Nothing personal against Omar: Geelani

Srinagar: Justifying his decision to call for strike on May 14, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani Thursday said he had no personal grudges against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and “our differences are on issues of national interest.”“Omar Abdullah and his clan are damaging our cause by supporting India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir. While enjoying the perks of power, this small minority seems to have forgotten about the sufferings of Kashmiris and the miserable plight of those languishing in jails,” Geelani said in a statement issued to.“I have no personal issues with him (Omar Abdullah) and the differences are on the issues of national interest,” he said while referring to Abdullah’s recent criticism of the Hurriyat faction’s decision to call for strike on May 14.  Geelani reiterated that strikes were the only potent way to protest the “illegal detention and miserable plight of youth and political activists.”Geelani said he doesn’t want to put anybody through inconvenience through hartals but only wants to highlight the plight of detainees. “ If India accepts the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir,  repeals black laws and releases all political prisoners and youth then there is no need for us to call for strikes and damage our own economy. But so long as the Indian occupation doesn’t end and killings and arrests do not stop, there would be a natural reaction and, forget about Omar Abdullah, no power on this earth can stop Kashmiris from registering their protest,” he said.“Calling for strikes is neither our hobby nor a means to ascertain our supremacy. But how can we remain silent when over 1500 people have been locked up in the most inhumane conditions for raising their voice against injustice and oppression,” Geelani said.“These people have neither committed any crime nor do they seek any personal benefits, they are sacrificing the best days of their life only for a better future of our coming generations. People who don’t feel the pain of others are not worth of being called humans,” he said.Geelani said he was sure the majority of Kashmiris felt for the detainees and would wholeheartedly support the Hurriyat’s strike call on May 14. “We represent the majority’s stand and if allowed to carry out our political activities freely, we will prove that India and its loyalists are ruling Kashmir because of the might of police and armed forces,” he said.Demanding immediate and unconditional release of youth and pro-freedom activists, Geelani asked Amnesty International and other international human rights groups to create diplomatic pressure on the Indian government in this regard.