Srinagar, Mar 27 (UNI) Former Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday there was no need to wait for revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir, and it should be done now.
While Omar also linked the AFSPA statement to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, another Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti, hoped that the BJP government would fulfil their commitment to the controversial Act.
The two chief ministers were reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that the central government will consider revoking AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir.
In an interview with the J&K-based Gulistan News, Shah also said the government has plans to pull back troops in the Union Territory and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone.
“When you (Government of India) say that situation is normal, militancy has ended, and there is no separatist thought left, then what stops them to removing AFSPA,” Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a political function in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. "It should be revoked right away."
Omar said he also tried his best to remove AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir in 2011, when he was the chief minister of J&K.
The NC vice president said the promise of revoking AFSPA has been made in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“I have been waiting for the day since 2011. We took a lot of measures to remove the AFSPA as well, but I fear that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be misled and cheated like the people of Ladakh were misled and cheated on the promise of the Sixth Schedule as elections are here,” Omar said.
The PDP president, Mufti, hoped that Shah's statement on AFSPA would not be “jumlebaazi” (rhetoric) like the BJP's promise of providing two crore jobs in the country every year.
"PDP has consistently demanded the revocation of draconian AFSPA along with a gradual removal of troops. It also formulated an important part of our agenda of Alliance wholeheartedly agreed upon by the BJP. Der aayee durust aaye. Better late than never, but only if it isn’t jumlebaazi, like generating two crore jobs every year or empty promises of depositing 15 lakhs into bank accounts. One can only hope that they fulfil their commitment, at least in this case, since it would bring a huge relief to the people of J&K,” Mufti said in a post on X.
She said the BJP government should walk the talk and release prisoners.
“To walk the talk, perhaps MHA can start by releasing journalists and thousands of young Kashmiri boys currently languishing in jails without any charges or prosecution,” she said.
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