The Centre’s announcement to further reduce areas covered under Armed Forces Special Powers Act ( AFSPA) from Manipur, Assam, and Nagaland has been hailed by the political leadership of the Northeast as a positive step, which has come about as a sequel to the vast improvement in the situation in the region which was once known for all sorts of disruptions and disturbances. But there is an attendant question if the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, too, has considerably improved, why do all the 20 districts of the Union Territory continue to remain as “ Disturbed Area”, where the forces have special powers as per the provisions of AFSPA?
This is a natural question as the improvement in the situation in the Northeast and reduction in the areas where AFSPA is applicable from April 1 should be applied to J&K as well. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made tremendous efforts before and after the abrogation of Article 370 for ushering in a new of peace in the Union Territory, and as a result of which the place is witnessing an unprecedented era of normalcy that was missing for more than three decades beginning 1990.
The Modi government worked 24×7, especially after the abrogation of article 370 in August 2019, to take on terrorism that afflicted the Valley since 1990, and at the same time, it launched massive development works to give a better and promising life to the people. These efforts yielded results: offices, schools started functioning normally as the fear of bullets, bombs and stones got lifted. The tourist windfall and the dramatic change in the developmental scenario put the people on the track of peace and peace-loving things
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ever since the abrogation of Article 370, has been hailing the changes in the physical and psychological landscape as dream come true for the people of the UT. He had also promised that the new generations in Kashmir will not have to face the miseries and tough times that their parents and grandparents had to undergo. It was an outlook for bright future for the people of Kashmir, where there would be no fear of any kind, and they could look forward to realizing the dreams beyond the bursting economy and normalcy, meaning thereby that the Centre would create situations which would help them to visualize and realize their aspirations in the outlook of sky is the limit.
Now, in practical terms, the situation has improved and the people are loving it. They have become partners in peace in J&K, as whatever has been achieved could not have been possible without public cooperation. Then, there arises a question, the situation of the 1990s is past, therefore why should their land be described as a disturbed area, and the security forces be given the special powers of shield against their acts of omission and commission in their counter-terrorism operations? The thesis is simple, when terrorism has been pushed to margins, why should the AFSPA continue to be all over the place?
The provisions of the Disturbed Area Act and AFSPA were first invoked in July 1990 when the whole law and machinery had collapsed and the normal laws were found gravely inadequate in dealing with the surging militancy. These provisions were invoked for the whole of Kashmir valley, and the 20 km radius from the Line of Control that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch of Jammu region. In August 2001, it was extended to the whole of Jammu region, after the region witnessed massacres, high-grade terror activities in Jammu city and other urban areas.
But now the situation is improved so much that the landscape of terror has been completely dissolved, and that’s why the idea is that why like Northeast experiment be not replicated in J&K.