Why no AFSPA in Maoist-infested areas? asks Omar

SRINAGAR: Drawing a parallel with insurgency in Maoist-infested areas, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said his state should be given a choice on revoking the Armed Forces Special Powers Act ( AFSPA) from some areas. "If Maoist-infested states can choose not to use the army, why can't my state choose not to use it in some areas?" Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"I want to know why no one is demanding AFSPA in these areas when they are so keen to see it continue in J&K," he said. The Chief Minister, however, dismissed suggestions that he was supporting the use of army to tackle Maoists. "I'm not. I'm asking why those making a big deal about it in my state are happy to be quiet in this case with a worse problem."