AFSPA issue under MHA purview: Army Chief
"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," he told reporters on the sidelines of Infantry Day celebrations.
Asked about NC leader Mustafa Kamal's remarks that the October 25 grenade blasts in Srinagar were orchestrated by the Army, Singh said, "Whosoever has given that comment, I think that does not deserve the courtesy of any remark from me".
The
Army
has
been
advocating
for
continuing
the
Act
on
the
grounds
that
it
needed
to
deal
with
terrorism
in
the
state.
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Chief
Minister
Omar
Abdullah
had
on
Wednesday
said
that
the
withdrawal
of
the
Act
from
certain
areas
of
the
state
was
in
no
way
an
effort
to
undermine
the
role
of
the
Army.
"The
army
is
essentially
playing
a
major
role
in
anti-militancy
operations
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir",
he
had
said.
"Even
the
process
of
removal
of
AFSPA
from
certain
areas
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir
is
being
done
in
close
consultation
with
the
Army
and
other
central
paramilitary
forces
and
their
inputs
and
security
concerns
will
be
evaluated
and
considered
while
removing
the
footprint
of
AFSPA
from
certain
parts
of
the
state,"
he
had
said.
The
Chief
Minister
had
said
that
an
attempt
is
being
made
to
create
an
impression
that
the
state
government
and
the
Army
are
working
on
divergent
paths,
which
is
not
correct.
Omar
had
said
that
it
is
nobody's
case
to
demonize
the
Army
as
the
Army
has
proved
time
and
again
that
it
is
a
disciplined
force
which
is
governed
by
certain
standard
operating
procedures.
PTI