Geelani meets Pakistan high commissioner

Srinagar, March 9:

Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani Monday met Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi, Hurriyat sources said.

“Geelani met Abdul Basit at the Pakistan high commission,” a source in the Hurriyat group headed by Geelani told IANS here.

The sources said the two discussed the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian foreign secretary’s just ended visit to Islamabad.

“Geelani has been invited to Pakistan to attend the ‘Youm-e-Pakistan’ (Pakistan Day) celebrations on March 23,” the source said.

“More separatist leaders from Kashmir are likely to meet the high commissioner in the coming days,” the source added.

Octogenarian Geelani has been in Delhi for the last three months under medical advice. He has been advised to avoid the harsh winter of the Kashmir Valley.

The meeting between Geelani and the envoy comes at a time when a huge row has erupted over the decision of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to release separatist Masrat Alam from prison.

Alam, a hardline separatist, is known for his proximity to Geelani. IANS