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| HM, DM working in unison | | AFSPA To Stay | | Neha
JAMMU, Dec 11: New Delhi yet again yesterday snubbed the critics of the Armed Forces Special Powers ACT (AFSPA) and made it abundantly clear that the Act would remain in force as long as the situation in Jammu & Kashmir remained abnormal. Only three days ago, the National Conference (NC) had resolved to enlist the support of New Delhi in order to ensure the "withdrawal in a phased manner" of what it calls the draconian AFSPA. The decision of the powers-that-be in New Delhi to repudiate outright the demand seeking revocation of the AFSPA should be construed as a right signal sent by them. The AFSPA is an instrument that the Army and paramilitary forces use while combating militancy and separatism.
It was none other than Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde who made this important announcement. Addressing monthly press conference, he said: "It (AFSPA) cannot be withdrawn unless it (the state) is quite and calm". Justifying the stand of the Union Government on this issue of great import, he also said: "Infiltration has increased. That is our information. We are worried. We are watchful in all sectors. We are very careful. But no untoward incident has happened as far as infiltration is concerned".
What Shinde said indicated that the Home Ministry and Defence Ministry do not agree with the assessment of the prevailing security scenario in the state in general and Kashmir valley in particular as made by the NC-led state government from time to time. As a matter of fact, the statement made by Shinde debunked the claim of the vested interests in the state, including the Chief Minister, who have been virtually demonizing the Army and paramilitary forces and made revocation of the AFSPA as the cornerstone of their statements and speeches.
The unambiguous declaration made by the Union Home Minister also indicated that the Union Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry are working in unison taking into account the inputs they are getting from the various agencies operating in the militant and separatist-infested Jammu & Kashmir in order to gather the required information from the state, as also from across the border. The short point is that the concerned authorities in New Delhi are not attaching any importance to what the NC and similar other outfits have been saying or suggesting. This is a right approach. The Army and paramilitary forces, which have been successfully and heroically conducting anti-insurgency operations in the state since the late 1980s, are the forces on the spot and only they know the ground situation. It is indeed appreciable that the Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry attach utmost importance to the inputs the Army and paramilitary forces give to them.
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