Geelani meets members of all-party delegation

SRINAGAR - Hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani Monday met a small group of the all-party team after he refused to talk to the delegation from New Delhi that was led by Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

Five leaders, including Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Asaduddin Owaisi, met Geelani at his residence in the curfew-bound city.

T.R. Baalu of the DMK, Rattan Singh Ajnala of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Namanageshwara Rao of the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) were also present in the meeting with the separatist leader who is known to be spearheading the current wave of street protests in the Kashmir Valley.

The meeting assumes significance as Geelani had refused to meet the all-party delegation that is currently in Srinagar.

The details of the meeting were not available immediately.

Sources said two similar small groups are likely to meet moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik also.