Fifth surgery for Geelani

Hardline separatist leader and chairman of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was operated upon successfully for replacement of heart pace-maker in New Delhi's Escorts Hospital, reports Peerzada Ashiq.

Hardline separatist leader and chairman of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, spearheading the recent unrest in Kashmir, was operated upon successfully for replacement of heart pace-maker in New Delhi's Escorts Hospital on Tuesday.

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This was Geelani's fifth successful surgery in the last 12 years. Seventy-nine-year-old Geelani's kidney as well as gall bladder has been removed in two separate surgeries. He underwent a surgery during his incarceration in Ranchi jail in 2002.

In 2007, half of his lone kidney was removed after it developed malignancy. Though he was granted permission by the Central government to visit the US for specialised treatment, the US Embassy refused him visa "for supporting militancy" in Kashmir.

In the recent weeks, the hardline separatist leader developed complicacy as his pace-maker, implanted on 1997, was nearing expiry. He is also suffering from bronchitis.