Centre to turn up heat on J&K separatist leaders

NEW DELHI: The Centre plans to scale down security of Kashmiri separatist leaders, withdraw their passport that will make foreign travel difficult, scrutinise bank

NEW DELHI: The Centre plans to scale down security of Kashmiri separatist leaders, withdraw their passport that will make foreign travel difficult, scrutinise bank accounts and request state police to complete pending investigations in cases against them.

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The crackdown follows the Hurriyat leaders’ snub on Sunday in Srinagar to a 26-member all-party delegation that Union home minister Rajnath Singh led to find a solution to two months of unrest in the Valley over the killing of a militant leader. The separatists refused any engagement with the team.

New Delhi viewed the separatists’ stand as provocative, inciting the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and not helping solve the crisis.

Singh on Tuesday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the strife-torn Valley.

The home minister met finance minister Arun Jaitley and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah later in the evening, along with party general secretary Ram Madhav and junior minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Jitender Singh.

“After the all-party team’s visit, we met today and discussed future course of action in Jammu and Kashmir. Government will make announcement after tomorrow’s meeting,” Madhav said.

The government will brief political representatives at an all-party meeting on Wednesday the outcome of the team’s visit and discuss the road ahead.

The Centre has apparently told the Mehbooba Mufti government in Jammu and Kashmir to give up its “soft-separatism” position and take tough action against separatists. Mufti, New Delhi feels, has been a bit hesitant on that account.

As for the Valley’s protesters, security forces don’t take action until the mob attacks with stones and brickbats. “We have asked them not to allow a crowd to gather at all. The crowd should be dispersed immediately. No need to wait till it becomes violent,” a government official said.

Besides, the Centre wants the ring leaders inciting the youth to be behind bars.

Although a minister hinted at tough action against separatists, a senior security official said: “There will be elements trying to take advantage of the security withdrawal and blame any incident on the government. We would like the security to continue.”