The National Conference-led Jammu and Kashmir government had sought the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act on two occasions, the NDA government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Nagaland too had demanded its withdrawal, it said.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply, said: “The J&K government wanted phased withdrawal of the Act from the State in years 2011 and 2013.”
He said AFSPA was currently operational in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (excluding Imphal Municipal Area), Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh, 16 police station areas bordering Assam, a 20 km wide belt bordering Assam in Meghalaya and Anantnag, Baramula, Badgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, Srinagar, Jammu, Kathua, Udampur, Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts in J&K.
“In May 2015, the State of Nagaland did not support extension of AFSPA to the State,” he said. “AFSPA, 1958, has been withdrawn from the areas falling in the jurisdiction of 30 Police Stations of the Tripura State by the State Government of Tripura vide its notification dated 27.05.2015. The Union gov is committed to dealing with law and order and security situation with minimum use of force or special powers,” the Minister said.
