| Congress says don't "politicise" AFSPA issue, opposes revocation | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 28: In the backdrop of Pampore attack in which eight CRPF personnel were killed and 21 injured, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee today opposed the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the state and asked some of the parties not to ''politicise'' it. ''We condemn the attack on CRPF convoy in Pampore in which our 8 jawans got martyred and at this juncture, BJP need to clear its stand on AFSPA, which cannot be revoked at any cost depending upon the deteriorating situation especially in the Kashmir Valley,'' Sham Lal Sharma, senior vice president and former minister told mediapersons here this afternoon. He was flanked by chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, former minister Raman Bhalla,
The Congress leader however, flaying the Centre and the State governments for asking the Army to vacate the land in their possession and not providing them the alternate, said, ''hundreds of kanals of land has been vacated in Anantnag from the Army besides in Tattoo Ground and Tosha Maidan but no alternate land had been allotted to the Armed Forces.'' ''We need to understand the designs of PDP-BJP government and BJP in particular, as the saffron party is separating the Jammu and Kashmir from India,'' alleged the Congress stalwart. He also rued recently removal of CRPF bunkers from the Valley. Meanwhile chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that the situation is worsening day by day in the Kashmir Valley and in such circumstances, AFSPA cannot be withdrawn. ''It is a call for the security agencies and the concerned authorities to look into the matter,'' he asserted.
He further added that when Congress was in alliance with the National Conference in the state led by Omar Abdullah, the then JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz opposed the AFSPA revocation in Parliament and the party never supported its withdrawal despite being in coalition. |
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