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Omar pins hopes on Army
Ahead of a crucial meeting of the Unified Command, Omar Abdullah-led coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir is pinning its hopes on thorough assessment report of the Indian Army over the prevailing security situation in the State.
Though on a number of occasions the senior Army officers posted in J&K have shared their viewpoint on the issue of Armed Forces Special Powers Act but on Wednesday, the Chief Minister is expected to receive fresh feedback from the General Officer-in-Command of the Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, top officers of various other security agencies and the State police ahead of taking a final call on the contentious issue.
The meeting is scheduled to take place after the formal reopening of the durbar here in the winter capital of the State.
The recent three-day-long visit of Army Chief Gen VK Singh to the State has also raised hopes of the State Government towards achieving its objective.
According to official sources, the Army chief attended a series of meetings with senior officers and took stock of the current security situation across the State. He also applauded the success of the counter-insurgency operations and the synergy between various security agencies.
Indications are that the Army authorities, initially opposed to the idea of complete withdrawal of AFSPA, may relent a bit and settle for revocation of the Act from a few urban areas of peaceful districts.
Informed sources claimed during the crucial meetings that the field commanders of various formations in the State were opposed to the idea of lifting the provisions from the rural pockets as they feel the militant cadre may exploit the situation to their advantage and regroup further to strengthen their network of overground workers and hideouts.
The field commanders have also shared their assessment with the Army chief and briefed him about the perceptible threat from militants in their areas of operation before finetuning their formal response.
Sources said the Army authorities have also claimed that since militant cadre of pro-Pakistan militant outfits were still active across various districts in the State, it would not be advisable for them to operate in these areas without having the protective cover of AFSPA.
At the same time, the State Government authorities are upbeat and awaiting final outcome of the crucial meeting. The State Government authorities feel, “the assurance given by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the AFSPA would be enforced again if the situation demanded may come in handy at this crucial juncture and may help both sides bridge the widening gap and see the security situation through the same prism”.
Facing the political heat in the aftermath of the mysterious death of NC leader Syed Mohd Yousaf Shah, Omar Abdullah had deliberately raised the pitch in support of the revocation of AFSPA from a few peaceful districts of the State on October 21.
Feeling neglected, the State unit of the Congress openly revolted under the leadership of PCC chief Saifuddin Soz claiming they were not consulted by Omar before making the crucial announcement. Even the Central Government found itself on the back foot as Omar raised the bar too high by setting the early deadline.
Official sources said after the durbar move offices were closed down in Srinagar, hectic lobbying went on behind the scene at the political level.
The Congress party at the national level gave clear indications that the decision to revoke the AFSPA would be taken only after holding thorough deliberations with all the stakeholders. The divergent viewpoints of both the Home and the Defence Ministries over the issue are well known.
