AT long last, the Kashmiri separatist leader Syeed Ali Shah Geelani has expressed his willingness to hold talks with the Centre over Kashmir the issue. As a matter of fact, since the last two decades the Government of India has been urging him to enter into a dialogue so that a viable solution is found to the Kashmir impasse but Mr. Geelani always declined the offer. Strangely, this time around Mr. Geelani has come forward on his own and offered to join peace parleys without stipulating any hard and fast conditions. The reason for Mr. Geelani’s shift from an aggressive to a reasonable stand can easily be attributed to Pakistan’s worst internal crisis and  showdown with United States over its overt and covert support to Jihadis fighting against NATO forces in Afghanistan.
For a face saving Geelani says that any offer for dialogue would be discussed in the advisory council of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and the Hurriyat Conference. “We have an advisory council in Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. If there is an invitation, we will keep the offer before them for discussion. We are also part of the Hurriyat Conference and it would be then discussed in its advisory council,” he said.
Undeniably, Geelani had rejected all earlier offers maintaining that his separatist amalgam will talk to the Centre only if the government of India accepts the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, releases political prisoners and revokes special powers to the armed forces. Geelani has no faith in the Constitution of India but had pledged ‘loyalty to India” and drawn salary from J and K government treasury during his stints as Member of the State Legislative Assembly.
The separatist “Hawk” had also been demanding that Kashmir must be freed from India as its rule in Kashmir was illegal. Apart from being a staunch supporter of Pakistan Mr. Geelani is also a true sympathiser of Jihadis and a supporter of their violent actions. Strangely enough, while the whole world was celebrating Osama’s end, Syed Ali Geelani was leading a funeral procession in Srinagar to mourn his brutal killing at the hands of US forces. He termed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a “martyr” and warned that by killing him the fight will not end, but thousands of Osamas would appear within the US and Britain.
Besides demanding Kashmir’s annexation to Pakistan, Geelani has also been raising communal issues like settling slum-dwellers in the state, alleging it was a ploy to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. At another time Geelani demanded cancellation of land allotted to Swami Amar Nath Shrine Board and restriction on the number of pilgrims to the cave shrine, saying an unrestricted number was “damaging” the ecological balance of the Himalayas. His communal and biased remarks led to protests and demonstrations in many parts of the country.
For true to type, Mr. Geelani has not uttered a single word when Kashmiri Pandits were hounded out of their homes and killed or when they were made to flee the valley at gun point. But after more than twenty years he has appealed them to return to their homes as he foresees no future for ongoing militancy.
There is no denying the fact that the separatist leader refused to meet the interlocutors during their 22 visits to the state in the last one year but has changed his mind immediately after the official interlocutors recommended the centre to restart dialogue with Kashmiri separatist leaders.
Most of the political pundits link Mr. Geelani’s change of heart to worsening conditions in Pakistan-back- bone of Kashmir movement for Independence.  Mr. Geelani is well aware that the Kashmir movement can’t survive a day without Pakistan’s moral, military and ammunition support. With this worry in mind he has been asking Pakistan to maintain unity among its ranks. Speaking to a Karachi based ‘Fortress Magazine,’ some time back Mr. Geelani appealed to the Pakistan government to stabilize the situation as a strong and stable Pakistan can better fight the case for Kashmir’s freedom from Indian rule. ‘Allah knows what our future would be. But Pakistan which was formed on ideological boundaries, its stability is the biggest concern. Freedom movement of Kashmir is suffering due to the instability in Pakistan imposed on it through the Balochistan issue, Drone and terror attacks on its soil.’ He added.
Kashmiris had suffered huge economic losses because of Mr. Geelani’s “hartali politics,” as his calls brought economic activity in Kashmir to a standstill most of the days. While the separatist leaders made huge money by accepting outside donations for carrying on independence movement, the people have been reduced to penury and poverty. The repeated “Hartal” calls turned out to be an economic disaster for traders, businessmen, shopkeepers and people associated with the tourism industry.
The fact also remains that terrorist violence has claimed more than one lakh people including Jawans, civilians, men, women and children, from 1990. It rendered thousands maimed, widowed, orphaned and mentally wrecked. More than half a million Kashmiri Pandits left homes and are still living as displaced persons. Also schools, hospitals and temples were reduced to ruins.
The positive signals for dialogue have come at a time when there are indications that the Centre may make dialogue offer to the separatists in Kashmir. Moreover, Pakistan’s failure to fight Jihadis within and help US in tracking down Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants might also have induced Mr. Geelani to change his pro-Pakistani stance. It is time for Mr. Geelani and other separatist leaders to respond if Centre opens channels for  dialogue as armed movement has only led to death and destruction rather than achieving anything substantial.