Home ministry
rules out withdrawl of AFSPA from Srinagar
NEW
DELHI: The Union home ministry has ruled out withdrawal of the
controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Srinagar, arguing that the terrorist attack
on Monday that left eight Army personnel dead had eliminated such a possibility
in the near future.
An official of
the home ministry told ET that the attack on the Army convoy on the Srinagar bypass road had
strengthened the case of the forces, even as Jammu & Kashmir chief minister
Omar Abdullah had been pressing the Centre to enable his government to send out
a political message ahead of the assembly elections in the state next year.
"The Army has been objecting to lifting AFSPA from Srinagar,
saying its convoys going up to the Line of Control pass through Srinagar and hence they need AFSPA protection in the event
they come under a militant attack within Srinagar's
limits," said the official, who did not wish to be named.
This is exactly
what happened on Monday, the official pointed out, when a convoy was travelling
on the Srinagar
bypass road in the Hyderpora area. "This strengthens the Army's case for
continuance of AFSPA in Srinagar though there is
no Army presence in Srinagar,"
he added.
Abdullah has
been demanding withdrawal of AFSPA from Srinagar
and three other districts of the state, saying militancy has gone down in the
summer capital of the state over the years. "We cannot wait for the last
gun to fall silent before moving ahead positively on this important
issue," Abdullah had said on June 5. The official, however, said that
technically the state government has to decide on lifting the Disturbed Areas
Act from Srinagar.
No comments:
Post a Comment