Pak Role Evident In Appointment Of New Hurriyat Chairman: Sources

Police records show Masrat Alam Bhat was a terrorist before he joined separatist politics in 1996. He was one of the commanders of a pro-Pakistan terror outfit

Pakistan appears to be trying to meddle in Kashmir in a larger way, especially after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, sources have said. A week after pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani died, his protege Masrat Alam Bhat, who is in jail, has been made chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. Masrat Alam Bhat, who is considered far more hardline than Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has been in Delhi's Tihar jail since 2015. He was a close aide of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, sources said. "He is a pro-Pakistan hardliner and the only visible face with some kind of public credibility in Hurriyat. It's clear that Pakistan is running its agenda now," said a senior police officer who asked not to be named. The authorities expect more calls for protests in Kashmir valley in the coming days as the Hurriyat attempts to show Masrat Alam Bhat is in charge now. "Already, many calls have been made by Hurriyat in the last one week. We have made arrangements as we anticipate some action around Friday," the police officer said.