Srinagar 31 Mar 2018
He said policemen in civvies and forces’ vehicles still stand outside Geelani’s residence.
Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai said the move to free Geelani needed to be analysed in a broader perspective as “it can be a cosmetic measure”.
Talking to reporters at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence after offering congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid, Hyderpora, Sehrai said the conglomerate would see whether Geelani is really afforded a political space. “There is a difference between freeing a bird in a room and in the air.
If it freed within the room, it hits the walls of the room. Can this be called a freedom? The real freedom is when it is set free in the open air,” Sehrai said, when asked how he sees government’s decision to let Geelani offer Friday prayers in a mosque after a long gap.
He said policemen in civvies and forces’ vehicles still stand outside Geelani’s residence.
“So we will wait and analyse fully what kind of freedom it is for him (Geelani),” Sehrai said.
About his son’s decision of joining Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, Sehrai said “Junaid Ashraf is young and educated person, fully capable of taking decisions on his own”.
“He didn’t consult me before leaving his house. He opted for whatever he felt right for him,” he said.
Asked whether he would call back his son back as suggested by the director general of police SP Vaid, Sehrai said, “See it is not just my son. There are sons of others out there.
The blood of sons of others is equally important as that of my son. I can’t ask my son to return as he chose a path he thought is best for him.”
He said today’s youth are different than the youth Kashmir had at the time when Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was leading the Valley.
