Seven members of the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference general council have quit the conglomerate over differences with the top leadership on “restoration of the Hurriyat constitution”.
Those who quit the Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq-led group include Syed Salim Geelani, Zafar Akbar Bhat, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, Hakim Rashid, Bashir Andrabi, Yasmeen Raja and Sheikh Yaqoob, the brother of a slain APHC leader.
A senior general council member told rediff.com that there have been ‘differences of opinion’ on the functioning of the separatist amalgam for some time now.
“From time to time, we have been making the leadership aware of our concerns regarding the functioning of the conglomerate,” said the member, wishing anonymity.
“However, there was no effort to take cognisance of our concerns,” he added.
“We wanted a grand coalition of all the separatist groups in the Valley, but no one paid any heed to our suggestions,” he said, adding, “There were no corrective measures taken. We finally decided to quit the conglomerate.”
“We will work towards achieving the goal to bring all the separatist groups together in future. Our effort will be towards seeking a grand alliance of all groups.”
The separatist conglomerate -- an alliance over 20 groups -- was formed in early 1993 but it split in 2004 between two groups with the moderate group led by Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq and the hardline group being headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The moderate APHC saw another split last year after four senior separatist leaders including Shabir Shah, chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party and National Front chairman Naeem Ahmad Khan quit.
Shah now heads his own faction of the Hurriyat Conference.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Mirwiaz-led faction rubbished the reasons given by the disgruntled leaders and claimed that they wanted to become members of the powerful decision-naking executive committee of the amalgam.
"What was known in the forum was the keenness of these members to be made part of the executive council and they were trying hard for it," the spokesman said.
He said regarding the Constitution of the Hurriyat or its functioning, they never expressed any disagreement.
"Till yesterday, (they) extended their full support for implementing the programmes of the organisation. So it is quite strange and contradicting that all of a sudden instead of discussing their new found reservations with regard to the Constitution first within the forum, they decide to run to the press," he said.
