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| Army Chief again warns Govt. against fiddling with AFSPA | | | It seems that the Government of India has started contemplating on the demand for either the withdrawal or dilution of the AFSPA,which is in force in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990.It seems so because of the way none else than the Army Chief,Gen.V.K.Singh,has had to reiterate his opposition to any demand for either the withdrawal or dilution of the Act.Gen.Singh has,in fact,cautioned the Government against playing in the hands of the separatists who have been trying to use the Act as a "beating stick."He has statd that the separatists were unnecessarily trying to " demonise the Act" when it had no link with the four-month long turmoil in Kashmir.He has also made it clear that the security forces required a legal shield while carrying out operations against the insurgents.This way the Army Chief has conveyed to the Government of India and the Omar Abdullah led Government,which has been a votary of withdrawal of the AFSPA,that as far as the activities of militants in Jammu and Kashmir were concerned it required added vigil so that these militants were not able to destabilise the situation beyond any repair.Well apart from the separatists incited protest rallies and shutdowns besides repeated imposition of curfew restrictions by the Government to prevent protesters from indulging in violence and arson the very presence of militants in the troubled state calls for adequate legal authority for the security forces in dealing with the situation.He is even opposed to the demand of Omar led Government for lifting AFSPA from some areas.Gen.Singh has said "it has no logic."His comment has come after reports went round that the Government has plans of withdrawing the AFSPA from some areas where the security scenario had improved.This way the Army Chief is having fears that once the AFSPA was withdrawn from some areas,where the situation had improved,militants could take addvantage of it and start carving out
fresh bases in the state. His fears are based on reports that more than 800 militants,equipped with highly sophisticated weapons,had been brought on the launching pads across Poonch, Rajouri, R.S.Pora, Akhnoor, Uri, Kupwara, Keran, Tangdhar and Machel sectors.They have been kept on the launcing pads for the purpose of being pushed into Jammu and Kashmir so that the level of violence was escalated.Hence Gen.Singh does not want the Government to fritter away whatever gains the security forces has achieveed in sanitising various areas in the state against militants.And those who support Gen.Singh's observations say that people used to get killed even when there was no AFSPA in force in the Kashmir valley.In this connection they refer to the events that took place between July 1988 and December 1989 when a number of civilians were killed either by militants or during the operations carried out by the security forces when the AFSPA was not in force.They support the Army Chief's observation that the ongoing civilian unrest and strife had nothing to do with AFSPA.No doubt the issue of withdrawal or dilution of the AFSPA had ultimately to be decided by the Government but the Army Chief has indirectly suggested to the Government to consult the top authorities of the security and intelligence agencies before it cast its dice in favour of lifting the AFSPA from some areas in the state.He has even hinted that any hasty step on the matter could prove counter productive.If Gen.Singh believes this way he cannot be wrong because his men have been fighting a "mini" war against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.No Army Chief can be ready to risk the lives of his men if the Goveernment attempts at winning the hearts of a section of people.And those who have been demanding withdrawal of the AFSPA do so because they believe that the Act has given wide powers to the security forces in indulging in human rights violations.The
Army authorities have made it clear that the allegations of human rights violations against the security forces usually were "concocted and baseless."
These authorities have disclosed that 97 per cent allegations were found to be false and whereever the allegations had been proved right the guilty had been punished.What else one can expect from the Army authorities? |
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