Just who is this man?

On March, 17, 1965, Geelani was arrested and imprisoned on charges of having contacts with Pakistan. He was released after 10 months. In between 1967 and 1977, Geelani was arrested several times.

Again from 1983 to 2002, Geelani was put behind bars from time to time. Geelani8217;s imprisonment period spread over 15 years in different jails across the country. He was last jailed in 2002 and spent eight months in Ranchi8217;s Birsa Munda prison.

In 1972, Geelani won the assembly election from Sopore on the Jamaat ticket. He was Sopore8217;s MLA again in 1977 and 1987.

From 1987 to 1989, Geelani was active in the Muslim United Front, an alliance of 11 parties. In 1989, Geelani resigned from the assembly in support of the armed struggle. Between 1998 and 2000, he was chairman of the All Parties8217; Hurriyat Conference.

In 2004, Geelani formed a breakaway faction of the Hurriyat and became its founder chairman. He broke ties with the moderate Hurriyat led by Molvi Abas Ansari. On August 7, Geelani formed a new political party, the Tahreek-e-Hurriyat, and became its chairman. A member of the World Islamic League, Geelani is now the number one public face of Kashmiri separatism.