A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the BJP-led government would consider revoking the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir in the future, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed this statement as misleading to win elections.
Reacting to the statement of the Union Home Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is vice president of the National Conference said that the promise to remove AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir has been made because of the upcoming national elections.
Omar observed that the Home Minister has made this promise to win elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He, however, worried people would be tricked like the people in Ladakh were with a different promise.
He alleged that residents of Ladakh were cheated on the issue of the restoration of statehood and granting of the Sixth Schedule.
"Centre is adopting same tactics in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to get votes of the people", he said.
Omar Abdullah said, "If the government in New Delhi agrees that peace has returned to Jammu and Kashmir, and there's no more violence or desire to separate, then it's the right time to take away the AFSPA law and bring back the soldiers".
He argued that there shouldn't be any delay in withdrawing AFSPA from J&K.
Shah promises to remove AFSPA from J&K
The Union Home Minister in a talk with a private TV said that they might think about removing the AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir as the situation improves.
He also talked about the changes in security forces, saying that the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) is now leading most of the operations with help from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). He pointed out that the JKP is now the main force, and soon they will be in charge of law and order completely.
Shah mentioned that the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will happen before September because the Narendra Modi Government wants to restore democracy there.
Shah repeated that he and the Prime Minister have promised in Parliament to bring back democracy to Jammu and Kashmir. He thinks that this time, the people will reject the three family-run parties and choose the ones that have worked for them.
AFSPA implemented in J&K in 1990s
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s due to a significant increase in insurgency and terror activities. The government implemented AFSPA as a measure to contain the violence and to attempt to restore peace and normalcy in the region.
The Act gives special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in "disturbed areas" to maintain public order. It was deemed necessary because of the extreme security instability in the area.
