Jammu: Around 9.5 crores rupees have been spent on the security cover of some Hurriyat leaders in the past 12 years, the government said Friday.
In a written reply to a question by Independent MLA, Engineer Rashid, in the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that Rs 9,47,03,700 had been incurred on providing security cover to Hurriyat and ‘separatist’ leaders in the Valley since 2001.
However, the government declined to give reasons for providing security to the Hurriyat leaders, but said that being “anti-national they should not have taken security from the state.”
The expenditure incurred includes Rs 4.81 crore on salaries of Personal Security Guards (PSOs) and drivers, Rs 71.5 lakh on fuel, and Rs 3.79 crore on salaries of residential guards.
In 2012, Rs 1.66 crore was spent on the security of the Hurriyat leaders, with Rs 1.5 crore on the salaries of PSOs and drivers and around Rs 70 lakh on fuel, the government said.
Year-wise breakup of the amount spent on security of the Hurriyat leaders is: Rs 15.7 lakh in 2001, Rs 53.50 lakh in 2002, Rs 19.22 lakh in 2003, Rs 24.37 lakh in 2004, Rs 37.78 lakh in 2005, Rs 50.21 lakh in 2006, Rs 84.20 lakh in 2007, Rs 86.84 lakh in 2008, Rs 1.23 crore in 2009, Rs 1.55 crore in 2010, and Rs 1.49 crore in 2011.
The government criticized pro-freedom leaders, saying that being anti-national they have no moral ground to take the security from the state itself.
“Anti-national leaders should not take state security,” said law Minister, Mir Saifullah while talking to media outside the House.
But when he was asked why these “anti-national leaders” were being provided security, the minister declined to respond. “This is concern of the Home Ministry and the concerned minister will respond later,” he said.
Meanwhile, Independent MLA, Engineer Rashid, said that it is ‘non-sense’ on part of Hurriyat leaders to take the security cover from those who they term as insecure for people.
“They say that people are not safe under security agencies, then how do they rely on these security agencies themselves,” Rashid asked.
“If they feel insecure then they should take private security guards with licensed arms and with due permission from the state,” he added.