Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (C). (Twitter/Mirwaiz Umar Farooq)The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) administration led by governor Satypal Malik has rescinded the security cover of 18 separatists who advocate for the secession of Kashmir from India and 155 other political persons, inclusion PDP leader Wahid Parra and former civil servant Shah Faesal, reports Daily Excelsior.
The decision was taken by a committee headed by the state chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam as it was observed that provision of security cover to such separatist leaders lead to a "wastage" of scarce state resources which could be put to better use on more productive activities in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
Thus over 1,000 police personnel and over 100 vehicles have been freed for redeployment across the state.
Some of the separatists included in the withdrawal list are SAS Geelani, Aga Syed Mosvi, Maulvi 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.
18 + 5
Earlier on 16 February (2019), the government had withdrawn the security cover of five other separatist leaders - Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi and Shabir Shah - in the wake of Pulwama attacks.
Following the withdrawal, no security cover, government vehicles would be provided to the separatists under any pretext from the evening. The leaders would also not be able to avail any government facility currently being accorded to them.
Also Read: More Kashmiriyat, Less Islamiyat: Why Demographic Balance Is The Answer
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.