Back home, Geelani house arrested again

Srinagar: Chairman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was placed under house arrest immediately after he landed in Kashmir Valley from New Delhi on Thursday. “As soon as Geelani sahib arrived at the airport at around, 1315 hours today, a contingent of police arrested him and straightway drove towards his Hyderpora residence here where he was placed under house arrest,” spokesman of the amalgam, Aiyaz Akhbar told. While strongly condemning the arrest, the spokesman said that it belies the claims by Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the state, that the veteran leader was completely free.“The claims that Geelani sahib is completely free stand exposed and one can draw that either Omar Abdullah is lying or he doesn’t have any influence over his subordinates.” Akhbar said that Geelani was supposed to visit Sopore to express condolences with the family of the two sisters who were killed by unidentified gunmen last month. “No political meeting was scheduled there and we strongly condemn the action by the government,” Akhbar said. He said that before leaving for New Delhi on January 27 last, the octogenarian leader was placed under house arrest for as many as 140 days. Syed Ali Geelani was scheduled to return home on Tuesday last but he was arrested from New Delhi airport by the local police in connection with alleged hawala case. After quizzing Geelani for four hours, the veteran leader was later released but not before he had missed the flight to home.