Earlier on 16 March, I quietly went to see an indefatigable Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, at his modest Delhi flat. He was unwell...
Earlier on 16 March, I quietly went to see an indefatigable Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, at his modest Delhi flat. He was unwell. I also thought to personally invite him to the Pakistan Day reception to be held on 2 April. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed. Here was a man who was totally committed to Pakistan and the cause of Kashmir. This was my first meeting with him as High Commissioner. I had met him once earlier at the high commission when he came to see Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir in February 2010.
Though there was nothing new about our meetings with the Kashmiri leaders, there is always some hoopla around them in India. As was the practice, I invited all of them to our Pakistan Day reception and they all came, including Syed Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. I also had detailed meetings with them at the high commission.
