Expressing concern over a “vicious campaign” launched by vested interests against Syed Ali Geelani, his family members on Monday said that “repeated and fabricated letters” issued in the name of the separatist leader were affecting his health badly.
“It is unfortunate that people with vested interests have launched a vicious campaign to malign the stature of Quaid. Repeated and fabricated letters in his name, posts, comments and imaginary stories are disturbing him and affecting his health very badly. The unnecessary social media campaigns and hounding of family only adds to our already stressful life,” the family members said, in a written appeal, issued to the media.
They appealed to the media and others not to circulate any information about Geelani’s health, “and similarly, any communication of political nature on his behalf without his representative’s authentication.”
The family members, including his two sons and the son-in-law, in the appeal, said that Geelani is in an advanced age with multiple ailments. “He needs round the clock medical as well as personal attention. Quaid throughout his life faced hardships, both physically and mentally, for his beliefs and convection. His recent health condition has stressed people especially his family. Therefore, it is time to give him some amount of relaxation and his family, a space to attend him in a better position at this critical juncture. Health condition of Quaid demands [the] family to be careful, focussed and attentive, more so amid the pandemic,” they said, in the appeal.
Geelani, they added, is a public and political figure and everyone reserves a right to be concerned about his
personal as well as political status. “The prime responsibility of his close family is to attend him. We will keep the people updated regarding his health and his representative, Abdullah Gilani, will respond and react to his political issues,” they said.
In June this year, Geelani (91) resigned as chief of the Hurriyat Conference, complaining that constituents of the amalgam failed to lead the people after abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, “overstepped the limits”, and tried to “create a parallel structure”.
The family members of Geelani said that the past few months have been very hard for all of the family members. “On one hand we are busy dealing with his health condition and we have been consumed physically as well as mentally. On the other hand continuously dragging the family into his political affairs has taken a heavy toll on our personal as well as domestic life.”
The family members appealed to people to pray for speedy recovery and the long life of Geelani.