Geelani, Malik and others still under house arrest in Kashmir

Srinagar May 09: Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik and over a dozen other separatist leaders remained under house arrest in the Kashmir valley, where final phase of polling in Baramulla constituency will be held on May 13.
Official sources said that separatist leaders will be released only after the last phase of polling is over in the valley. Though the authorities said it was preventive measures to maintain law and order, the separatists alleged it was to prevent them from addressing anti-poll rallies.
The JKLF chief Mr Malik has been under house arrest for the past 18 days and was not being allowed to move out of his Maisuma house, a JKLF spokesman said.
He said Malik was put under house arrest after he had addressed an anti-election rally in south Kashmir where polling in Anantnag Parliamentary constituency. He could not address any anti poll rally in Srinagar parliamentary constituency where polling was held on May 7 because of house arrest.
He was, however, taken to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura for a brief period for a check up as he was suffering from heart disease.
A spokesman of the breakaway HC said chairman Mr Geelani, who remained under house arrest for the past four weeks, was not being allowed to leave his Hyderpora house and it was to prevent him from addressing anti-election rallies in the valley.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the moderate HC has strongly criticised the authorities for keeping under house arrest Mr Geelani, Mr Malik, Aga Syed Al-Mosavi Al-Safvi, Syed Saleem Gilani and the detention of Dr Ghulam Mohammad Hubbi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Shabir Ahmad Dar, Aiyaz Akbar and Zaffar Akber and others.
He also condemned continued detention of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah.
During the seven-phase 2008 Assembly elections in the state, almost all the HC and other separatist leaders were arrested or put under house arrest.
They were, however, released immediately after the election process was over. But a dozen separatist leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) leader Shabir Ahmad Shah remained under detention even after it was quashed by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.