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| Realisation after humiliation | | AFSPA Row | | Rustam
JAMMU, Nov 24: "The state government is ready to amend Ranbir Panel Code (RPC) to make it at par with Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to provide legal protection and immunity to armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir at par with other States.…A final nod to revoke AFSPA vests with Governor NN Vohra…There are two issues: One the rights of the Army and the other legal immunity to them where they are operating in the State…The Army has apprehensions that SHO or Havaldars would arrest their jawans and they will get entangled in unnecessary cases. They have also pointed out that in all other states of the country, Army enjoys protection under CrPC, which is not applicable under RPC because it is not at par with the CrPC. We are ready to amend the RPC and take it at par with CrPC to remove doubts of the Army…The government is ready to give Army all those powers, which they enjoy under CrPC in other States…Army officers are afraid that their troops will be booked by the SHOs and Havaldars if the AFSPA is removed. This is not the case. This will not happen. Legal immunity is there. We are ready to make RPC at par with CrPC…The RPC can be amended to the extent of making it CrPC as far as operational safeguards for the Army are concerned…I have gone through the entire procedure, the relevant files, the legal matters etc. When it was imposed, the Cabinet memo had gone to the Governor. Similar is the procedure for its revocation. The Cabinet has to approve revocation of the Act from the areas it deems fit and the memo has to go to the Governor for final nod…The Act would go only after the Governor gave his assent. The final decision (on revocation of AFSPA) vests with the Governor. This is quite clear''.
Who made these self-explanatory statements? The beleaguered Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah. When and where he made these statements? He made these statements yesterday at State Guest House, Jammu, where he interacted with all variety of persons, including media persons, who had gathered there at the invitation of the Chief Minister himself. The Chief Minister had hosted dinner and it was obviously an image-making exercise. He had been under attack for quite sometime now and an impression had gone down that had lost touch with the people and that he had been acting in a dictatorial manner and taking decisions unilaterally to promote his controversial agenda.
Anyway, what he reportedly said indicates a realization on his part that he did commit the greatest political blunder by raking up the sensitive issue without consulting or taking on board his cabinet colleagues, the Army and the Union Government. In fact, what he said yesterday was an admission that he mishandled the whole issue and in the process became on object of severe criticism. If one goes by newspaper reports, then one can say without any hesitation that he had not done any homework whatever before raking up the issue of partial revocation of AFSPA and that he became wiser only after he was told by everyone whom he met in New Delhi not to insist on his demand as the same was fraught with dangerous ramifications. To be more exact, realisation came after his humiliation, something that he could have very easily avoided.
Now the totally transformed Chief Minister (whatever reasons behind) no longer says that he is the boss and he can take any decision. Now he talks of the need to address the concerns of the Army, the need to bring the RPC at par with the CrPC, the need to take on board his cabinet colleagues and the need to leave the whole issue to the care of the Union Government and acknowledges that it is for the State Governor to accept or reject the cabinet memo on the subject. The Union Law Ministry has also in the meantime clearly suggested that it is for the State Governor to take a final call. This is very significant. A report suggests that the Union Law Ministry took this stand at the behest of the Union Home Minister on whom the Chief Minister depended the most. It would not be out of place to mention here that the Chief Minister had on occasions more than one defended his stand on AFSPA saying that he had the full backing of the Union Home Minister.
In any case, the Chief Minister has damaged his image and credibility. But more than that, he has annoyed his uncle Mustafa Kamaal and created bitterness between him and the Congress leadership. He will have to put in all that he has to restore his credibility, win over the estranged Congress leadership and reduce trust deficit with the people of Kashmir. It is not an easy task because his angry uncle is their to upset his apple-cart. |
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