Author: Saleem Pandit
Publication: The Times of India
Date: April 26, 2005
They may clamour for independence
and think the Indian state draconian, one that controls Kashmir through
military might . But when it comes to availing of resources of that
state for their personal security and convenience, separatist leaders
in Kashmir are very much Indian subjects, that too chosen ones who
feel they even have a right to its misuse.
Living in palatial houses in upmarket
colonies, protected by security personnel armed with lethal weapons,
driving around in bullet-proof cars with a red beacon flashing
atop which they are not allowed to use, theirs is a life which seems
at odds with the cause they espouse.
The offices they operate from are
no camps that "freedom fighters" would identify with. Located
in posh residential colonies of Srinagar city, these were purchased
at throwaway prices-remember the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits
from the valley-or have been taken on rent. Even the woman separatist
group, Muslim Khawateen Markaz, works from a posh place like Raj
Bagh.
Moderate or radical they may be,
but as far as their offices are concerned, the Hurriyat factions
have the same taste. The moderate function from a splendid house
at Raj Bagh-sources say it was purchased for anything between Rs.
10 and 14 lakh. Its marketr price today is closed to Rs, 50
lakh-while Syed Ali Shah Geelani stokes his fundamentalist fire from
a sprawling structure not very far away.
These leaders may hail from villages
in north and south Kashmir, but today they are part of the urban
elite, with residences in Sanatnagar, Hyderpora, Raj Bagh and Gojibagh
in the capital, Syed Ali Shah Geelani's house at Peer Bagh on Indira
Gandhi airport road is conspicuous even from a distance, as it his
party Tehreek-e-Hurriyat's flag fluttering atop the structure, whose
resemblance to the Pakistani flag is no coincidence. Shabir Shah
of the Democratic Freedom Party, who migrated from Anantnag to Srinagar
after the outbreak of militancy, had initially acquired two
houses in the Rawalpora area-where high court judges, bureaucrats
and top police officials live-selling one of them later.
The Jammu and Kashmir government
had in 1988 banned the use of beacon lights on vehicles as also flags
denoting affiliations except for ministers and the chief secretary.
A ban was also imposed on air horns, besides tinted windows that
allowed for less than 70% transparency. A senior traffic official
admitted that the separatist leaders, as also government officials
and legislators, had not taken the rules seriously, roaming in vehicles
flashing the VIP insignia, red light, flag et al.
Then, the security. Almost all prominent
separatists leaders, including Syed ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq, Abdul Gani Bhat, Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Shabir Shah, Bilal
Lone, Sajad Lone and Aga Syed Hussan have been classified under one
or the other security category, necessitating state cover for them.
On being questioned about the
drain of resources that it entails, Jammu and Kashmir minister of
state for home Abdul Rahman Veeri, said: It is the responsibility
of the government to provide security to the people in a welfare
state like ours," This was done after the leaders' sought cover
and its category depended on the threat perception in every individual
case.
While Central Reserve police Force
personnel guard the two residential houses of the Lone brothers at
Sanatangar, the houses of all other secessionist leaders are guarded
by personnel of the Kashmir police.
That is not all the security they
get Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Bilal Lone, Sajad Lone and Mirwaiz Umar,
who are placed in Z-plus security, also travel in bullet-proof white
ambassadors provided by the government, said police sources. Mirwaiz
Moulvi Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference,
is shadowed by a Gypsy both in the front and rear when he travels,
carrying 10 policemen. His residence near the Hazratbal shrine is
fortified by a platoon (24men) of policemen, who ensure that even
journalists keep away from him.
