The Hindu : National : The time has come to withdraw Armed Forces Act: Tarigami

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Thursday, Feb 15, 2007
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National

National

The time has come to withdraw Armed Forces Act: Tarigami

Special Correspondent

The draconian law has become counter-productive, says letter to PM

SRINAGAR: The time has come to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which gives unlimited powers to security forces fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, says the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Side by side, the size of the forces deployed for internal security should be reduced, State CPI (M) secretary M.Y. Tarigami said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The people of Kashmir had borne the brunt of violence since the first bullets and bombs hit the streets of Srinagar in the late 1980s. "It is difficult to recount grave tragedies suffered by the common people during this darkest period of Kashmir's history. The spreading graveyards, the laments of orphans and widows and the widespread destruction bear testimony to the prolonged bloodshed and mayhem."

Fortunately, there seemed to be a marked change today. In fact, Kashmiris were never for violence, though they yearned for a solution to issues.

"To my mind, it is becoming increasingly clear that the continuance of the draconian laws like the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 under the existing situation does not serve any purpose.

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