Geelani's house arrest ends

Srinagar: The house arrest of Hardline Hurriyat Leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was lifted and the police deployed at his Hyderpora residence were withdrawn last evening.

He had been put under house arrest as a precautionary measure as he had threatened to call a two-day strike against the roundtable conference that was to be convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today.

Besides Geelani, moderate Hurriyat Leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, and other separatist leaders including Democratic Freedom Party President Shabir Ahmad Shah, and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Mohammad Yaseen Malik boycotted the conference.