Geelani meets US embassy officials for visa

Srinagar, Mar 16: Ailing Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) today gave a detailed brief to New Delhi based embassy officials of the United States about his proposed visit to that country.

Mr Geelani was called by the US officials in the embassy at 1430 hours and interviewed for about one hour and 15 minutes this afternoon, spokesman of the HC Aiyaz Akbar told sources.

The US will take a decision about granting visa to him on Monday, he said.

The United States had informed on March 14 that it will take at least one month to grant visa to him, his wife and son.

Mr Geelani, his wife and son had applied in the US embassy for a visa on Monday for taking him there for specialised treatment.

He said Mr Geelani, his wife and son were asked questions today about the reason for their visit to US.

Mr Akbar said Mr Geelani has informed the US officials that they wanted to visit US for specialised treatment in a hospital there.

When asked by the US officials if he has ever been arrested by the government, Mr Geelani admitted that he has been arrested a number of times for demanding implementation of the United Nations resolution on Kashmir.

Kashmir is a disputed territory and needs a permanent resolution as per the wishes of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of their religion, region and language, Mr Geelani has said.

Mr Akbar said Mr Geelani and others were later asked to deposit their passports.

The decision about issuing of visa to them will be conveyed to Mr Geelani on Monday, he added.

After the US embassy officials said on March 14 that it will take at least one month for issuing visa to them, the HC leaders said they cannot wait for a month as Mr Geelani needs immediate medical attention. Later after considering a number of option available, majority of the people suggested that Mr Geelani be treated in the Delhi's Apollo hospital, where he was under the treatment of Dr Sameer Kaul.

Dr Kaul in his report had said Mr Geelani needed urgent surgical attention for treatment of metastatic disease renal transplantation.

The Hurriyat chairman, his wife and son were given passports by the Regional Passport Office (RPO), here, on the directions from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh following appeals by Hurriyat Conference and a number of mainstream and separatist leaders.

Mr Geelani's passport was impounded by the authorities in 1981 and since then his applications for issuing a fresh passport or travel documents were denied. However, he was allowed to perform the Haj pilgrimage last year along with his wife.

Former Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has also offered to treat Mr Geelani in the Showkat Khanam Memorial Cancer hospital, Lahore. A senior leader of other faction of the Hurriyat Conference advocate Shahidul Islam has offered a kidney to Mr Geelani.

A hospital in Belgium '' Saint Luc hospital'' has also offered to treat the chairman.

Mr Geelani has developed some complications in his only kidney as his other kidney was removed in 2003 in Mumbai.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had sent goodwill messages to the ailing chairman.

UNI