Geelani questioned,denies terror links

Sources in the Special Cell said that he denied having links with any terror outfit.

A week after seaches from an alleged LeT operative trained across the border revealed that he was recommended by Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his visa to Pakistan,the Hurriyat hardline leader on Wednesday visited the Lodhi Colony headquarters of the Delhi Polices Special Cell to give his statement.

Geelani was at the headquarters for around 45 minutes and was questioned by Assistant Commissioner of Police Bhisham Singh. Sources in the Special Cell said that he denied having links with any terror outfit.

A photocopy of the visa recommendation letter was found from the possession of 24-year-old Atheshyam Malik,arrested for plotting a terror strike at an electrical market in Old Delhi.

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Geelani came to the Special Cell headquarters at around 11.30 am with his son-in-law Altaf Shah alias Fantoosh and close aide Muhamad Shafi Reshi. The police officers showed the papers to Geelani and asked him if he knew about Maliks link to the terror outfit. Geelani,who carried a book written by him,showed a few pages from it to the Special Cell officers and read it to them. Sources said he read about an incident which took place in Sopore in 1992. Geelani read about an incident during the armed rebellion when a rebel raised slogans against India and he stopped him. He advised the boy that they were all fighting against military occupation of India and not the country, said a police source.

Shah later told reporters,Geelani saab told the police that the recommendation letters for getting Pakistani visas were issued only after a person had a valid passport. The passports are issued after proper scrutiny by police and other various security agencies.

He added that it was routine for Geelani to sign on visa recommendations and that he signed at least 10-15 letters a day.

Earlier,Geelani had denied knowing Malik personally and told The Indian Express he had signed his visa recommendation letter like any other applicant who approached his office.