Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the last word on scrapping of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should come from the security agencies and not from political functionaries in Jammu and Kashmir.
“If the security agencies feel that there is an improvement or this is not the right time for revocation of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, that should suffice and we should not create an issue time and again,” Singh, minister of state in Prime Minister’s Office, said.
His remarks came while answering a question on the demand for revocation of AFSPA from some quarters, including its coalition partner, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Singh also attributed the militant attacks on owners of mobile cellular towers in the Valley to separatist politics ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, which home ministry officials said will go ahead as scheduled next month.
According to sources, security arrangements for the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave are in place for the yatra that starts on July 2 and will go on for 59 days.
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabeer Shah and others had earlier demanded curtailment of the duration of the yatra citing “fragile environmental conditions” across the mountainous region.
(With inputs from PTI)
Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabeer Shah and others had earlier demanded curtailment of the duration of the yatra citing “fragile environmental conditions” across the mountainous region.
(With inputs from PTI)