Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, headed by 87-year-old Syed Ali Geelani, on Monday announced that Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai (78) is the new chairman of the separatist amalgam, clearing the decks for a “smooth transition” of leadership.
“In a unanimous decision taken in an extraordinary meeting of the Majlis-e-Shoora, its highest decision-making body, the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) appointed Mr. Sehrai as an interim chairman till the organisational elections to be held late this year,” said a Hurriyat spokesman.
Hurriyat sources said Mr. Geelani “was not keeping well of late due multiple ailments and frequently complains of feeling tired and weak”. He has already undergone surgeries for heart and kidney ailments in the past.
Sources said Mr. Geelani “was under pressure from his cadre and party leaders for the past two years to announce a successor for the influential separatists’ grouping to avoid any confusion in case of any eventuality”.
There were many contenders, including his son Naeem Geelani, Democratic Freedom Party head Shabir Shah and Muslim League chairman Masarat Alam, who were tipped to succeed Mr. Geelani as the TeH’s chairman.
