AFSPA must be withdrawn from some areas, says Omar Abdullah

AFSPA must be withdrawn from some areas: Omar to Army November 10th, 2011 Print Print Email Email this Article JAMMU: J & K CM Omar Abdullah today did some tough talking with the Army at the Unified Headquarter meeting and said the Armed Forces Special Powers Act had to be partially withdrawn from the state. In the nearly three-hour long meeting, the Army gave a presentation highlighting the importance of AFSPA in fighting militancy in the state and also suggested that even a partial withdrawal will be detrimental to the security apparatus, sources privy to the meeting said. However, the Army did not find any taker of its view among the state and central security establishments who insisted that there was scope for its withdrawal from certain areas and the demand of the Army was more theoretical in nature than practical, the sources said. The CM remarked that non-withdrawal of the AFSPA from certain areas was not an option and the people of the state need to have some semblence of peace returning. The CM directed the Corps Comamnders of Jammu and Srinagar Corps as well as Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and Home Secretary B R Sharma to hold meetings on the issue of withdrawal of Disturbed Areas act at the earliest and hand over their report to the state government. (PTI)