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| Army puts its foot down, says AFSPA cannot be revoked | | Omar's Brinkmanship | | Neha
Jammu, Nov 12: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been seeking to achieve the unachievable. He wants New Delhi to allow him to revoke the AFSPA without realizing that what he has been asking is something that relates to national security. It's true that there are certain elements in the Indian political establishment who concur with Omar Abdullah. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, for example, is one such person who is, it appears from his statements, with him, notwithstanding his suggestion that Omar Abdullah needs to take on board the Congress. But he is not the sole factor. There are other factors which just could not be overlooked just for the reason that Omar Abdullah, who leads a coalition government, wants something to happen.
The Defence Minister, for instance, is there. It is the Defence Ministry whose paramount job is to defend the borders and eliminate the enemy within. It is the Army and the Army intelligence agencies which know the ground situation and it is incumbent upon the civil administration to endorse their suggestions taking into account the national imperatives. In the security-related scheme of things there can't be any place for those who enter the domain they are not supposed to for taking political mileage or for creating an impression that there is no difference between those who are working for the country's disintegration and those who are constitutionally bound to work for the unity and territorial integrity of the country. Unfortunately, Omar Abdullah has created an impression across the country that he is more interested in winning over the trust of the Pakistani-sponsored hardcore terrorists and separatists than in protecting and advancing further the paramount national interests and the result has been that he today virtually stand alone and sings in the strain of the swan.
As mentioned, the Defence Ministry and the Army, which works on the ground braving all odds, are the two most important factors, which just could not overlooked for obvious reasons. The Defence Ministry is of the view that the Unified Headquarters (UHQ), and not the Chief Minister, is the chief determinant. The Chief Minister is just one of the many factors, it suggests, and very rightly. Defence Minister A K Antony, who always talks sense, made it loud and clear yesterday. In other words, he told Omar Abdullah to see reason and not precipitate the matters. He made this suggestion in the aftermath of the deadlock between the Chief Minister and Army Generals the nation witnessed on November 9.
As for the Army, it, too, reiterated its stand a day after the meeting of the UHQ that the AFSPA just cannot be revoked. "The army explicitly told the state government that the nexus between Pakistan army, its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), separatists and terrorists want disempowerment of the armed forces to facilitate their agenda…Relative peace in some areas is because of security forces, which includes an 'active intelligence grid', and should not be frittered away…2,500 militants in POK and Pakistan, 400 in J&K, 20,000 released militants who could be exploited and 42 active militant camps in Pakistan could again disrupt peace in the valley if AFSPA was withdrawn…The idea of secession was still being propagated by groups with vested interest…The AFSPA is not draconian and there are several checks and balances in place to minimize human rights violations," says the Army's note to the Chief Minister - note reportedly sent to the Chief Minister after the UHQ's November 9 three-hour-long "crucial" meeting. Actually, it was a private news channel, Headlines Today, which reported all this the other day and suggested that the Army has sent a note to the Chief Minister containing information on the "actual data related to terror-hit areas".
The Chief Minister would do well to hold himself aloof from the defence-related issues. It would be better if he focus on the governance-related issues. Brinkmanship will not pay any dividends. Rather, brinkmanship would further isolate him. |
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