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| Let Omar trust Army on AFSPA & troop deployment | | | Though dubbed as peoples' general,
Lt. Gen. S. A. Hasnain,who has moved
to the Army headquarters after spending about 19 months as head of the 15 corps in Srinagar, has virtually vetoed Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah's consistent demand for lifting of the AFSPA from those five districts where the militancy related activities and violence have touched zero level . In fact Gen. Hasnain has echoed what his senior officers in Army headquarters in New Delhi have been saying as far as repeal of the AFSPA is concerned.Hasnain seems to be more categorical than he was earlier or than his senior officers on his opposition to the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA. Hasnain has,a day before handing over the charge to Lt. Gen. Om Prakash, said that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) won't go and there was no plan to reduce armed forces from the areas where militancy is at the lowest ebb. Hasnain has a valid reason in support of his observation that the AFSPA will not be lifted from Jammu and Kashmir when he said the situation in Kashmir was unpredictable and dynamic. "In summers the militant activities go high and in winters they are low."
When he said that "Infiltration is going on," he silenced those who have been invariably accusing the Army of hiding facts on the level of ingress of militants from across the LoC.Still he has not shown any inclination of keeping the doors shut for reconsidering the demand for withdrawal of the controversial legal cover to the security forces."I am hopeful the Army and political leadership will take a decision regarding the matter after assessing the situation and that must be in the interest of nation," he said and added that around 300 militants were active in the valley. "Ground situation does not allow lifting of the AFSPA," Hasnain has said. As far as the demand for withdrawing troops from within some civilian areas Hasnain has said it was not possible till militancy in the valley was not fully controlled. "For example Ganderbal district has lowest militancy, but the area is the lifeline for strategically important Ladakh region. Hence reduction of troops is not possible," he said.
If the former Corps Commander has opposed lifting of the AFSPA and reduction of troops he has done so on the basis of the reports that groups of militants were trying to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir for giving a fillip to the militancy related incidents which have,during the last over one year,registered a marked decline.
Hasnain has stated hat if on one hand the troops were repairing the border fence damaged by snow on the other groups of militants were trying to snap it for carving out a passage for inffiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir.Such a situation calls for deployment of additional companies of troops in the border villages instead of sending some columns of soldiers either to the barracks or to areas outside the state.
The main purpose of Gen. Hasnain, as far as his views on the demand for reduction of troops and for the the lifting of the AFSPA was to make political leaders,especially those belonging to the ruling National Conference,including Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah,aware of the ground realities.
His aim was to convince the Chief Minister and other political leaders that the situation, despite calm on the surface,was not condcive for reduction of troops and for lifting of the AFSPA. It is hoped that political leaders, including Omar Abdullah,stop parroting about AFSPA withdrawal or reduction of troops till the Army okayed it.
Let people like Omar forget about AFSPA and reduction of troops so that he security forces were not demoralised in their counter insurgency operations. |
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