DNA Edit – Containing anger: Removing security cover of Hurriyat leaders was overdue

It is time to call Hurriyat’s bluff. By removing the security cover of Jammu and Kashmir’s five top separatist leaders, the state government and by extension, the central government, has sent out a strong signal. The message is that the kid glove treatment to these separatists by previous governments, is now a thing of the past. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said as much. The security of people “who are on the the payrolls of Pakistan and ISI” will be reviewed, he said. Sensing the public mood, the government probably does not have a choice. It is doing all it can to contain public anger, which by all accounts is very high at the moment after the killing of CRPF men in Pulwama. Since hitting Pakistan at short notice is not an option, the next best choice is to try to neutralise pro-Pakistani elements on the Indian mainland, who are best represented in the Hurriyat. To make their case stronger, the government is also going to review the possibility of other separatists who enjoy government facilities and similar action would be taken against them. Collectively, 44 security personnel guard the five Hurriyat leaders, of which 26 are deployed for the safety of moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz. While removing the security cover for the Hurriyat leaders does satisfy the craving of a section of the people, it would not be incorrect to state that these leaders - never rated too highly by the public in their best days - are essentially spent forces today. In the pantheon of Kashmir’s young lions - the Burhan Wanis and their likes - they are nobody’s. The bigger issue at stake is how India will tackle the immediate problem of getting justice for those killed in Pulwama.