SRINAGAR: Octogenarian separatist and hardline Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s election boycott campaign will only help Kashmir’s pro-India National Conference party, a leader of the Hurriyat’s moderate camp has said.
Maulana Abbas Ansari, who is a member of the Hurriyat led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, said Mr Geelani’s nine month-long house detention which ended earlier this week was “according to a plan” by the NC-led government.
Thousands turned up for Mr Geelani rally in north Kashmir’s Sopore town on Friday where he asked people to boycott the forthcoming polls.
Mr Ansari told a local news agency, CNS, “It is a known fact that election boycott always prove beneficial for the ruling party and it will be Geelani who would help Government to hit the proposed target.”
“Now Geelani has been released and he would propagate election boycott which would help Government,” he said.
Observers say Mr Ansari’s statement is bound to trigger a fresh war of words between the two factions of the Hurriyat if the moderates don’t come up with a statement disowning his comments.
Observers say Mr Ansari’s statement is bound to trigger a fresh war of words between the two factions of the Hurriyat if the moderates don’t come up with a statement disowning his comments.
Mr Ansari also said that the Government has “evil intentions” and that it could go to any extent to attain its objectives.
He said castigated the authorities for imposing a ban on Muharram processions through the civil lines areas of the Srinagar city.
“Government allowed Geelani to hold a rally in Sopore as it has to gain from that rally while by allowing Ashoora procession it would gain nothing,” he said.
“How come Ashoora procession would be a threat to peace when Shia-Sunni are living in harmony from centuries in Kashmir.”
