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| Omar Abdullah must tread cautiously while lifting AFSPA | | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Oct 21: State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said at the police commemoration day function in Zeewan today the armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) would be lifted from some areas within some days. Omar also said the decision is a great beginning.
AFSPA gives powers to the security forces to operate against insurgents in various areas of the State. It is because of these powers the security forces especially the army has been able to clean many heavily infested areas from insurgents operating in those areas. Certain powers enjoyed by the security forces under the cover of the AFSPA might be sweeping in nature and still these very powers become necessary once the men in uniform have to fight an unseen enemy.
It is because of the sacrifices made by the State police, the paramilitary forces and the army that we have reached a certain level of normalcy in most of the districts in the State. Nothing should be done to disturb the prevailing peace in the State. An informed decision on AFSPA can only be taken by the various intelligence agencies in consultation with the field commanders who are actually engaged on the ground with the maintenance of peace and security in these areas.
The statement of the Chief Minister was followed by a statement by the general officer commanding (GOC) of army's 15 corps in the Valley. Lt. General S.A. Hasnain who told a national television channel that the subject of lifting AFSPA was not brought up during the last meeting of the unified headquarters and he had no information about the decision of the State government to lift AFSPA from some areas of the State. The unified headquarters is the highest coordinating body of the all the intelligence agencies and the security forces in the State. It is only at the unified headquarter level that a highly sensitive issue like lifting of the AFSPA can be and should be discussed. If the State government decides to repeal the disturbed areas act from any part of the State without consulting the unified headquarters, it would have committed the biggest blunder. Omar Abdullah may be under political pressure to announce the decision in the coming days but if this is done to appease any quarter without giving a careful thought to the possibility of the insurgents making safe havens away from the reach of the army in areas which are taken out of AFSPA, the sacrifices of our jawans and officers would be lost. |
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