Syed Ali Shah Geelani: A 'hawk' among J&K separatists and Hurriyat hardliner

Syed Ali Shah Geelani was the founder member of the Hurriyat Conference but broke away and formed his own Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in early 2000. He finally bid farewell to his own Hurriyat Conference in June 2020.

Srinagar: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, avowedly a pro-Pakistan supporter who spearheaded the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for over three decades, died at his residence on Wednesday night at the age of 91.  Geelani, considered a ‘hawk’ among the J&K separatist leaders, is survived by two sons and six daughters. According to one of his family members, Geelani breathed his last at 10.30 PM. A three-time MLA in the erstwhile state from Sopore, Geelani had virtually become the face of agitation in the 2008 Amarnath land row, 2010 agitation sparked by the killing of a youth in Srinagar.