With the Cabinet Committee on Security set to meet tomorrow, the BJP today warned against any move to dilute the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), saying it would “demoralise” the armed forces in the Valley.
“The BJP would like to warn that any weakening of the AFSPA is unacceptable and no attempt be made under political pressure to compromise the morale of the security forces who sacrificed their lives while fighting the terrorists and ensuring security,” party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
He said the assessment of the security forces should be given due importance in place of “ad hoc assessment based primarily on vote bank politics”, he told reporters here.
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The CCS meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will discuss the situation in Kashmir and consider options like partial withdrawal of AFSPA from certain parts of the state.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been pressing the Centre to withdraw the AFSPA from some areas of the state and announce some political initiatives.
Observing that the situation in the valley has turned critical, Mr Prasad saw a pattern behind the violence which he said was “orchestrated” by handlers from across the border “under the patronage of ISI“.
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He also deplored the absence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from the state on Eid when the valley was again embroiled in fresh bout of violence.
“It is indeed unfortunate and regrettable that the Chief Minister instead of controlling the violence in Srinagar chose to spend time in Delhi,” he said.