news details |
|
|
| AFSPA Omar proposes, Shinde disposes | | | ET Report
JAMMU, Oct 15: Just three days ago, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told one Delhi-based news channel that his stand on Armed Forces Special Powers Act AFSPA) was firm and that he would see to it that it was revoked from peaceful areas of the State. "There is no need of using army in the areas from where the law was proposed to be revoked. Absolutely, I see no reason to alter these. In fact, with every passing day those views get stronger. Every day that passes is another day that we have not needed to use the army in any of the areas where I have been talking about revoking AFSPA," Omar said in response to a question. He was asked by the interviewer "if he is still firm on the revocation of the AFSPA".
Omar Abdullah made these assertions just on the eve of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's visit to the State. It then appeared that he had done his homework well and that he might succeed in getting his otherwise irrational and controversial demand conceded. He is one Chief Minister in the country who consistently interferes in matters concerning defence of the country and he has been poking his nose in sensitive matters ever since January 5, 2009, when the Congress high command handed over the State power to a party that never considered Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India in the real sense of the term and that opposes tooth and nail the Central Laws and institutions. Take, for example, its attitude towards the 73rd and 74th amendments in the Constitution of India.
As said, the Chief Minister had led some persons to believe that he had the required homework and that he might persuade the visiting Home Minister to consider his demand seeking revocation of the AFSPA from certain areas he considered peaceful. However, nothing of this sort has happened. On the contrary, two major developments took place in the past two days. One, the Army chief, General Bikram Singh, on October 13 made a statement to the effect that as many as 400 terrorists were active in different parts of the State. He did not say anything about the AFSPA, but it was clear from what he said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was far from normal and that to think in terms of revoking anti-terror laws would be to play with dangerous tools. His message was loud and clear and his message was that it was incumbent both on the security forces and the political class to work in tandem so that the scourge of terror is comprehensively defeated.
The other development was the very negative response the formulations of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah evoked from Home Minister Shinde. He on Sunday said that the Centre just can't take risk of withdrawal of the AFSPA from the State, as there is no complete normalcy yet. While talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function of the Congress block presidents at the Congress headquarters in Srinagar, Shinde candidly told reporters that "there is not complete normalcy yet in the State" and that "when such a situation arrives it will be withdrawn from the entire State". What Shinde said could be construed as a major defeat of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Remember, the Chief Minister has been proposing ever since he took over and those who matter in Delhi, besides the Army, have been disposing; have been rejecting with contempt his demand seeking revocation of the AFSPA. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
