Geelani placed under house arrest: Hurriyat

Srinagar: Police on Thursday placed Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani under house arrest to prevent him from attending a book release function in Old City here. 

“Geelani had been invited to attend the release function of Iqra magazine by Sajadah Nisheen Astan-e-Aalia Khanyar, Syed Khalid Geelani, at 11 a.m today. However, in charge Humhama police arrived at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence this morning to inform Geelani that he had been put under house arrest. On being asked to produce a written order, the police officer returned , half an hour later, with the District Magistrate’s March 10 order which has imposed a complete ban on Geelani’s political activities,” the amalgam said.
It alleged that Geelani had been put under house arrest at the behest of National Conference leaders who have “failed to fight Geelani on the political turf.”
The amalgam said following Geelani’s house arrest, senior Hurriyat (G) leader ‘General ‘ Moosa participated in the function at Khanyar and released the magazine . The amalgam has said that Geelani’s programme to address a Friday gathering at Masjid Bait-ul-Mukaram, Maloora, Srinagar tomorrow was on and “thousands of people are expected to participate in it.”
Meanwhile, Geelani has expressed sorrow and grief over the entrapment of more than hundred Pakistani soldiers in an avalanche . Geelani has appealed clerics to offer special prayers for the soldiers in their Friday sermons tomorrow and express their solidarity with the bereaved families.