Modi govt plans to act tough! No air tickets, hotel services for Kashmir separatist leaders soon

Srinagar: In a major development, the Modi government is readying to stop all the government facilities meted out to separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.

A report published in Amar Ujala said the Centre plans to stop providing air tickets, hotel and taxi services to the separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Farooq and Yasin Malik during foreign tours.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime has also asked J&K government-led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to stop the same provided by the state government, the report stated.Notably, around Rs 100 crores are spent annually on separatist leaders. While the Centre shares 90 percent of the burden, the state spends only 10 percent.

The decision to remove remove the security cover provided to the separatist leaders has to be taken by the state government. At present, 950 cops are on duty to guard the leaders.

For the last 55 days, life has remained totally paralyzed in Kashmir due to curfew and protest shutdown called by the separatists, ever since Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani's encounter.

A total of 72 people — 69 civilians and three policemen have killed and over 11,000 others injured in the Valley during this period.

The government is tightening its noose over Hurriyat hardliner Geelani.

Naeem Geelani, the elder son of Geelani, was recently summoned by National Investigating Agency (NIA) for recording his statement in connection with a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) registered by the probe agency.

The case pertains to a PE registered by the NIA to probe flow of funds into various bank accounts from overseas which in turn is allegedly being used for anti-national activities in the Valley.

However, NIA said the allegations levelled against the probe agency were totally baseless and that the agency was probing a legitimate case where funds were being received in the state and diverted towards terrorism and anti-national activities.