Omar surprised at Army's resistance over removal of AFSPA

NEW DELHI: With withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) topping the agenda, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed surprise over "more resistance" from the Army for removal of the Act from certain areas of the state despite assurances that there interests would be protected.

Maintaining that discussions on partial withdrawal of AFSPA was an "ongoing discussion", Omar said the Army never had a counter-insurgency role in Srinagar district as it was always the state police and CRPF playing the role.

"Unfortunately, there is more resistance than I would have liked from the Army for the reasons I don't understand. Its a considered decision that the areas that we are looking at for the removal of AFSPA are the areas where we don't require the Army to operate.

"They are not operating on counter-insurgency grid...Unfortunately, the army never had counter-insurgency as its task for district Srinagar. Right from the beginning, it was first the job of the BSF and the BSF was replaced by the CRPF why can't that continue," Omar told reporters here.

He said the state government was ready to take into consideration rightful concerns of the Army. "We understand Army has certain concerns regarding their establishment where it is Badami Bagh (Cantonment area), Sharifabad and Tattu ground (army camps). We are saying those areas, we will keep them out of ambit as in they will still qualify for AFSPA. What is the matter. This is the discussion that is going on," he said.