Home India Security cover of five Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama attack

Security cover of five Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama attack

Following the Pulwama suicide-bombing in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, the Jammu and Kashmir administration yesterday withdrew Security cover provided to five separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

No security forces or cover would be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other separatists.

Reacting on the security withdrawal, a statement from Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, said the separatists “never asked for security,” and called it a “non-issue.”

Security cover of five  Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama attack
Security cover of five Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama Attack

Following the Pulwama suicide-bombing in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, the Jammu and Kashmir administration yesterday withdrew security cover provided to five separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The other four are Shabir Shah, Hashim Qureshi, Bilal Lone, and Abdul Ghani Bhat. According to a security official, no security cover will be provided under any pretext to these five leaders and other separatists.

Security cover of five  Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama attack
Security cover of five Kashmiri separatists removed following Pulwama attack

The order reportedly stated that all security and vehicles provided to the separatists would stand withdrawn by yesterday evening. No security forces or cover would be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other separatists. If they have any other facilities offered by the government, they are to be withdrawn forthwith.

Reacting on the security withdrawal, a statement from Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, said the separatists “never asked for security,” and called it a “non-issue.” It was the government that insisted on keeping the personnel based on what they said was their assessment of threat perception. After 40 CRPF officials were killed in a suicide car-bomb in Pulwama, separatists blamed the attack on “delay in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.”