Arrest Syed Geelani immediately: Ram Jethmalani

Mumbai, September 03: Legal luminary and BJP MP Ram Jethmalani accused ‘hardline’ Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani of being on the payroll of Pakistan and demanded his immediate arrest to put an end to the violence in Kashmir.

Talking to reporters yesterday at a Meet the Press programme at the press club here, Mr Jethmalani said ”I will apologise to Mr Geelani if he swears by the Holy Quran that he has not been on the payroll of Pakistan at all relevant times….”

Terming the HC leader as ‘an intentional abettor of murder’, he alleged that the young boys of Kashmir were pelting stones at the policemen on the instigation by Mr Geelani.

”If Mr Geelani believes that pelting stones at the police is an honourable and efficacious activity, he should have the courage to take up stones in his own hands and lead the gangs of youthful stone pelters,” he said.

He alleged that Mr Geelani was not ”a genuine friend of Kashmir but its mortal enemy”, who did not protest Pakistan’s action of giving away large areas of Kashmir to China.

Mr Jethmalani also accused him of having ruined Kashmir’s trade, industry and income from tourism and exports and for shutting down schools, forcing the students to migrate to other cities of India.

Demanding the arrest of Mr Geelani, the former Union law minister said ”The state and the Union governments must muster courage and arrest Mr Geelani, and incarcerate him in some jail far away from Srinagar.”

Mr Jethmalani voiced his concern over the Centre being unable to solve the Kashmir problem and said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram cannot solve it. ”It is unfortunate that Mr Chidambaram, who is in charge of the Home Ministry, has no clue of what is to be done,” he added.

He demanded that India should offer autonomy to Kashmir in all its regions, as much as Pakistan is willing to give to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
–UNI