The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will meet here on Monday to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and consider the demand made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the partial withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from some parts of the State.
But highly placed sources told The Hindu that the CCS meeting would mainly be a stock-taking exercise and that the renewed violence in the valley — including the burning of government offices by mobs in Srinagar on Eid day and the targeting of the house of the Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister on Sunday — would make it even more difficult to reach a consensus on some of the issues that have divided senior Ministers so far. “Not much can be expected now after [these] events,” a senior official said.
Since the start of the mass protests and demonstrations three months ago, the Centre has impressed on Mr. Abdullah the importance of getting the situation on the ground under control as a precondition for any relaxation in the scope or ambit of the AFSPA, the law which governs the operation of the armed forces in the State.
The sources said it was unwise of the Chief Minister to have gone about suggesting a relaxation of the AFSPA was imminent when it was made clear to him during his meetings in Delhi last week that no decision had yet been taken on the matter.
Differences of opinion
The CCS meets two days after deliberations by the Congress core group, which saw differences of opinion among its members on applying the ‘Imphal Valley' formula on the AFSPA to the Kashmir Valley.
The custodial killing of a young woman, Thangjam Manorama, in Manipur in 2004, at the hands of an Assam Rifles unit led to widespread protests followed by the rollback of the AFSPA from seven Assembly constituencies in Imphal. The area has remained relatively free from violence for about five years but Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh recently warned that the Act may be re-imposed due to a spurt in kidnappings and killings.
Though the Army is against any dilution of the AFSPA in Kashmir, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Sunday quashed speculation about divisions within and said any decision taken by the CCS would be implemented by all wings of the government.
“There are no serious differences. It's the same government. When there is a discussion, there are different points of view. But if the government takes a decision, it's final. No differences. It's all speculation. Besides, we don't share with the public, details of discussions in the CCS and the Core Group,” Mr. Antony told newspersons in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP's opposition
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party continues its voice against the withdrawal, partial or complete, of the AFSPA. “Any weakening of the AFSPA is unacceptable and no attempt should be made under political pressure to compromise the morale of the security forces who sacrificed their lives while fighting the terrorists,” BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said.
One key issue the CCS will consider is the extent to which the State police force in Jammu and Kashmir is up to the task of ensuring security, if any, when the Central forces are thinned down.
Sources pointed out that the AFSPA was withdrawn from the municipal limits of Manipur in November 2004 only after the State government committed to deploy its forces to maintain law and order on a trial basis.
