Geelani should accept he is an Indian if he needs passport: BJP

The ruling BJP on Sunday said if Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Geelani needs a passport he should accept he is an Indian, and apologise for indulging in anti-India activities in the past.

State BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir said, “Passport cannot be given to Geelani till he apologises for the mistakes he has committed during the past 25 years. Passports are issued to Indian citizens and not the ones who don’t believe in India and its democracy.  
“If he (Geelani) wants the passport then has to fall in the line and follow law of the land,” Jehangir added. 

The BJP spokesman said if Geelani acknowledges that he is an Indian and won’t indulge in anti-India activities, then Government of India can consider his request for the passport. “The GOI cannot give a passport to a person who spews venom against the country where he lives and enjoys all the comforts.”

Geelani and his wife have submitted an online application for passport so that they can travel to Saudi Arabia to visit their ailing daughter. Both have mentioned that one of their daughters Farhat Jabeen is suffering from ill health and that the visit is purely personal and not political.

Geelani was first issued passport in 1980 and he participated in International Islamic Conference in the US. On the same passport, he performed Hajj in 1981. His passport was seized in 1983 for his alleged anti-India addresses.

After insurgency started, Geelani was given passport for Hajj in 1995 and 2005. In 2007, the government issued him passport for treatment in the US, however he was denied visa for his criticism of American policy in Iraq. In 2011, Geelani applied for passport to travel abroad for his kidney treatment. However, the travel documents were refused by the then government saying he failed to fulfil all requirements.