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Former Hurriyat leader Salim Geelani joins PDP
Former separatist leader Syed Salim Geelani, who was once influential in separatist politics, joined the mainstream politics and became a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Former separatist leader Syed Salim Geelani, who was once influential in separatist politics, joined the mainstream politics and became a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Geelani was part of the Hurriyat Conference till 2015 and later formed his own party named as the National Peoples Party. He was welcomed into the mainstream politics by former J&K chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar on Sunday.
“For 35 years I remained associated with the struggle of Kashmir. I am proud of my past and of getting associated with the PDP. The party’s manifesto represents the aspirations of people. The PDP has already taken up issues of jailed youths and other issues. In the past five years, we couldn’t raise our voice, but here in the PDP we can speak on Kashmir, about elections and other issues of people whether political or non-political. Even here people can speak on human rights, so I decided to join this party,” said Geelani.
In separatist leadership, Geelani was quite influential and close to senior separatist leaders and in 2005 he was selected as an interlocutor by the moderate Hurriyat Conference to hold talks with Kashmiri Pandits and motivate them to return to their homeland.
“I want to serve my people by being part of this mainstream politics,” he said.
Geelani said that only contesting elections doesn’t solve problems. “I have joined PDP to serve my people.”
Former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said, “Our aim to contest elections isn’t to get chair but we want to bring relief to our people and Salim Geelani also has the same desire to help the people by being part of politics.”
Apart from Jamaat-e-Islami-supported candidates, this time many former Hurriyat leaders will contest the assembly polls either as an independent or on tickets of some mainstream political parties.
Earlier, Aga Syed Muntazir, son of prominent Hurriyat leader Aga Syed Hassan, also joined mainstream politics and became part of the PDP. He can contest assembly polls from Budgam on the party ticket.
Meanwhile, Altaf Ahmed Malik, who was the Congress party’s district general secretary in Baramulla, today joined the PDP in the presence of party president Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar. He was declared as party candidate from Rafiabad assembly segment that goes to polls in third phase of the elections.
