SRINAGAR: Ailing pro-Pakistan leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been re-nominated chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), a constituent of hardline All Parties Hurriyat Conference led by him. Though he had declined to continue as head of the TeH, the Majlis-e-Shoora (assembly of counsellors) unanimously passed a resolution asking him to lead the party in the larger interest of "freedom movement." At a news conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Geelani termed the decision "painful" but said he could not say no to the decision.

" I accept the decision of leading the party for next three years." Reiterating his party's stand on Kashmir, Mr. Geelani said: "Until and unless aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are sought as per the United Nations Resolutions, no solution is possible." He ruled out self-rule, internal autonomy and trans-Line of Control trade as in anyway helpful towards improvement in the situation. "India should sincerely take cognisance of ground realities in the context of the report released by Human Rights Watch in which both the security forces and militants are equally condemned for grave human rights violations."

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu