Omar, Mehbooba slam withdrawal of security

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 19

Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday condemned the withdrawal of security to several political leaders, including former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal.

The two former Chief Ministers took to microblogging site Twitter to express concern over the decision of withdrawing the security and warned it placed the leaders in danger.

“I wish to place on record my strong objections to the decision of the Governor and J&K Police to withdraw security of politicians like Shah Faesal, Wahid Para and Engineer Rashid among others,” Omar said.

While Faesal recently formed his own political party, Para is a member of the PDP and Rashid a former legislator.

Para, who had round-the-clock security cover of six policemen, told The Tribune that an order was issued during the day to withdraw the security of three of them following which the policemen guarding him have been withdrawn. “There is no security with me right now,” he said. There was no immediate official confirmation of the order.

The revision of security cover to political leaders has come in the backdrop of last month’s announcement by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that security provided to people “receiving funds from Pakistan” would be reviewed. The decision was announced after the deadly suicide bombing in Pulwama district.

In response to the withdrawal of security to the trio, Omar said it was a “bizarre” decision at a time when the administration had “used the excuse of the security environment to refuse the conduct of Assembly elections”.

“God forbid should anything happen to any of these politicians who have had their security withdrawn, Governor Malik and his administration will be personally responsible,” Omar said. “In this absence of any logical reason for this withdrawal of security to these mainstream politicians, the decision smacks of personal vendetta and victimisation,” he said.

The PDP president also lashed out at the decision of withdrawal of security to these political leaders and alleged it was a “brazen attempt at influencing elections”. “Security to political leaders being used as a political tool… it is a kind of pre-poll rigging. The ECI should immediately intervene,” she said.