AFSPA needed in J&K: Khurshid
SRINAGAR, June
28: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said Armed Forces Special
Powers Act (AFSPA) was needed in Jammu and Kashmir to protect the lives of
soldiers as they are the ones who defend the country. “This case is not to be decided by me. It is to be taken by the Home
Minister, Defence Minister and, of course, the Prime Minister, who will finally
take a call,” Mr. Khurshid said. He added that there was a sense of loss
and tragedy, which was not only limited to the civilian population of places
where AFSPA was in force. “You think it is limited to only one section. We have
lost some very brave people also. They did not come here on their own will.
They were given orders. The latest count is of eight Army people who lost their
lives,” he said in an apparent reference to the Srinagar terror attack on June
24, a day before the Prime Minister’s visit to the state.
The
Union minister said that, irrespective of grievances against any state agency,
people working there are also human beings who need to be protected. Referring
to AFSPA in the north-east and drawing a parallel with Kashmir, Mr. Khurshid
said, “This kind of discourse and discussion goes on there also. No one imposes
AFSPA for fun. Circumstances become such that it has to be imposed. What kind
of supervision and accountability should be there is discussed not only here
but also in Delhi by people who are not under this Act,” he added.
Article 370 has done no good to people:
Gupta
JAMMU, June 27:
Former Union Minister and Member Legislative Assembly (MLA), Prof Chaman Lal
Gupta has deplored the use of the official visit of the Prime Minister for
raising highly controversial issues like that of strengthening the Article 370
and keeping silence over the activities of secessionists and semi–separatists.
Prof Gupta said that canards were being spread that Article 370 is linked with
the Accession of the State of J&K with Indian Union and it is bridge
between J&K and rest of the country. He pointed out that in October, 1949,
after two years of the accession, this Article was adopted. The Maharaja of the
State, had signed the same instrument of accession which was signed by about 558
Princes and Nawabs of country. It is wrong to link Article 370 with accession
and term this as a bridge, he added.
Prof Gupta said that the Article 370 has
done no good to the people of the State. This is not only against the interests
of unity of the country but also has harmed the interests of the people of the
State in so many ways, he added. He
said that this obnoxious provision has breeded secessionism, terrorism and
provided opportunity to the ruling clan to play havoc with democratic rights of
the people. He maintained that in addition to secessionism this Article has
come to be a hurdle in the growth of industrial sector which is resulting in
unemployment, backwardness and so many other problems. Those who are advocating
separate status and retention of Article 370 are doing no good to the people
and they are trying to cover up their own failures. They are trying to raise
emotional and secessionists/ semi-secessionist slogans to serve their ends, he
alleged.
Advani hits back at Omar
PTI
New Delhi, June
28: Against the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
slamming him on the issue of revocation of Article 370, senior BJP leader L K
Advani Friday advised him not to use words like “cheating and deceiving” and
clarified that his party has always been opposed to it. In his latest blog
posting, Advani said even the Congress party- other than Jawaharlal Nehru and a
few other leaders- were strongly opposed to giving a special status to Jammu
and Kashmir. Advani quotes from a biography of Sardar Patel to argue that even
he was against Article 370 but kept his views in the background out of his
regard for Nehru. "J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has every right to
disagree with the BJP on matters relating to J&K. But I would advise him
never to use offensive language and words like ‘cheating’ and ‘deceiving’ in
that context,” he said on his blog.
Advani
had recently said Article 370 should be revoked. Omar had responded and accused
of for raising the "false boggy of revocation" of the provision.
Holding that it is "highly improper" for anyone to use offensive
words like "cheating" in the context of BJP’s stand on J&K,
Advani said, “BJP has not only been unequivocal, forthright and consistent from
the time Jana Sangh (BJP’s predecessor) was born in 1951 till today, but it is
an issue for which the Party’s founder – president laid down his own life”.
Shyama
Prasad Mookerjee, who founded the Jana Sangh was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir
in 1952 when he tried to enter the state without a permit which was required
then to go to there. He died- allegedly under mysterious circumstances during
his incarceration. "Since our very first all India session at Kanpur, we
have been championing complete integration of J&K State with India,” Advani
said. He said Omar should be aware that the Jana Sangh was not even formed when
the special status was given to J&K. "However, if there was any
provision in the Draft Constitution which had almost the entire Congress Party
up in arms against it, it was this provision. This issue was considered by the
Constituent Assembly in November, 1949 just two months before the Constitution
was formally adopted,” Advani said.
Quoting
extensively from a book 'My Reminiscences of Sardar Patel", written by
V.Shankar, private secretary of Sardar Patel, BJP leader said Nehru had
finalised the draft of the provision in consultation with Sheikh Abdullah,
Omar’s grandfather, before going on a foreign visit. He left it to fellow
Congress leader Gopalaswamy Ayyangar to defend it before the Congress
Parliamentary Party. “Though Sardar Patel was against this idea, he went ahead.
However, due to stiff opposition from Congress members- who shouted down even
Maulana Azad on the issue- Patel said due to ‘international complications’ only
a provisional approach could be made,” added Advani.
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