Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Ahead of a crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cautioned against any move to dilute the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, contending this could impact the morale of the security forces.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said Sunday that the assessment of the security forces should be given due importance while taking a view on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where there is a move to withdraw the act from certain areas.

He said violence in the state was being orchestrated by handlers from across the border under the patronage of (Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence) the ISI.

“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,” Prasad said.

Deploring the absence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from the state on Eid when violence re-erupted in the Valley and government property was set on fire at some places, he said it was “unfortunate and regrettable” that the chief minister, instead of controlling the violence in Srinagar, chose to spend time in Delhi.

The CCS meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will discuss the situation in Kashmir and consider options such as withdrawal of AFSPA from some parts of the state.

Abdullah had met the Prime Minister Wednesday and requested the lifting of the AFSPA from a few districts of the state.

Sixty-nine civilians, mostly teenagers and young men, have been killed in firing by security forces on stone-pelting street protesters since June 11 in the Kashmir Valley. The cycle of violence has led to frequent shutdowns and curfew in the Valley for the past three months.

The BJP has accused the government of lacking a clear policy on Kashmir and has opposed demands for autonomy and self-rule made by some of the state’s political parties.