omar Abullah and like many of his ilk are defending India’s forcible control on Jammu Kashmir thereby causing damage to our national cause to enjoy power,” Geelani said, adding that “We will be left with no justification to call for shutdown, if India acknowledges the Kashmir is a dispute and revoke all black laws and release all the detainees.”
He appealed to the Amnesty International and other human rights organizations to take serious note of the plight of Kashmiri detainees’ and exert pressure on India for their immediate and unconditional release.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 12 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 IST