Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said all three wings of the defence forces are in favour of removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 1958 from the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir but the controversial act is in place due to the "situation."
"AFSPA was earlier removed from Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah has withdrawn the same from 23 districts in Assam and from areas under 15 police stations each in Manipur and Nagaland. AFSPA is being lifted from the Northeast due to durable peace and stability in the region," Singh said at a function in Guwahati to felicitate 105 war veterans and families of Indian soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, hailing from Assam.
Singh was the chief guest of the felicitation programme organised by Assam government.
"The fact is that our armed forces do not want AFSPA, internal security is not the job of our defence forces. That is the work of our state police. The truth is that our army and defence forces want exemption from internal security duties and want to concentrate on their duties to defend the country against external threats. All three wings of our defence forces want the AFSPA to go from Jammu and Kashmir too. If AFSPA is in force there, the situation is responsible, not our armed forces," Singh further said.
The defence minister's statement comes at a time when the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir has intensified following the Centre's decision to reduce areas in the Northeast from the purview of the act. The decision came into force from April 1.
1971 war veterans:
The defence minister felicitated 105 veterans and martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, hailing from Assam. "This is a historic moment as we are felicitating those who either laid down their lives or fought valiantly to help Bangladesh become Independent. The birth of Bangladesh has helped the Northeast become more stable and peaceful", Singh said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Assam played an important role as soldiers from the state not only fought against Pakistani soldiers during the 1971 war but also provided guerilla training to the Mukti Bahinis. "People of Assam, particularly in the Barak Valley extended helping hands and provided shelter to thousands of refugees who had to flee East Pakistan due to the war," Sarma said.
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