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Defence Ministry opposed to withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act:
Sources Nitin Gokhale , Updated: October 22, 2011 19:13 ISTRecommend3
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New Delhi: After he announced the withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some areas in Jammu and Kashmir, the Defence Ministry, it appears, is not inagreement with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, sources have told NDTV.
However, sources have also told NDTV that opposition from the Army will not stop the J&K government from reducing areas under AFSPA.
Mr Abdullah had, while addressing a gathering yesterday, said that AFSPA along with the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) would be lifted from some areas in the state within the next few days.
"The time has come for the revocation of laws (AFSPA and DAA), which were invoked in the state after militancy, from some areas of the state within the next few days," Mr Abdullah said addressing those gathered for a Police Commemoration Day function at Zewan near Srinagar.
He, however, did not name the areas from where these laws would be removed. "I am not in a position to name those areas at the moment," he said.
Caught off-guard by Mr Abdullah's statement, high-level sources have told NDTV that the Defence Ministry - on the advice of the Army - is opposed to withdrawal of AFSPA even from selected areas. It, though, is agreeable to a reduction in the visibility and presence of the Army. In fact, the Cabinet Secretary is leading a high-level delegation comprising the Home and Defence Secretaries among others, to meet the Chief Minister tomorrow in Srinagar to discuss thematter. High-level meetings have also been planned with the Northern Army Commander and heads of other agencies to review the security situation and decide on the efficacy of removing AFSPA.
The opposition to lifting of AFSPA stems from concerns of the Army, which is based on intelligence inputs and intercepts that it has received in the last 2-3 months. According to its estimates that have been verified by other agencies, around 2,500 militants are present in 42 training camps in ***************** Kashmir (***). Of these, 800 are poised to cross over to India. Around thirty odd militants have been killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last two months while attempting to cross over. Sources further say that intercepts indicate that infiltration attempts are likely to continue even during the winter months - a period when infiltration figures, otherwise, come down considerably.
Courtesy:NDTV
Sources Nitin Gokhale , Updated: October 22, 2011 19:13 ISTRecommend3
Click to Expand & Play
New Delhi: After he announced the withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some areas in Jammu and Kashmir, the Defence Ministry, it appears, is not inagreement with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, sources have told NDTV.
However, sources have also told NDTV that opposition from the Army will not stop the J&K government from reducing areas under AFSPA.
Mr Abdullah had, while addressing a gathering yesterday, said that AFSPA along with the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) would be lifted from some areas in the state within the next few days.
"The time has come for the revocation of laws (AFSPA and DAA), which were invoked in the state after militancy, from some areas of the state within the next few days," Mr Abdullah said addressing those gathered for a Police Commemoration Day function at Zewan near Srinagar.
He, however, did not name the areas from where these laws would be removed. "I am not in a position to name those areas at the moment," he said.
Caught off-guard by Mr Abdullah's statement, high-level sources have told NDTV that the Defence Ministry - on the advice of the Army - is opposed to withdrawal of AFSPA even from selected areas. It, though, is agreeable to a reduction in the visibility and presence of the Army. In fact, the Cabinet Secretary is leading a high-level delegation comprising the Home and Defence Secretaries among others, to meet the Chief Minister tomorrow in Srinagar to discuss thematter. High-level meetings have also been planned with the Northern Army Commander and heads of other agencies to review the security situation and decide on the efficacy of removing AFSPA.
The opposition to lifting of AFSPA stems from concerns of the Army, which is based on intelligence inputs and intercepts that it has received in the last 2-3 months. According to its estimates that have been verified by other agencies, around 2,500 militants are present in 42 training camps in ***************** Kashmir (***). Of these, 800 are poised to cross over to India. Around thirty odd militants have been killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last two months while attempting to cross over. Sources further say that intercepts indicate that infiltration attempts are likely to continue even during the winter months - a period when infiltration figures, otherwise, come down considerably.
Courtesy:NDTV
