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| Not only NC but PDP too deserves credit if AFSPA withdrawn | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 22: Is the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir conducive for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)? It may not be totally favourable for removing from the entire state but the experiment could be carried out in areas where the level of militancy related activities has touched zero.
Now that Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, has given a clear indication that the AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) were to be withdrawn shortly from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir it needs to be fully reciprocated by the separatists in the shape of abandoning their usual practices of giving calls for shutdown and protest rallies. Repeal of the AFSPA and the DAA was one of the main demands of not only the separatists but of mainstream National Conference and the PDP besides the people in the Kashmir valley.
In fact the imposition of the DDA followed by enforcement of the AFSPA in the state in 1990 had become necessary with the rise of militancy in the Valley. It was then a period when the troops had to be associated with counter insurgency operations after the state police felt demoralised and disoriented owing to repeated terrorist attacks on them and their family members. Imposition of DDA and AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir was not a novel exercise in the country.
The AFSPA, which had been enacted by the Parliament in 1958 was, for the first time, enforced in the seven states, called the seven sisters, in north eastern region of the country in 1972 when the region was rocked by Naxal related violence.
No doubt AFSPA is one of the draconian laws but the experience gained during the last 21 years has indicated that its enforcement in Jammu and Kashmir was required to tackle militants and their supporters who had ravaged parts of the state thereby resulting in the death of people and destruction of infrastructure on a large scale. There may have been series of cases where the security forces were accused of misusing the provisions of the AFSPA.
The Act provides for blanket powers to the security forces who could carry out search operations without Government orders, could shoot any person on the suspicion of being militants or their supporters. Atleast between 1990 and 1996 there was never a major demand from political leaders and separatists for revocation of the DAA and the AFSPA because it was chaos in Jammu and Kashmir with militant related violence having created scare among the people. People who had started giving support to militants gradually felt sick of incidents of rape, abduction and murders besides killing of civilians in the most barbaric way. Possibly they too believed that AFSPA was required to tackle militants.
At one stage last year the state Government had taken up with the centre the issue of revocation of AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir. But the idea was dropped when the Kashmir valley was gripped by a major civilian strife in which 120 people were killed in the firing opened by the security forces on protesters. What actually motivated Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, to repeat his plea for withdrawal of AFSPA and the centre conceding his demand was the bumper tourist traffic, incident free annual Amarnath pilgrimage and calm in the valley during the current summer season.
In reality PDP patron and former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, has been the first political leader who has been campaigning for the withdrawal of troops from within the civilian areas of the state and AFSPA. In case the AFSPA is withdrawn its credit should also go to the Mufti. Once the AFSPA was withdrawn it will place added responsibility of maintaining law and order on the shoulders of not only the police and the paramilitary forces but also on people and the separatists.
One thing is certain .If the situation assumed ugly dimensions in areas from where the AFSPA was withdrawn the draconian law is likely to be enforced again. |
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