Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir's Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo, on Friday called for the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the union territory. Her statement followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement that the Centre aims to completely withdraw AFSPA from almost the entire northeast by next year, citing improved security and declining insurgency.
Itoo's Demand for AFSPA Repeal
Itoo argued that AFSPA should be revoked as the Centre claims normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir. "They are saying now no one pelts stones here, so it is better to repeal the law from J&K first," she said, while also pressing for the restoration of statehood to the region.
Background of the Minister
Sakina Itoo, the only woman minister in the Omar Abdullah cabinet, is highly regarded within the governing National Conference party. Her father, Wali Mohammad Itoo, was a senior National Conference figure and former speaker of the J&K assembly. He was killed by militants in 1994.
History of AFSPA in J&K
AFSPA was extended to Jammu and Kashmir on September 10, 1990. During his first tenure as chief minister from 2009 to 2014, Omar Abdullah had repeatedly advocated for the phased withdrawal of AFSPA from "peaceful areas."
The issue resurfaced in 2015 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formed a coalition government. Their "agenda of alliance" provided for a review of the need to continue designating certain areas as disturbed under the law. The document suggested that such a review could pave the way for the Union government to make a final decision on the continuation of AFSPA in those areas.
However, the PDP-BJP government made no progress on the issue. In March 2024, Amit Shah stated that the central government would consider revoking AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking a debate. Yet again, no action was taken.
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