The National Conference legislator from South Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad Veeri, paid tribute to former legislator Syed Ali Geelani while reading obituary references in the assembly.
“Speaker sahab, main Syed Ali Shah Geelani sahab ko kharaji aqeedat pesh karta houn woh iss aiwaan ke muazaz member rahe hain” (“Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to Syed Ali Shah Geelani. He has been a respected member of the house”), Veeri said.
Geelani, who served as a member of the legislative assembly three times from Sopore—winning in 1972, 1977, and 1987—later joined the separatist camp following the eruption of militancy in 1989.
He boycotted subsequent elections and continued his stance until his passing in 2021.