Kathua/Jammu, Nov 17: Making a veiled attack on coalition partner National Conference (NC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for advocating withdrawal of army from Jammu and Kashmir, Union Health Minister and former state Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Saturday said such a demand was an “insult to thousands of soldiers who have scarified their lives while fighting insurgency”.
“Around 5000 soldiers, belonging to different security agencies including Border Security Force (BSF), Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have sacrificed their lives and they must be honored”, Azad said while addressing a function organized to mark the 14th anniversary of Kargil martyrs at Ramlila ground Kathua.
“Those people who are saying that the Army has occupied Jammu and Kashmir forcibly, and is not willing to go back, are insulting those martyrs,” the Union Health Minister said.
Without naming NC and PDP, Azad said; “There are some people in the state who rake up demand for army’s withdrawal to increase their vote bank and expand their base”.
“Those people have some petty interests and are using this issue for political gains but they are unaware about the broader aspects of this move” Azad said.
While the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been demanding phased withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been a step ahead seeking withdrawal of army from the peaceful areas of the state.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST