US refuses visa to Kashmir separatist leader Geelani

New Delhi, Mar 28 (UNI) The United States has refused visa to Kashmiri hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, saying he had ''consistently failed'' to renounce violence as a means of achieving political goals in Jammu and Kashmir.

A US embassy spokesman said here today that Geelani had been found ineligible for a visa under US laws.

The US decision was conveyed to him yesterday.

Geelani had applied for US visa to undergo treatment for kidney malignancy. He, however, was operated upon on March 26 at the Tata Memorial hospital in Mumbai.

Under the US laws, information about visa applications is confidential.

''Syed Ali Shah Geelani has consistently failed to renounce violence as a means of achieving his political goal in Kashmir,'' the spokesman said.

He said US generally supports the ongoing discussion between India and Pakistan on how to resolve important bilateral issues including Kashmir.

Normalised relations, increased trade and people-to-people contact would benefit both the countries and the region, the spokesman said.

The steps that both countries took following the 2005 earthquake that struck the entire region were particularly encouraging, according to the spokesman.

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