What’s this debate about the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. I find the whole debate about the revocation of the special powers  to the armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir, illogical.  The special powers  should be there when needed, why should those be there when those are not needed. It was the state government in July 1990 and August 2001  which  invoked the Disturbed Area Act and AFSPA in the state, and  why should the state government not repeal these provisions when it feels that the  things can be handled  without these extraordinary measures.  This is logical.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is playing politics when he declared that the AFSPA will be lifted from some areas  of Jammu and Kashmir “ within days”. It’s politics, because there is not much change on the ground from the situation that existed when he took over in January 2009. He could have started with the lifting of the AFSPA then, without  seeking anyone’s permission. Peoples Democratic Party had raised pitch over the issue during the rule of its ally Congress in 2007 in a big way and finally multiplied the issues and brought about the fall of the Ghulam Nabi Azad government.  So there was a sort of political competition  that Omar had inherited  nearly three years ago. His fault is that he wanted to be seen on the side of Delhi that time, which had propelled him to the post of Chief Minister for “ six years”  and   went by the dictum of the Kashmir politics that Delhi matters the most. Times have changed and the people in Jammu and Kashmir  wanted a changed Chief Minister in him- he was 38 that time, exposed to the world and had made a name for himself  in the Central government. He was regarded as one of the brightest faces of the NDA government as long he was a minister in the union government. The task that he was assigned, or he  sought for himself, is one of the most difficult in India.  It’s  a simple matter of reasoning that he should have known this bitter  truth. His grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah had passed through the most difficult phases when they were heading the government in the state. Since January 2003, it has become obvious that Chief Minister  is unaware of his powers, and  his knowledge of history and the constitution should  have matched  his reputation who had come with  a whiff of fresh of air on the scene in the state. Otherwise, the constitutional wizards  like Subramaniam Swamy  would not have questioned his powers. Mr. Swamy  needs to learn  one basic fact that Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution and the Chief Minister in the state enjoys many more powers than his counterparts in other states of the country.
Now a technical point:  the army is opposed to the revocation of AFSPA. It has its own reasons. No one wants to shed the powers. That’s one part. The other part is that it’s the army, BSF and CRPF and to  some extent the police  that have felt the brunt of guns  of the militants. Imagine a soldier standing in his bunker 24/7  or  combing jungles, fighting militants, not knowing from where the bullets or mortars would be fired at him. If he  is made conscious of the fact that he would have to explain every act of his, attend the courts explaining everything he did  and the circumstances that warrant, perhaps no counter-insurgency would ever be successful. This is true of all nations. That’s the  point  for the political leadership to ponder.
And, there is something for the army generals to ponder. How would they feel if there is 24/7 presence of the soldiers outside their homes, peeping  all the time and  the inmates living under constant fear of getting shot or hauled up  for being mere suspects of harbouring militants, with the men in uniform having nothing to explain.
Both the situations are real. There was a need to communicate with each other, understand the perspective. What was true in 1990 is  unthinkable now. At the same time, those who are opposing the lifting of the DAA or AFSPA, say for example in south of Pir Panjal, should be asked what have they gained with these tags. The business has gone down. Now when they are keen to retain  this tag, how many tourists or pilgrims would step in  an area which is disturbed. A beginning must be made.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST