Amarnath Land Deal

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TIMES Now is saying that hurriyat has decided to suspend their agitation for 3 days. Perhaps the time-pass below is responsible for this.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080819/jsp/...ory_9711874.jsp

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Geelani puts foot in mouth, apologises
MUZAFFAR RAINA 
Srinagar, Aug. 18: The newfound separatist unity in Kashmir was today at the brink of collapse but was saved by mounting public pressure.

The Hurriyat factions, which had patched up in the wake of the backlash against the Amarnath land allotment in the Valley, were headed for a showdown today in the middle of the biggest rally Kashmir has ever seen.

The spat started after Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani claimed to be the sole custodian of the uprising.

“There can be no two leaders in our movement, and today I am giving you people the right to decide who your leader is,” Geelani thundered before a huge crowd on the Srinagar Tourist Reception Centre Ground.

“Do you have trust in the leadership of Syed Ali Geelani?” he asked as tens of thousands of hands rose in unison. The Hurriyat leader immediately promised to live up to their expectations.

The remark triggered resentment among other separatists, including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik, who were on the dais.

Soon after the meeting, sources close to Geelani said, they received hundreds of calls from “ordinary people” who felt the Hurriyat hardliner should not alienate other leaders.

Within hours, Geelani tendered a public apology. “The movement is bigger than the individual. It was a slip of tongue and if it has hurt anybody’s feelings, I apologise. I prefer unity over everything else,” Geelani said.

The sources said this was the first time Geelani has made such an apology. “There was instant opposition to the remark even from his close aides. We received hundreds of calls by ordinary people who reprimanded us,” a source said. “Some people were so furious that they warned us against damaging our struggle.”

The moderate Mirwaiz chose not to speak on the issue. “They (Geelani faction) have conveyed their apologies and have retracted their statement,” Mirwaiz told The Telegraph.

Another controversy surfaced when Geelani launched an attack on Pervez Musharraf who had announced his resignation as Pakistan’s President. Geelani applauded Musharraf’s exit and said his presence was a great loss to Pakistan, its people and the Kashmir cause.

“There can be no socialism, secularism, nationalism or American-dominated government in Pakistan,” he said. “We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is ours”.

The statement did not go down well with pro-independence leaders like Malik. Sources said Geelani had been advised not to raise such issues now.

The separatists are under intense pressure from the people to avoid confrontation and give “proper leadership”. Protests broke out last night at several localities in Srinagar city after the separatists decided to suspend the strike for three days from tomorrow.

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