Hurriyat hawk Geelani's passport suspended ahead of US visit

 The passport of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been suspended for four weeks to preempt him from flying to New York for an event where he was likely to have spoken against India, official sources said today.

The government action came in the wake of reports that the hardline Hurriyat faction leader was planning to travel to New York to attend the annual meeting of Foreign Ministers of member states of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Kashmir Contact Group beginning September 27.

The 85-year-old pro-Pakistan leader had been issued a short-term passport for nine months in July this year to facilitate his visit to Jeddah to meet his ailing daughter Fareeda.

Earlier, his application for issuing a passport had been rejected in May after he refused to give his biometric details. As the authorities refused to issue him the travel document unless he completed the necessary formality, Geelani later relented and visited the Regional Passport Office to submit his biometric details.

Geelani's spokesman had a few days ago acknowledged his travel plans to the US but said the Hurriyat chairman had been invited by the OIC many times in the past but could not go due to non-availability of travel document.