Geelani spurns Pakistani invite as 'symbolic protest'

Hardline senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani on Tuesday said he would not attend the 'Eid Milan' function at the Pakistan High Commission on July 21 as a "symbolic protest".

In a statement issued here, Geelani said the joint statement made by Indian and Pakistani prime ministers after their meeting in the Russian city of Ufa last week has failed to mention the "Kashmir problem" which concerns 13 million people.

"The failure of the joint statement to make a special mention of the Kashmir problem indicates callousness towards a human problem that concerns the lives and future of 13 million people living in Indian and Pakistan-controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"As a symbolic protest, I have decided not to attend the Eid Milan function at Pakistan High Commission in Delhi to which I have been invited."

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has invited ll senior Kashmiri separatist leaders to the function. - IANS