Shabir Shah’s Daughter, Geelani’s Granddaughter ‘Disassociate’ Themselves From Separatist Ideology

SRINAGAR: Jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah’s daughter Sama Shabir and Hurriyat patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s granddaughter Ruwa Shah have put out nearly identical notices in local newspapers in Kashmir, disassociating themselves from “separatist ideology” and pledging their loyalty to “the sovereignty of Union of India”, PTI reported.

Ruwa Shah, whose father and Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah died last year while in jail over charges of militant funding, also distanced herself from the Hurriyat Conference faction founded by her late grandfather, in a notice in the newspapers last week.

She declared she has no inclination or sympathy towards its ideology.

“I am a loyal citizen of India not affiliated with any organisation or association which has an agenda against the Union of India and I owe allegiance to the Constitution of my country (India),” Shah said.

In a separate public notice, published in a local newspaper Thursday, 23-year-old Sama Shabir said she was “a loyal Indian citizen” and distanced herself from the banned separatist organisation founded by her father, who is currently in Tihar Jail on money laundering and militant funding charges.

“I, Sama Shabir Shah… want to clarify that I have not been associated nor have an affiliation with the Democratic Freedom Party, nor do have any inclination towards the ideology of the Democratic Freedom Party,” she said.

“I hereby declare that if any person uses my name with the said party, Democratic Freedom Party, I shall take legal action against them… I am a loyal citizen of India and I am not affiliated with any person or organisation which is against the sovereignty of the Union of India.”

Shabir Shah, 70, the founder of the Democratic Freedom Party, has been in jail since 2017. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in July 2017 and lodged in Tihar Jail.

The government also banned the Democratic Freedom Party as an unlawful association under the UAPA.

Sama Shabir was summoned by the ED in 2019 in connection with the case, but she did not appear at that time as she was in the United Kingdom studying law.