Centre mulls over revoking AFSPA, withdrawing troops from J&K: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the government will consider withdrawing troops from Jammu and Kashmir alongside revoking from there the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Amit Shah told an interview with the JK Media Group that the Union Government may leave the responsibility of law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone, NDTV reported.

‘We have plans to pull back troops and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir police was not trusted but today they are leading the operations,’ he was quoted as saying.

As with AFSPA which gives armed forces ‘sweeping powers’ Shah reportedly said ‘We will also think of revoking AFSPA’.

While working in disturbed areas, armed personal as per AFSPA can search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary to maintain ‘public order’.

The AFSPA is still in force in J&K even as there are calls to remove it from areas including the northeastern states; however, Shah earlier reportedly said AFSPA has been removed from 70 percent of areas in northeastern states.

Alongside saying that assembly polls in J&K will be held before September, Amit Shah said ‘Enshrining democracy in Jammu and Kashmir is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise and it will be fulfilled. However, this democracy will not be confined to three families alone and will be a people's democracy.’

It is to be noted that the Supreme Court earlier asked the Centre to hold the assembly polls in the UT before September.