SRINAGAR, Aug 7: Thousands of supporters turned out on Sunday for a rally by Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, who vowed to continue the struggle for freedom. “Today I vow before you that the ongoing struggle will be taken to its logical conclusion,” 73-year-old Geelani told an estimated 35,000 supporters at the rally in Srinagar.

“We will achieve our goal if we strictly follow Islam,” said Mr Geelani, who heads the hardline faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference. Sunday’s rally was organized by Geelani’s political party, Tehreek-i-Hurriyat or Movement for freedom, which is part of Hurriyat.

Mr Geelani repeated his opposition to autonomy for the region and to the conversion of the de facto border dividing Kashmir between the two neighbours into a permanent border. “The only solution to resolve the dispute is to provide right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir,” he said.—AFP