On Monday, the Senate of Pakistan passed a unanimous resolution to confer the highest civilian award, namely, Nishan-e-Pakistan on Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
In its resolution, the Pakistani Senate acknowledged the ‘sacrifices’ and ‘relentless struggle’ of Geelani in the separatist movement in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. According to the resolution, the award was bestowed on him in light of his ‘dedication, perseverance, leadership, and unwavering commitment’ to the nefarious agenda of Pakistan in Kashmir.
The Senate of Pakistan also acknowledged his role in exposing the supposed ‘atrocities’ by the Indian State and the alleged ‘human rights violations’ in the Valley. In its resolution, the Senate lamented that the 90-year-old has been ‘unjustifiedly’ placed under house arrest.
Besides demanding that the Government of Pakistan felicitates Syed Ali Shah Geelani with Nishan-e-Pakistan, the Senate also called upon the State to rename the proposed ‘Pakistan University of Engineering and Emerging Technologies’ as ‘Syed Ali Shah Geelani University of Engineering and Emerging Technologies.’ The proposed university will be built near the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
Further, the resolution demanded that the life and struggle of radical separatist Geelani be included in the educational curriculum at federal and province level.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani ‘quits’ Hurriyat
Last month, Geelani, the senior-most separatist leader in Jammu and Kashmir, had reportedly resigned from the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of separatist groups in the Valley. The separatist leader, who is believed to be on the payroll of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI, had also written a detailed two-page letter highlighting the reasons behind his resignation from the Hurriyat Conference.
As per the letter, Geelani was sidelined by the Pakistani chapter of Hurriyat in the key-decision making process for the past 2 years. Besides, he revealed that his colleagues also began to maintain distance from him.