Geelani, Kashmir’s staunchest anti-India leader, dies at 91

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN and SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Syed Ali Geelani, an icon of disputed Kashmir’s resistance against Indian rule and a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the region’s defiance against New Delhi, has died at 91. Geelani died at his home in the region’s main city of Srinagar. Heavy contingents of armed police and soldiers were deployed in the city to prevent the funeral from turning into an anti-India protest. Geelani was an ideologue and a staunch proponent of the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. He was seen as the face of resistance against India, widely respected even by pro-India Kashmiri politicians. Kashmir is a disputed region, claimed by both India and Pakistan.