RINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn the security cover given to five Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
“No security cover will be provided under any pretext to these five leaders and other Hurriyat,” officials said.
The five leaders are Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi, and Shabir Shah.
According to the order, all security and vehicles provided to the separatists will stand withdrawn by Sunday evening.
No security forces or cover will be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other Hurriyat leader said the order. If they have any other facilities provided by the government, they are to be withdrawn forthwith.
Police will review if there are any other separatists who have security or facilities which will be withdrawn immediately, the officials said.
They added that police headquarters will review if any other separatists are being given government security or facilities and will then withdraw them immediately.
Yesterday top Sources from Home ministry confirmed News agency Press Trust of Kashmir that the government has instructed separatists living in the valley to remove the security given by the government.
On Friday evening, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that the safety given to the people funded by Pakistan and its spy agency ISI should be reviewed.
After this statement, speculation started that the government was considering the removal of separatist security. At the same time, sources have rightly speculated these speculations and have said that the government has issued instructions for this.
There was no reason given as to why the security cover of the leaders was being withdrawn but the move comes two days after over 40 CRPF personnel were killed in the Pulwama attack.
A local Kashmiri youth Adil Ahmad Dar had rammed a car packed full of explosive into a bus ferrying CRPF personnel. The attack was later claimed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is headed by Masood Azhar who is based out of Pakistan.
Azhar is one of the three militant released by India after the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 in Kathmandu. (PTK)
