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Posted on 09 November 2011 |
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| CURRENT AFFAIRS |
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JAMMU & KASHMIR |
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Omar and Army at loggerheads over AFSPA
Army reiterates its stand that situation in the Valley not conducive for even partial lifting of the AFSPA
Riyaz Wani
Srinagar
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The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been blamed for ‘excesses’ in J&K
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The Unified Command Headquarters meeting, which was expected to forge a consensus over partial revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir, ended in a deadlock between the state government and the Army on Wednesday.
The meeting followed a predictable trajectory with the Army and the state government restating their positions on the issue. “The meeting discussed in detail partial removal of the AFSPA from different parts of the state and the various constituents of the Unified Headquarters gave their viewpoints on the issue,” an official statement after the meeting said signalling lack of agreement between the various stakeholders.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who earlier in the day held a press conference re-affirming his resolve to repeal the law from four districts, tried his best to get the Army on board. Omar, sources said, made a case for lifting the law in areas where Army was not operating. He even assured the Army top brass that the law could be reintroduced in those areas if it proved counter-productive.
“What can be the objection to withdrawal of the AFSPA from areas where the Army has not operated for years? Has the Army ever operated in Srinagar or Budgam?” Omar asked in Jammu on the first day of biannual shift of state government headquarters to Jammu province. He added that his government wanted to lift the AFSPA from those areas where the Army was not required to operate. “We have not made a case for repealing the law in Baramulla, Kupwara and Sopore.”
But the Army in its presentation at the meeting reiterated its stand that the situation in the Valley was not conducive for even partial lifting of the AFSPA. It said that the security in the state was not only a local issue but had a national dimension. The Army repeated its contention that revoking the AFSPA would substantially curtail its scope for effectively conducting anti-insurgency operations in the state. The Army, sources said, also mentioned the “looming threat of a renewed spell of insurgency” once militants took shelter in areas where there the AFSPA was not in force.
Significantly, the meeting was also attended by the Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, a Congress leader. The party, which is part of the J-K coalition with National Conference, has sought wider consultation on the issue. The meeting, as such, has left Omar with little option but to work behind the scenes to work out a consensus on the issue with Army and Congress.
Riyaz Wani is a Special Correspondent with Tehelka.
riyaz@tehelka.com
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