Against the backdrop of the persistent demand of the Hurriyat and separatist leaders for revocation of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and reducing the presence of troops in the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the cash-strapped J-K Government had incurred over Rs 9 crore on their security and escort vehicles during the last 12 years.
“The state government has spent Rs 9.47 crore on account of providing security cover to the Hurriyat and other separatist leaders from 2001 to 2012,” Omar said in a written reply to a question by an Independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, in the Assembly here today.
Giving the break-up of the expenditure, the Chief Minster said Rs 4.56 crore was spent on account of salaries of Personal Security Officers (PSOs) and drivers of Hurriyat leaders for the period.
An amount of Rs 71.10 lakh was spent on the fuel used in vehicles escorting Hurriyat leaders while Rs 3.79 crore was incurred on salaries of residential guards protecting their houses.
Last year alone, the state government had spent Rs 85.50 lakh on account of salaries of PSOs and drivers of Hurriyat leaders. “About Rs 7 lakh was spent on the fuel used in their escort vehicles in 2012,” Omar said.
The high-end security cover has once again exposed the double standards of the Hurriyat and separatist leaders who have been vehemently demanding revocation of the AFSPA and withdrawal of troops from the state, particularly the Kashmir valley, following the “significant decline” in militant-related incidents.
Later, Engineer Rasheed said Hurriyat leaders should surrender their security cover on “moral grounds”. “I want to appeal to the Hurriyat leaders to withdraw their security cover as they are being protected by the same security forces which are involved in the killing of civilians in Kashmir. They should surrender their security on moral grounds as it doesn’t send across a good message,” Rasheed told reporters outside the Assembly.
Recently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had reportedly told the state government to go for a ‘detailed review’ of the security of separatist leaders in the Kashmir valley.
‘Z’ SECURITY FOR HURRIYAT LEADERS
The state Home Department records say that the Centre had decided to give ‘Z’ category security to all Hurriyat leaders after they decided to hold parleys with the Government of India on the Kashmir issue in 2004. While all leaders had accepted the security cover, former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat was reluctant to accept a bullet-proof car
‘GIVE UP SECURITY ON MORAL GROUNDS’
I want to appeal to Hurriyat leaders to withdraw their security cover as they are being protected by the same security forces which are involved in the killing of civilians in Kashmir. They should surrender their security on moral grounds as it doesn’t send across a good message
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