J&K Govt strips 4 of security cover as a first step after Pulwama  

The Jammu & Kashmir Government on Sunday stripped four separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, of their security cover and allied arrangements with immediate effect.

The order was issued by the State Government three days after a CRPF convoy was attacked in which 44 CRPF jawans were killed in Lethpora area of Pulwama.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said  that the security provided to those who “receive money from Pakistan would be reviewed.”

According to the State Government order issued by the office of Principal Secretary of Home Department, on Sunday, “as a first step the security and allied arrangements provided to Moulvi Umar Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone and Shabbir Ahmad Shah are withdrawn immediately”.

During a high-level review meeting Government of India had emphasised the need to immediately review the wastage of police resources in providing unnecessary security to a large number of non-government persons in the State.

Reacting to the withdrawal of security, the Mirwaiz-led All Parties Hurriyat Conference spokesperson said the separatist leaders never asked for security and that they had repeatedly said that the Government can withdraw it.

Meanwhile, J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina  welcomed the Government decision to withdraw security cover of the separatist leaders and said he would “like them to be arrested and jailed” outside the State.

“The Hurriyat people are the real enemies of the Kashmiris and they are the ones who ruined the Valley. Their security has been withdrawn which is a welcome step and I would like them to be arrest and lodged in Tihar and Jodhpur jails (in Delhi and Rajasthan, respectively),” he said.

Describing Hurriyat leaders as “sinners”, Raina alleged that they were the ones responsible for the killings in Pulwama.

“If Kashmir is facing terrorism today it is because of (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani, Mirwaiz (Umar Farooq), Shabir Shah and Yaseen Malik,” Raina said.

Their own children are studying in London and enjoying in Europe and they have properties in Dubai but are instigating Kashmiri children to pelt stones and orchestrating innocent killings,” he alleged.

Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party on Sunday said its chief Shabbir Shah was never provided any security by the State. In a statement, the JKDFP said that Shah, currently undergoing detention at Tihar jail in New Delhi, was never provided any kind of Government security. “…so the announcement of withdrawing it is nothing but a big lie,” read the statement.

Security cover was, however, deployed outside his residence in Srinagar where his family resides.