Mehbooba Mufti finds Omar frivolous over AFSPA

Jammu, Nov 16 (ANI): Criticising Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his proposal to partially revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said the former seemed frivolous about the issue.

"Omar Abdullah is not serious on the issue of AFSPA. Had he been serious he would have done the needed groundwork. When the PDP-Congress coalition was in power, then we revoked POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and no one objected, because we had taken the decision after discussions in the coalition, and even with the central government. At that time, the NDA was in power at the centre that had, infact, imposed the law, and despite that, we were successful in revoking it," Mufti told the media here.

Mufti further raised the problem of rising corruption in the state and alleged that Abdullah was only worried about his chief ministership rather than doing the welfare of state.

"This government has done nothing in the last three years since it came to power. Omar Abdullah is only concerned about saving his regime. The way a wave of change and development came during the PDP-Congress rule, it seems missing in this government. During our regime, we provided the employment on the basis of merit. But this government has failed, the atmosphere has worsened, the youth are angry and corruption has reached its zenith. All the lands have been grabbed by their politicians with the help of their cronies," said Mufti.

Omar Abdullah had earlier on Sunday met Defence Minister A K Antony to press for the early removal of the Act from certain parts of the state.

The Defence Ministry had earlier made it clear that the decision on removing AFSPA would be taken by the Unified Command.

To a poser on allegations that he was trying to deflect certain issues within Kashmir by using the AFSPA, Omar Abdullah said: "Please understand, if you go back in time a little bit, I have been talking about the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and its possible partial rollback almost since the day I became Chief Minister. And that is long before there was anything that as you would say needed to be deflected. I am not in the business of playing politics with national security. I never have been and I never will be."

The Jammu and Kashmir Government had suggested the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from some areas in the state. (ANI)