Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s passport suspended ahead of U.S. visit

“We received an email from the Passport Office, Srinagar today in which it was stated that Geelani’s passport has been suspended for four weeks”, said Ayaz Akbar, Geelani’s close aide and spokesman of separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference led by him. When asked why the passport was suspended, Iqbal said, “they will convey this to Geelani”.

“Geelani has applied for visa to travel to New York to attend Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers meet there and the United States embassy has given a green signal”.

It is not Geelani alone whose passport has been suspended as two more Kashmiri separatist leaders – Mirwaiz Umar Farooq – have also got invitation to participate in the OIC meeting are also likely to face the same action, claimed sources. Hurriyat had said Geelani if allowed to visit would try his level best to represent the voices and concerns of the subjugated Kashmiris.

Pro-Pakistan leader, 85, had been issued a fleeting visa for nine months in July this year to facilitate his visit to Jeddah to meet his ill daughter Fareeda.

Geelani was invited to attend the OIC assembly up to now, however couldn’t attend it as he didn’t have the required journey paperwork. “India doesn’t want the world to know what crimes it is committing in Kashmir”.

On June 5, Geelani had appeared before passport authorities and declared himself as an Indian while completing formalities for travel documents but insisted that he did it out of “compulsion”.