Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani on Monday stepped down from the leadership of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of several pro-freedom parties in the disputed region.
The ailing 90-year-old leader, who has been under house arrest for the better part of the past decade, said in a purported audio clip: “I completely distance myself from the leadership of Hurriyat Conference in view of its present situation. All constituents of the forum have been informed about my decision through a detailed letter.”
Syed Ali Geelani has been a member of the Hurriyat when it was formed in 1993 as a political arm of the anti-India insurgency. He was elected its chairman for life in 2003. Hurriyat Conference (Geelani) has more than 24 constituent parties, some of which have only a handful of members, as its constituents.
Another faction of Hurriyat Conference is led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who has been under house detention since Aug. 5 last year.