J&K administration withdraws Security of Separatist Leaders

Guwahati, February 17, 2019:

The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Sunday issued orders to withdraw security of five separatist leaders as part of India's strong pushback against terror in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. As per the order, the security of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Lone, Hashim Qureshi, and Shabir Shah will be withdrawn. According to the order, all security and vehicles provided to the separatists will stand withdrawn by Sunday evening.

The police will review if there are any other separatist leaders whose security or other benefits need to be withdrawn. It has been suggested that many leaders of the separatist movement of Jammu and Kashmir have a close connection with the Pakistan Government and thus, this move is being implemented as a series of measures that are being taken after a security review in the volatile region of Jammu and Kashmir.

The development comes as fallout after a deadly attack on the CRPF in Pulwama on Thursday. An explosives-laden car driven by a suicide Jaish-e-Mohammed bomber crashed into a CRPF vehicle in Pulwama, which left 40 martyred.

Administration officials have said that it would ‘under no circumstances’ provide security cover to separatists. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, during his visit to Srinagar on Friday, had stated that security given to people getting financial assistance from Pakistan and Pakistan’s spy agency ISI should be withdrawn immediately.