Hurriyat elects ailing Geelani's press aide as his acting deputy

SRINAGAR: The separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference, led by the ailing Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has elected his chief spokesperson Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar as acting vice-chairman of the organisation's Kashmir chapter and reposed faith in Pakistan-based Abdullah Geelani as the Hurriyat chairman in PoK.
Gulzar, a native of Kreeri Pattan in Baramulla district, was with Abdul Gani Lone’s J&K People's Conference till he fell out with his sons Sajad and Bilal after their father's assassination by terrorists in 2002.He joined Syed Geelani's Hurriyat soon after.
In a statement after being elected acting vice-chairman of the outfit, Srinagar-based Gulzar said the Hurriyat conglomerate would "continue the ongoing just struggle to secure their right to self-determination" and reiterated the resolve of Kashmiris to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
Gulzar praised Pakistan for "efforts on the political and diplomatic fronts" to arrive at "a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute".
Sources said Ali Shah Geelani pushing for Gulzar as acting vice-chairman over his confidant Ashraf Sehrai wasn't quite expected. In the internal election on December 5, Gulzar got seven votes while the other two contenders — Bilal Siddiqi and Aga Syed Hassan — received three votes each.
While Abdullah Geelani's nomination as the senior Geelani's successor last year hadn't gone down well with the patriarch, the Hurriyat think tank's choice had Pakistan's endorsement. Ali Shah Geelani had then criticised the appointment. Early this year, he issued a clarification that Abdullah Geelani only represented the Pakistan chapter of Hurriyat.