Man of Resistance, Syed Ali Shah Geelani
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, father of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir freedom movement. He was a leader who led from the front with courage and determination to fight for the rights of his Kashmiri people. Syed Ali Geelani was born in 1929 in a village called Zurimanj. He was the son of a common man who worked in the canals department. Syed Ali Shah Geelani got early education from his hometown. Later, he went to Lahore where he enrolled in Madrasa Masjid Wazir Khan. Later on, he took admission to the oriental college and completed Adib Slim, a course in Islamic theology. In addition, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was a man of resistance. He spoke and raised his voice against the illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir. On 1st September at 10 pm, Syed Ali Geelani passed away during the house arrest. He was 92 years old. Additionally, police snatched his body and buried him forcibly in the silence of the pre-dawn funeral on 2nd September. In this article, I would try to describe Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s struggle for the freedom of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In 1950s, Geelani joined Jamaat-e-Islami. He was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir till 2004 and was regarded as one of its top leaders. Moreover, in 2004, he left Jamaat-e-Islami and found Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, an important party of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a combination of separatist parties in Kashmir. Geelani served as the chairman of the Hurriyat conference till 2020. He said his famous sentence against former Prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdul that, Unlike Sheikh Abdullah who despite rendering huge sacrifices, made his first mistake in 1947 by opting a wrong track.
Similarly, Geelani has called for numerous general strikes or shutdowns, in response to the deaths of civilians in Kashmir. Syed Ali Shah Geelani received the invitation to participate in the annual meeting of the foreign ministers of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Kashmir contact group to be held in New York from 27 September 2015.
In addition after the death of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, Geelani send a letter to United Nations. As a civilian opponent against Indian rule, Geelani along with two other top anti-India politicians, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik who remain under detention, formed “Joint Resistance leadership”, in 2016. The group challenged India’s sovereignty over Kashmir and sought to give direction to people's anger. The slogan “Na Jhukne wala Geelani and na Bikne wala Geelani( Geelani is the one who doesn’t bow Geelani who can’t be bought!) became almost a war cry on the streets of the valley.
After the Pulwama attack, India put Syed Ali Geelani on house arrest without sufficient proof. Geelani said no to any talks with New Delhi, asserting that “ India can’t be trusted unless it calls Kashmir a disputed territory, demilitarizes the region, and releases political prisoners for meaningful talks. Syed Ali Geelani contested elections three times for local governance but resigned to join the anti-India campaign. He became the face of Kashmiri resistance until his death.
On 14 August 2020, Pakistani president Arif Alicia conferred Nishan-e- Pakistan. Pakistan’s highest civil award on the struggle of Geelani for the Kashmiri people. Additionally, Geelani was also a fine scholar. He wrote many books on various topics. His famous books are; Rudad-i-Qafas, Iqbal Ruh-i-din ka Canada, and Villar Kinare. Geelani was also widely respected by the regions pro Indian politicians. “we may not have agreed on most things, but I respect him for his steadfastness and standing by his beliefs.” “Mehbooba Mufti”. Moreover, the Prime Minister of Pakistan also praised Syed Ali Geelani and said” we in Pakistan salute his courageous struggle and remember his words; “Hum Pakistani Hain Pakistan Hamara hai”( we are Pakistani and Pakistan is ours).
Therefore, Syed Ali Geelani opposed Indian occupation over Jammu and Kashmir. His struggle was for the people of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Kashmir is an incomplete agenda of the subcontinent. India is occupying Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Kashmir that signed the instrument of accession with Pakistan. These states and their residents should be given the right of self-determination according to the charter of the United Nations. Otherwise, the peaceful freedom movements will become more violent if their people being stopped from basic human rights.