Question to BJP: Who provided Z-plus plus to leaders of Azadi ?

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jan 25: Even as Jammu & Kashmir’s most protected separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is now far away in London to participate in a conference, his Police and CRPF-protected colleagues, including Bilal Gani Lone and Aga Syed Hassan, have gone into hiding two days ahead of Republic Day ceremonies. Like now underground JKLF Chairman, Yasin Malik, they are believed to be planning hoisting of the flag of Kashmir’s separation from India at Lalchowk on Wednesday.

And the big question now: Who in India made the separatists as heroes and provided them bullet-proof cars and vests, Police and CRPF escorts, Personal Security Officers (PSOs), static house guards, assured seats in front rows of airplanes and VIP treatment at VIP lounges of Srinagar Airport? NC? No. PDP ? No. Congress ? No. Hold your breath. None other than BJP-led NDA government of Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

Contrary to the strong ideological clash between Kashmir’s separatist leaders and the Sangh Parivar, there has been an equally strong chemistry between the two. Highly placed official sources, who have remained associated with Security Wing of J&K Police, revealed to Early Times that maximum possible security cover and recognition was provided to the Valley’s separatist leaders during Vajpayee’s regime in 1999-2004. According to these sources, then union Home Minister, Advani, had once called his junior colleague and National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, to his office at North Block and warned him against detaining a senior separatist leader’s son who was returning from his royal wedding in Pakistan with valuable consignments after staying abroad for years.

Then Minister of State for Commerce in Vajpayee’s government, Omar had reportedly directed a Central revenue agency to arrest the separatist leader’s son at Wagah and release him only after paying back 20 Kg of gold he, according to Ministry files, had defaulted from a government Corporation. “Arresting this moderate separatist’s son would mean strengthening the hardliners” was Advani’s argument. Sources insisted that with Advani’s and a senior intelligence official’s blessings, maximum possible security, status and recognition was provided to the “moderate separatists” during this period. They said that in the first six years of insurgency, cleric-politician, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and some other clergymen-politicians were the only separatists enjoying Police protection in the Valley.

On one point of time, PSOs and house guards were also provided to hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani but he abandoned it in just a couple of years. A huge sandbag bunker was also installed outside Shabir Shah’s house at Rawalpora but he too got it removed in the next three years. JKLF Chairman, Yasin Malik, is one-odd prominent separatist who apparently never demanded or accepted security cover from the government.

According to these sources, over 200 Police and CRPF personnel, who are all on oath to protect the sovereignty and integrity of India, are currently deployed on the “duty” of guarding the politicians disputing and abusing the sovereignty and integrity of this country. Even as ordinary constables or head constables are posted as PSOs with Cabinet Ministers and most of the mainstream politicians, Sub Inspectors and Assistant Sub Inspectors are functioning as heads of the security cover provided to the separatist leaders. An officer of the rank of Deputy SP is heading the Police protection unit attached to the Hurriyat Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Officials estimated that more than Rs two Crores of the taxpayers’ money was being annually spent on the hospitality and protocol of anti-India and pro-Azadi leaders under the label of “security”.

Sources said that most of these separatist leaders were placed in the highest security categories of ‘Z’ and ‘Z-Plus’ under instructions of senior functionaries of the NDA government, particularly L K Advani, then Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra and intelligence chief A S Dullat. Remarkable upgradation was witnessed during last two years of NDA government and four years of UPA government that ran parallel to PDP-Congress coalition government in J&K in 2002-08 period. As against Cabinet Ministers, who have two to four PSOs, four to six PSOs have been attached to each of the Hurriyat leaders. Respective District SSPs have additionally provided them armed guards, drivers and SPOs from Executive Police.

Sources said that during Mufti-led regime, a number of separatist leaders were upgraded to ‘Z’ and ‘Z-Plus’ category. Quite a number of them are now enjoying the privilege of bullet-proof vests, bullet-proof cars, escort Gypsies, door metal detectors, CCTVs, sentry boxes and other logistics to carry on their anti-India activities in Kashmir. Almost all of these separatist leaders have easy access to high security zones and curfew-bound areas with the advantage of their gun-totting, uniformed PSOs and escort personnel. At certain points, Policemen on duty on roads offer them salutes like Ministers and other VVIPs.

END