AFSPA: Centre planning to pull back troops from Jammu and Kashmir?

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently stated that the Central Government will consider revoking the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The government has plans to pull back troops in the Union Territory (UT) and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone, the Home Minister further added while speaking at an interview.

While reacting to the statement, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said that the promise of revoking the AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir has been made in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as he feared that the people here would be cheated just like those in Ladakh were on the promise of the Sixth Schedule.

Notably, there have been demands from various organisations and individuals in J&K and the northeastern States to revoke the AFSPA.

What is AFSPA?

The AFSPA gives the armed forces personnel, operating in the disturbed areas, sweeping powers to search, arrest and to open fire if they deem it necessary for "the maintenance of public order".

In 2010, there were 2564 incidents of stone-pelting which now is zero, the home minister said. From 2004 to 2014, there were 7217 terror incidents. That has reduced to 2227 from 2014 to 2023, and this is almost a 70 per cent reduction, he said.

Mr Shah said the total number of deaths from 2004 to 2014 was 2829 and it has come down to 915 during 2014-23, which is a 68 per cent decrease.

The deaths of civilians was 1770 and has decreased to 341, which is an 81 per cent drop. The deaths of security forces decreased from 1060 to 574, which is a 46 per cent decrease, he said.

Notably, the Supreme Court had directed to conduct the assembly polls in the UT before September.