Indian Army opposes amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
* Cites Indian Supreme Court’s judgments upholding constitutional validity of law
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has opposed the government’s plans to amend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), citing the Indian Supreme Court’s judgments upholding the constitutional validity of the law.
It has even criticised the political leadership for making the army a scapegoat rather than correcting its own follies.
Responding to the note circulated by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s government seeking amendments to the law, the army has even dared the political leadership to withdraw troops from troubled regions like the Indian-held Kashmir.
Warning that the proposed amendments would affect active operations and result in militants taking the initiative, army sources told reporters that troops would not be able to operate in the prevailing environment without a legal cover.
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen BS Jaswal said in a recent interview that the law was sacred to him as well as to the entire Indian Army.
“We have religious books; there are certain guidelines which are given there, but all members of a religion do not follow it, they break the rules also. Does it imply that you remove the religious book?” he asked.
Senior officers have also blamed the political leadership for letting the status quo prevail.
They believed that the lack of political capability was actually forcing the army to resist a major troop reduction, despite a drop in violence.
Rejecting the notion that the AFSPA was responsible for human rights violations, the army maintained that the forces had not only punished the erring personnel unilaterally under the Army Act, but also never blocked their prosecution by civil authorities.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Indian Army opposes amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
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