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| Under pressure, Congress says view of Army will be considered | | Elections 2019 and AFSPA | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 3: The Congress released its election manifesto 2019 on Tuesday. It evoked a sharp reaction across the nation with media, policy-planners and parties like BJP and BSP tearing into the manifesto and describing it a dangerous document. It also hurt the Army and other security forces engaged in anti-insurgency operations in J&K and North-East. The reason was the Congress' commitment that it, if voted to power at the Centre, will review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The AFSPA gives legal immunity to the army and other security forces discharging their duty towards the nation by protecting the borders and quelling internal disturbances.
Those who opposed it said that if the AFSPA was withdrawn, the situation could go out of hand and results would be disastrous. They said: "That does not even look at the current problem where there is large-scale local terrorist recruitment and it's the army's Rashtriya Rifles (RR), which in conjunction with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police provides the glue towards the domination and stabilization of the security environment. In Kashmir, the sanctity of the LoC, counter-infiltration, gathering of intelligence, domination of the counter terror grid and the conduct of operations in the hinterland is one continuum. Disturb this and the whole edifice will get shaken up; most undesirable when fresh threats of suicide bombers have emerged in the hinterland. It was an erroneous decision in 2012 to remove troops from Kashmir and redeploy them in Ladakh, denuding parts of south Kashmir, which eventually became the bone of contention".
They also said, "The Congress should know enough about AFSPA and with what urgency it was drafted and passed on 4 July, 1990. Since then, the situation has undergone drastic changes in terms of nature of threats and operations. Tremendous experience has been gained from the thousands of contingencies faced".
Such was the nature of the pressure that the Congress had to clarify that the Army view will be considered and nothing would be done against their view. Clarifying its stand, the Congress said: "A review of AFSPA would be considered in consultation with the army".
Commenting on the changed stance of the Congress, its critics have said: "If the party (Congress) has understood the predicament of servicemen under prosecution for doing their duties and the challenge of registering FIRs against soldiers while FIRs against stone-pelters are quashed, then one can only compliment it; not otherwise". |
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