The government in Indian administered Kashmir have lifted curbs on 84-year-old separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, who had been under house arrest since March this year.

New Delhi, Oct 30/-Nationalturk – In an unexpected move, government in Indian administered Kashmir lifted curbs on 84-year-old separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, who had been under house arrest since March this year.

“The policemen lifted cordon around Geelani’s Hyderpora residence in Srinagar on Tuesday afternoon. The makeshift police bunker outside his residence was dismantled on Monday night,” Geelani’s close aide Ayaz Akbar said in a statement issued in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir.

He said a senior police officer informed the senior separatist leader that they have been directed by authorities to lift siege around his house.

However, he did not say why authorities decided to lift restrictions on the separatist leader all of a sudden.

Geelani, who wants merger of Kashmir with Pakistan, was placed under house arrest at his Srinagar residence on March 7 this year after returning from Indian capital New Delhi.

‘Geelani remained under house arrest for 236 days’

“Geelani remained under house arrest for 236 days from March this year. He was not even allowed to offer obligatory Friday congregational prayers. Even he was not allowed to offer Eid prayers,” Akbar said.

He said Geelani missed 34 congregational Friday prayers in a row this year and was not even allowed to join different events with his relatives.

Akbar said 84-year-old Geelani would now start his political activities from Friday by addressing a public meeting in Sopore in North Kashmir.

Govt had illegally placed restrictions on me: Geelani

“It remains to be seen, how long the government allows me to continue my peaceful political programmes. They had illegally placed restrictions around me. I remained under house arrest during most of the time in last few years,” Geelani told media persons.

He said government was forced to lift restrictions on his movement because of the continuous opposition and resentment from judiciary and human rights groups.

The separatist leader had filed cases in Indian Kashmirs’ courts to demand lifting of restrictions.

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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News

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