Given our stand on AFSPA to government: Army chief

New Delhi: With talks of rolling back the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some areas in Jammu and Kashmir gaining momentum, Army chief Gen V K Singh today said the Army’s stand on the issue has been given to the government.

Gen Singh, however, refused to elaborate on the issue saying the matter fell under the Home Ministry’s domain hence he would reserve his comment on it.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of Infantry Day celebrations here, Gen Singh in response to a query said, “This (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) is within the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. They are debating this and we have given our inputs. I would not like to say anything more.” On his reaction over National Conference leader Mustafa Kamal’s remarks that the October 25 grenade blasts in Srinagar were the handiwork of the Army to prevent lifting of the AFSPA, Gen Singh said, “Whoever has made this comment… does not deserve the courtesy of any remark from me.” On various occasions earlier, the Army has made its stand plain and clear that AFSPA was mandatory to tackle the menace of terror in the state, saying any dilution would prove not just detrimental to the interests of the nation but would also have negative consequences on the morale of the security forces.
A couple of days back Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said moves were afoot to withdraw the Act from some parts of the state like Srinagar, Badgam, Samba and Jammu.
Later, while pointing that the process to remove AFSPA from certain areas of the state was being done “in close consultation with the Army and other central paramilitary forces”, Mr Abdullah had said the Act’s removal was in no way an effort to undermine the role of the Army as it is essentially playing a major role in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Abdullah had also stated that attempts were being made to create an impression that the state government and the Army were walking in opposite directions on the issue, which was not correct, while adding that its inputs on the matter and security concerns arising out of it will be kept in mind while taking a final decision on removing AFSPA.