New Delhi, Nov 16: Describing firebrand separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani as a ''party-less wonder'' claiming to head a coalition of parties called the Hurriyat, Peoples Conference Chairman Sajjad Lone has said the hardliner had created a vicious environment that culminated in the assassination of his father.

''Let Geelani name the party he represents. He is a party-less wonder claiming to head a coalition of parties called Hurriyat. There is no doubt in my mind that Abbas Ansari is the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference,'' Lone told a Pakistani weekly newspaper.
In the absence of a registering authority for parties, like the Election Commission in Pakistan or India, he said any person can claim to lead a party and asserted that the Hurriyat has not split.
Lone said the existence of the so-called two Hurriyat factions indicates vested interests within the Kashmiri leadership. ''It is the battle between the self and the nation. Geelani is perhaps the most explicit manifestation of the self. The Hurriyat led by Ansari symbolises the nation,'' he told the Friday Times in an interview.
''I cannot possibly identify a traitor. However, I can identify the contours of a traitor or betrayal. Only the people of Kashmir can judge who is a traitor and what constitutes betrayal. People, media, establishments or politicians of India and Pakistan have no say in it,'' Lone said when asked who is the traitor.
Asked who had masterminded the split in Hurriyat, he said, ''there is no split. I repeat. A perception has been created. That perception suits covert agencies on both sides of the border. This could either be a joint venture between the covert agencies or a solo venture by one agency with the other facilitating the whole process. The truth is that this whole split thing could not have been brought about without the explicit or implicit or tacit cooperation of both the agencies.''
In reply to a question, Lone said, ''there is no single leader of the Kashmiris. And this is nothing peculiar to Kashmir. This phenomenon has affected the whole of south Asia. The era of performers like the Bhutto family or the Nehru-Gandhis, or the Sheikh family is history. Increased literacy rates and exposure to the media has translated into increased awareness. This means that no single leader can emerge and take over. In Kashmir there is an added dimension. India and Pakistan use their resources to thrust leaders on the people. The ideal concept of a true leader is a myth.''
He said the Hurriyat has played a very important role in portraying the political face of Kashmir. The Indian or Pakistani recognition of it is irrelevant. ''what is important is that the Kashmiris and the world should recognise it.''
Bureau Report