Pulwama terror attack:18 separatists, 155 politicians to lose security in J-K

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration Wednesday withdrew security of 18 separatists and 155 politicians, including PDP leader Wahid Parra and IAS officer Shah Faesal, officials said.

The security review meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of state chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, took the decision as it was felt that providing security to these separatists is a "wastage" of scarce state resources which could be better utilised elsewhere.

The meeting was held in the backdrop of Pulwama terror attack in which over 40 CRPF jawans were killed by suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar on February 14. Pakistan based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Among the leaders whose security has been downgraded and withdrawn are SAS Geelani, Aga Syed Mosvi, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, Yaseen Malik, Saleem Geelani, Shahid ul Islam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza,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.

This is in addition to the six separatists whose security was withdrawn on Sunday.

The security of 155 politicians and activists, who did not require the security provided to them based on their threat assessment and their activities, was also withdrawn.

This includes Shah Faesal, the 2010 IAS topper from Jammu and Kashmir who recently resigned from bureaucracy, and PDP leader Wahid Parra, the officials said.

Through this, over 1,000 police personnel and over 100 vehicles are freed to do regular police work, they said.