E-Paper
After Omar, Cong too for partial AFSPA removal
The J-K's ruling coalition partner Congress for the first time has pitched for the partial withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state. Peerzada Ashiq reports.
The J-K's ruling coalition partner Congress for the first time has pitched for the partial withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state.
"I think the AFSPA should go from a few places in the state. There are areas where peace has returned permanently and the ground is fertile to revoke it," said J-K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz on Monday.
Soz made the statement while addressing a huge gathering of the All India Mahila Congress workers meeting in Srinagar.
This is for the first time that the Congress publicly supported the AFSPA revocation ever since Abdullah announced to withdraw it partially in October 2011.
In the past, the Congress was opposed to the idea. The army too had expressed reservation over such move saying "it will impact counter-insurgency capabilities".
Soz's support for the withdrawal is bound to invoke reactions from political as well as security establishment.
"It (AFSPA) was a necessity and I think that necessity is over," said Soz, who was quick to add, "I am not for revocation of the law from the whole state."
Soz asked the chief minister to discuss the issue in the Unified Headquarters, an umbrella group of all the security wings headed by Abdullah.
In the pre-election year, AFSPA is emerging as a major poll plank for ruling National Conference, which has been referring to its revocation in public meetings very frequently.
However, the Congress seems to be for depolitisation of the debate. "It should not be turned into a political issue and one should desist from making it a public debate," said Soz.
Soz's statement has come just a day after the chief minister said, "The law should be revoked from the areas where it has lost its necessity."
Recently, several NC leaders in public speeches accused the Congress "of being the main hurdle its AFSPA revocation."
The law was invoked in 1990 to crush the armed rebellion in Kashmir. However, there have been regular allegations from human rights activists of "undue impunity" enjoyed by soldiers in the garb of the Act.
