Syed Ali Shah Geelani's name mentioned by two MLAs during obituary references in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly

Srinagar: The name of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani figured in the obituary references in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday but only two MLAs mentioned him in their speeches.

More than a dozen MLAs spoke during the obituary references in the assembly.

PDP MLA from Tral Rafiq Ahmad Naik and ruling National Conference MLA from Srigufwara-Bijbehara Bashir Ahmad Veeri mentioned Geelani's name in their speeches.

"Today we are here to pay tributes to great personalities who have been members of this house or held high (constitutional) posts. .... among them is Syed Ali Shah Geelani also. Our political ideologies are very different but he has been a member of this house. He was a good orator," Naik said.

Veeri while paying tributes to some of the stalwarts of Indian politics like former President Pranab Mukherjee and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also mentioned the name of Geelani, who is an ex-MLA from Sopore.

"There is another respected personality who has been a member of this house. We might have ideological differences with him but he also represented an aspiration. I pay tributes to Syed Ali Shah Geelani as well," Veeri said.