Marinalising the doves in separatist politics and setting the stage for a bitter power struggle, the breakaway group of hawks today nominated Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the Hurriyat’s new ‘‘chairman.’’By doing this, the rebels have signalled that there’s no place for former amalgam chairman Abdul Gani Bhat of the Muslim Conference and Sajjad Lone-headed People’s Conference in the outfit.The group claimed it recognised Ghulam Nabi Sumji and G N Hubbi as the ‘‘real’’ representatives of the MC and the PC respectively.The decision to appoint Geelani was taken after a long meeting at Geelani’s Hyderpora house, attended by 15 of the 24-member general council.Calling today’s decision ‘‘unconstitutional,’’ Hurriyat chairman Moulvi Abbas Ansari said: ‘‘It amounts to treachery and nothing else. Geelani has always subverted unity at critical junctures.’’Sources said this is one fallout of New Delhi’s lack of a clear policy on Kashmir. A dialogue process at the highest level was promised but never started. ‘‘This endless wait damaged the constituency of doves within Hurriyat,’’ said one of them..Geelani and his Hurriyat are staunch pro-Pakistan and they will never be ready to talk without Pakistan’s participation—a demand which New Delhi will find difficult to meet.The rebels’ announcement came hours before the Ansari-led faction held a similar meeting at the Nagin house of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Mirwaiz, who is the founder chairman of the alliance, had been nominated by Ansari to forge unity among the two groups.Even though Yasin Malik’s JKLF and the Awami Action Committee stayed away, the rebels claimed they had ‘‘a majority of the constituents from the general council and many others would be joining them in coming days.’’‘‘The JKLF is watching the development very keenly. We don’t want to be seen supporting this or that group,’’ a JKLF leader told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, Geelani said an electoral college would soon be formed which would choose the new executive body.He reiterated his stand of holding tripartite talks and implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir as conditions for talks.He alleged that under Ansari’s chairmanship, the Hurriyat had failed to discharge its responsibility. ‘‘They were busy in parleys with Kashmir Committee chairman Ram Jethmalani and had not given a boycott call during the last Assembly polls,’’ he said. ‘‘They don’t deserve to lead the movement in which thousands have sacrificed.’’He said the new leadership believed in negotiated and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.To a question whether the rebels plan to take over the Hurriyat headquarters at Rajbagh, he said they were not governed by ‘‘material interests’’ and would rather prefer to set up an office in a tent.
