New Delhi: On Thursday, after withdrawing the security of five separatist leaders including Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi and Shabir Shah, the Jammu and Kashmir administration downgraded and withdrew the security of 18 more Hurriyat leaders. Among the leaders whose security has been downgraded and withdrawn are Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Aga Syed Mosvi, Mohammad Abbas Ansari, Yaseen Malik, Saleem Geelani, Shahid ul Islam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Farooq Ahmed Kichloo, Masroor Abbas Ansari, Aga Syed Abul Hussain, Abdul Gani Shah and Mohd Musadiq Bhat.
It is to be noted that the order comes five days after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed in a suicide bombing after a JeM tourist rammed an explosive-laden SUV into the CRPF convoy. After the security cover was withdrawn, All Parties Hurriyat Conference spokesperson said that the separatists had never asked for any security and added that they had repeatedly requested the government to withdraw it. Apart from the security cover, the vehicles which had been provided to the five separatist leaders were also withdrawn.
However, there was a growing demand from the people and leaders from within the BJP to withdraw the security cover provided to the separatists. The order got the final seal of approval after Union home minister Rajnath Singh during his visit to Kashmir on Friday to review the security situation in the Valley said that security which is given to people being funded by Pakistan and the ISI needs to be reviewed.
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