NEW DELHI: Like the tulips in full bloom at Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar, the announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to consider revoking AFSPA and reducing security forces in J&K has brought cheers all around. The overall return of normalcy in Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 has set the stage for decreasing footprint of security forces in the region “The situation is getting normal and we have plans to withdraw troops and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone,” he said in an interview with the JK Media Group. “Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir police was not trusted but today they are leading the operations,” he said further.
On the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the Home Minister said, “We will also think of revoking AFSPA.” The Act gives the armed forces personnel, operating in the disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest and to open fire if they deem it necessary for ‘the maintenance of public order’.
Regarding the much-awaited Assembly elections, Shah said these will be held before September. “Enshrining democracy in Jammu and Kashmir is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise and it will be fulfilled. However, this democracy will not be confined to three families alone and will be a people’s democracy,” he said. On the issues that have emerged around the reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs, Shah said for the first time, the OBCs of J&K have been given reservation by the Modi Government and women have been given one-third reservation.
“OBC reservations have been made in the Panchayat and the urban local bodies. We have made space for the SCs and the STs. Without reducing the share of the Gujjar and Bakarwals, the Pahadis have been given 10 per cent reservation. And special provisions have been made to accommodate the displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he said.
Shah claimed that National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti tried their best to create acrimony on these reservations but the people have understood their intentions now. He asked why the NC did not give reservation to these people in the last over 75 years. Both Abdullah and Mehbooba have no right to speak about on the issue, he said.
