Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Feb 17: The Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Sunday decided to withdraw the security cover of five separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.
“The Government is issuing orders withdrawing all security and any government facilities provided to the separatist leaders–Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi and Shabir Shah,” read a state government handout.
According to the handout, armed guards, vehicles and other facilities to the separatists were to be withdrawn by Sunday evening.
“No security forces or cover should be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other separatists. If they have any other facilities provided by Government, they are to be withdrawn forthwith. Police Headquarters will review if there are any other separatists who have Government security or facilities and will withdraw these immediately,” the handout added.
Sunday’s announcement comes after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited the Kashmir Valley on Friday following the Lethpora attack, had said that security provided to those who “receive money from Pakistan would be reviewed.”
Shah is presently in custody in Delhi after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Srinagar on July 26, 2017, in connection with an alleged funding case.
The security cover was however, deployed outside his residence in Srinagar where his family resides.
Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Muhammad Yasin Malik were not provided any security cover by the state government.
On Thursday, a local Jaish bomber rammed a vehicle full of explosives into a CRPF convoy coming from Jammu near Lethpora in Awantipora killing 49 of the troopers.
Had never asked for it: Hurriyat (M)
Srinagar, Feb 17: Soon after the government decided to withdraw the security of the Mirwaiz and four other separatist leaders, Hurriyat (M) said they the leaders had never asked for security from the government.
“Hurriyat leaders had never asked for security and that it was the government that insisted on keeping the personnel based on their threat perception,” said a Hurriyat (M) spokesman.
“The government and its propagandist anti Kashmir media had repeatedly been raking up the issue of police personnel provided to resistance Leadership to politicise, knowing fully well it has no bearing nor can it in any way change the reality of the lingering Kashmir dispute or the situation on ground or our principled stand and outlook regarding its resolution,” he said.
The spokesman said the issue of Kashmir will remain the same “with or without these police personnel at Hurriyat residence”.
The spokesman said whenever the security issue has been made centre stage, Mirwaiz has repeatedly said from the pulpit of Jamia Masjid that the Government can withdraw it.
“The Hurriyat leaders had never asked for it (security). In fact, it was the government that insisted on keeping the personnel based on what they said was their assessment of threat perception,” he said, adding that “it was the Government decision at that time to keep it, today it’s their decision to remove it. It’s not an issue for us.”
Geelani, Malik never had any cover: Ram Madhav
Srinagar, Feb 17: BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday said that Hurriyat conference (g) chairman Syed Ali Geelani and JKLF Chief Muhammad Yasin had never enjoyed any security cover from the government.
Taking to social networking site Twitter, Madhav wrote: “Several people asking about SAS Gilani and Yasin Malik may note that neither enjoys any security cover or another facility from d government. Gilani is under house arrest.”
Earlier government in a statement said that all security and any government facilities provided to the separatist leaders- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi and Shabir Shah has withdrawn.
“All security and any vehicles provided to them will stand withdrawn by today evening. No security forces or cover should be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other separatists,” the statement said.
“If they have any other facilities provided by Government, they are to be withdrawn forthwith,” it said.
“PHQ will review if there are any other separatists who have Government security or facilities and will withdraw these immediately,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party has said that its chief, Shabir Shah, who is presently undergoing detention in Tihar jail, Delhi, had never been provided with any kind of government security.
Shabir Shah was never provided security: DFP
Srinagar, Feb 17: Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party have said that its chief, Shabir Shah, who is presently undergoing detention in Tihar jail, Delhi, had never been provided with any kind of government security.
The JKDFP spokesperson clarified in a statement that Shabir Shah, who has recently completed his 32 years in different jails, has never been provided with any kind of government security, so the announcement of withdrawing it is “nothing but a big lie”.
The JKDFP spokesperson has strongly refuted the news being spread about the government security to Shabir Shah.
“Shah is a leader of principles who stands for the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and has not even applied for the Indian passport,” he said.
“It is the result of such kind of baseless propaganda of Delhi and its local collaborators that the situation is deteriorating from bad to worst in the disputed region,” said the JKDFP spokesman.
