We’ve been advocating AFSPA revocation: JK
Govt
On
March 6, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had told the Rajya Sabha that
there was no formal request from J&K Government for scrapping of the Act.
The State
Government said it has constituted two committees, one each in Kashmir and Jammu , to recommend the
areas from where the law could be revoked. “The
committees held several meetings,” said the reply by the Home Department headed
by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “Their recommendations would be acted upon
once they submit their report to the government.” Debate over AFSPA
revocation was intensified in 2011 when, at a police function on Srinagar outskirts, Omar
Abdullah said the controversial law would be removed from parts of the state
“within days.” Later Omar told media persons the law would go during his tenure
in the office. The Omar-led government would complete its 6-year term in 2014.
However,
the Army and Defense Ministry has repeatedly opposed any such move to “dilute”
powers of the armed forces in J&K, saying it could prove
counter-productive.
“The state
government is committed to the withdrawal of the law in a phased manner,” the
Government reply said. “There have been repeated demands from political parties
and separatists for withdrawal of the Act,” the Home Department’s reply said. The
AFSPA gives immunity to the forces against legal action for their involvement
in human rights violations unless the Government of India sanctions the
prosecution of the accused, which has been very rare.
Meanwhile, the
State Government has also underlined the need for continuing with the Unified
Headquarters in J&K. “The UHQ coordinates activities of all security
agencies on a single platform under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister,”
the Government reply said. “The purpose of the UHQ is to ensure that adequate
attention is placed on the functioning of security grid and also ensure that
the developments vis-à-vis security concerns are reconciled in such a way that
security grid enables the development activities to flourish.”
Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Mar/30/we-ve-been-advocating-afspa-revocation-jk-govt-71.asp
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