Amit Shah: On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir may be repealed by the federal government. Shah added that the government intends to withdraw its troops from the Union Territory (UT) and hand up law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police exclusively in an interview with the JK Media Group.
Empowering Jammu and Kashmir Police
“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 said. As for the contentious AFSPA, the home minister stated, “We will also think of revoking AFSPA.”
Asserting “the maintenance of public order” may require the armed forces to conduct widespread searches, make arrests, and open fire, according to the AFSPA. Under the AFSPA, a district or area is designated as disturbed in order to assist military operations.
Contrasts Between Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern States
Shah had previously stated that although the AFSPA is still in effect in J-K, it has been eliminated in 70% of the northeastern states. Revocation of the AFSPA has been demanded by a number of groups and people in J&K and the northeastern states. According to Shah, J&K will hold assembly elections before to September.
“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,” he said.
Supreme Court Mandate for J&K Assembly Elections
Before September, the Supreme Court had mandated that the UT hold assembly elections. Regarding the concerns raised by the reservation of SCs, STs, and OBCs, Shah stated that the Modi government has, for the first time, granted reservation to OBCs in J&K and one-third of it to women.
“OBC reservations have been made in the panchayat and the urban local bodies. We have made space for the SCs and the STs. Without reducing the share of the Gujjar and Bakarwals, the Pahadis have been given 10 per cent reservation. And special provisions have been made to accommodate the displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he said.
Ensuring Localized Benefits in J&K
According to him, the Centre is committed to making sure that these advantages reach the local level. Shah asserted that although PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah had made every effort to sow discord over these reservations, the populace now recognised their goals.
Shah Calls Out Abdullah’s Absence During Terrorism
He questioned why, in the previous more than 75 years, the NC had not granted these people a reservation. According to the home minister, Abdullah departed for England during the height of terrorism. He went on to say that Mehbooba and Abdullah had no right to discuss the matter.
“The number of fake encounters that took place during their time has never been matched by any other regime,” he said. Shah claimed that there hasn’t been a single phoney interaction in the previous five years. Instead, he said, the people involved in fictitious confrontations have been the target of FIRs.
Shah Emphasizes Dialogue with Kashmiri Youth
“We will have a dialogue with the youths of Kashmir and not with the organisations that have roots in Pakistan. They are responsible for the deaths of 40,000 youths,” he said. According to him, the Modi administration has seized properties valued at ₹ 150 crore, blacklisted 12 groups for their involvement in terrorism, classified 36 people as terrorists, and filed more than 22 cases to halt the financing of terrorism.
According to him, 134 bank accounts have been blocked and up to 90 properties have also been attached. “We have enshrined peace, and peace cannot be bought. Whoever wants to have a dialogue has to do so within the ambit of the Constitution,” he said.
BJP’s Firm Position on Kashmir Territory
The Hurriyat Conference, according to Shah, has no place in the dialogue process. Furthermore, he stated unequivocally that the POK is seen as an essential component of India by the BJP and the entire Parliament.
“The Muslim brothers are also Indians and the Hindu brothers living in POK are also Indians and the land which has been illegally occupied by Pakistan also belongs to India. It is the goal of every Indian, every Kashmiri to get it back,” he said.
According to the home minister, there have been zero instances of stone-pelting since 2010, when there were 2564. There were 7217 terror attacks between 2004 and 2014. From 2014 to 2023, that dropped to 2227, which is about a 70% decrease, he said.
Amit Shah Highlights Decline in Deaths in J&K
Shah stated that whereas there were 2829 deaths overall between 2004 and 2014, there were only 915 deaths between 2014 and 2023, a 68% drop. There have been 341 civilian deaths, a decrease of 81% from 1770 civilian deaths. He added that the number of security force deaths dropped from 1060 to 574, or 46% fewer.
PM Modi Government’s Efforts to Boost Morale of Security Forces
According to the top BJP leader, such a sweeping transformation is impossible to implement without the people’s backing. “The people who talk about Islam should know that 85 per cent of the deceased were our Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said. Shah also urged the young people in J&K to avoid being involved in Pakistani conspiracies.
“Today Pakistan is shrouded by the scourge of hunger and poverty and even people there see Kashmir as heaven. I want to tell everyone that if anyone can save Kashmir, he is Prime Minister Modi,” he said. The home minister claimed that by providing jobs to the relatives of the victims, the Modi administration is raising the morale of the security forces. “Today, not a single martyr’s family is left without a job,” he said.
