“I have the authority. The elected state government of any state has the authority. In this case (revocation of AFSPA), the authority rests with the governor who would act on the basis of the state government’s recommendations,” Omar said, renewing his bid for lifting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Insisting that ‘no’ was not an option for him, the chief minister told reporters that he had sought a “feasible and workable” solution from the Army at Wednesday’s Unified Command Headquarters (UHQ) meeting in Jammu.
Omar’s move is facing stiff resistance from the Army.Voicing its apprehensions, the Army is understood to have cautioned that even a partial withdrawal will be detrimental to the security apparatus.
The chief minister said his case for partial revocation of AFSPA has been backed by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Published 10 November 2011, 11:47 IST