Omar Abdullah appeals to Centre to withdraw AFSPA from Kashmir

NEW DELHI - The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday appealed to the Centre and all the political parties to take a pragmatic view on the lifting of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) the state.

Speaking at the chief ministers conference on internal security here, Abdullah also pressed the Centre to withdraw the special anti terror laws imposed in the state.

Abdullah said that AFSPA played an important role in providing legal protection to the army and other paramilitary forces during the years when insurgency was at its peak in the state, but now it is time for shunning the extreme positions keeping the changed situation of the state in view.

“Even though this is a highly emotive issue which has provoked extreme positions, I would like to request that a pragmatic view about the continuation of the AFSPA be taken with a view to emoving its applicability from those districts in the state where terrorist or nsurgent activities are minimal or insignificant, ” Abdullah said without naming the Defence Ministry and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who are advocating the continuation of the AFSPA in Kashmir.

Abdullah urged the Union Home Ministry to take adequate precautions while dealing with internal security, so that no one in society should feel alienated.

Abdullah asked the Union Government to look beyond its role of providing paramilitary forces to any state as a response to internal security as most problems have a political origin and, need a political strategy for a solution. (ANI)