Whether it is political expediency or otherwise, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) chief minister’s widely reported statement of October 22, 2011 that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) will be lifted

from parts of the state and that too within days, while certainly not surprising, is most certainly too great a risk on too sensitive a matter to be taken unilaterally.
If what Mr Abdullah has stated is not unilateral, meaning that it has the Centre’s nod, then even the contemplation of such a move, leave alone its swift implementation, that too without consulting the Army at a stage when the Line of Control (LoC) and the hinterland have seen a spate of encounters and hundreds of trained and equipped Pakistani terrorists waiting to cross over, is not only amazing but disturbing.
October 27, 2011 marks 64 years of J&K being saved and wrested from over 10,000 Pakistan Army-instigated raiders. Thereafter, 24x7x365, Indian Army has been guarding the LoC and preventing any alteration of its alignment either way. It seems thousands of its casualties seem to have been forgotten. Or being overlooked or disregarded? If Mr Abdullah thinks that there is such a level of improvement in the Valley’s security that AFSPA and DAA can be lifted from some parts, he must remember that it has been possible mainly because of the Army being there effectively. If it was the best tourist season in 25 years and an incident-free annual Amarnath pilgrimage after a long time, it was due to Army role.
If the separatists’ oft-parroted demand of removing AFSPA and ‘demilitarising’ J&K is ever implemented, there should be no doubt that Pak Army/ISI/jihadis will try to complete what was attempted in 1947.
Mr Abdullah must also know that the India-specific terror infrastructure maintained by Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is very much there, very active and of late, even more innovative. He also must know that there are enough Pakistani terrorists present in J&K and many waiting to enter and that removing AFSPA and DAA even selectively from some parts will only help these terrorists. He must also remember all the incidents of Pakistani terrorists in recent months and that the National Intelligence Agency has traced the perpetrators of Delhi high court attacks to Kishtwar. The latest reports are that Ghulam Sarwar of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba active for years in Udhampur and Doda districts is also involved.
Mr Abdullah should also know that all that has happened in his party and governance of the state will not be wished away by drawing red herrings like demanding clemency for Afzal Guru or lifting the AFSPA and DAA.
An assessment of the ministry of home affairs (MHA), Government of India, Department of Jammu & Kashmir Affairs on its website reads: “Level of Terrorist Violence and Security Situation in J&K — In 2008, the number of incidents is down by 35% and those of civilians killed by 42% and of security forces killed by 32% as compared to the previous year (2007)”. Further details are: “In 2009, the number of incidents is down by 30% and those of SFs killing by 15%. and civilians killing by 14% as compared to 2008; in 2010, (till July) the number of incidents increased by 11% and SFs killing by 40% but civilian killing came down by 54% in comparison with previous year; till 2008, 1,428 grenade attacks have taken place whereas 1,033 grenade attacks took place in 2007. In 2009 only 978 grenade attacks have taken place; during the year 2010 (till July) 28 grenade attacks have taken palace; the daily average of terrorist incidents is 1.93 during the year 2008 as against 3.00 for 2007. In 2009, the daily average of terror incidents is 1.36; in 2010 (till July) the daily average of terrorist incident is 1.46”.
While MHA’s assessment till 2010 is quite obvious, the latest inputs covering 2011 so far are: there are 42 terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), of which 34 are active and 8 are dormant; about 2,500 terrorists are being trained in the latest commando techniques and use of hi-tech weapons and equipment; there are approximately 50 launch pads, with 750-800 terrorists poised for infiltration, for which dumping of arms, ammunition and equipment is in progress; there have been 35 attempts of infiltration across the LoC involving approximately 224 terrorists, out of which 54 succeeded, 32 were killed and one-Nissar Ahmed was apprehended recently; 19 Pakistani terrorists tried to enter India from other borders, mainly Nepal; in operations by Army and security forces so far this year, 116 terrorists were killed, 40 were apprehended and eight surrendered; in 66 terrorist attacks in the Valley this year, 30 innocent civilians and 27 security personnel were killed.
Audio recordings of some intercepted conversations between a terrorist named Wasim and his friend, Altaf of 19 October 2011 and another couple of them between militants and sympathisers which were shared with this writer by highly-placed sources are worth mentioning.
Transcript of an intercepted conversation between Wasim, the only surviving senior Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist in the area around Kangan and his friend Altaf, who is blaming Pakistani agencies for instigating Wasim and some others already killed to join the militancy and advising him to surrender to security forces (SFs): “Tere dimag mein Pakistan walon ne kaun sa keeda chhoda hua hai…… Tu samajhta kyon nahin tere ma baap bhi tere liye pareshan hain….. yeh chor hain Pakistan wale... kitnon ko marwa rahe hain .... kuchh ko Taliban wale maar rahe hain kuchh border par mar rahe hain.... Kashmir Hindustan ka hai Hindustan ke saath hi rahega ..Ham kaun sa kafir hain..ham tera bhala chahte hain...” (What have the Pakistanis planted in your head?…why don’t you understand?... Your parents are very worried…These Pakistanis are crooks…See how many of your group have got killed…some have been killed by the Taliban, some got killed on the border…Kashmir is India’s and will remain with India… we are not infidels to advise you so… we are your well-wishers…).
Transcript of a conversation intercepted on October 20: “Bilal kal phone kar raha tha bande ko ki aap Sallahuddin point pe jao wahan se email karo mujhe aur tagda banda wahi dekho jo Sallahuddin ne dekha tha waisa tagada banda dekho jo Srinagar mein Batmaloo ki side kisi bhi jagah kuch panga karega toh yeh log aaj kal kah rahe hai bayan de rahe hain ki militancy khatam ho gayee paar se dabaw aa gaya hai thoda bahut bhagdadh machao.” (Bilal phoned yesterday to take the man to Sallahuddin and email me….choose a man who is tough and smart like the one Sallahuddin chose, who can create some chaos to disprove what some people are saying about militancy being over… there is pressure from across to create some chaos…).
Transcript of another conversation of 20 October between two unidentified suspects: “Hum scheme karenge… Main raat ko hi isko utha lunga aur raat ko hi Kashmir me lejaenge aur iske upar FIR karenge… Bata denge inhone isko kahin mara hai… Ab dead body nahin de rahe hain… Phir yahan hartal laga denge… Mujhe aise marna hi hai, main apna ek bachha apne hath se maar dunga” (We will make a plan…. I will take him away at night to somewhere in Kashmir and then lodge an FIR that they abducted and killed him somewhere and are not handing over the body to me…then we will hold agitation here…)
Mr Abdullah has timed his latest statement on AFSPA with the Save Sharmila Jan Karvan rally from Kashmir to Manipur, which began on October 16. However, what has emerged from latest reports about Irom Chanu Sharmila’s hunger-strike for 11 years for removal of AFSPA is how she is at her “supporters” mercy and how they have kept her propped and prevented her from leading a normal life. Her statements in an interview to a Kolkata daily are indeed significant: “The man I love is waiting for me impatiently. He came here to meet me but my supporters refused that idea… (At first) they insulted him and threatened him,” Sharmila said about Desmond Coutinho, a 48-year-old writer and activist, who met her in March this year.
“It was a stormy night. He was sitting near the meira shang (women’s shelter) where the meira paibis (women activists) gather. They were hard-hearted.” The couple met on March 9 at a court, only after Coutinho sat on a hunger strike himself for two days. Before she was released for a brief period, Sharmila requested the judge to provide him security. Had it not been for the security, “Desmond could have been beaten to death,” Sharmila said.
Not only the top brass of the three services, but the defence minister A.K. Antony has repeatedly and clearly stated that AFSPA must not be removed or amended, because any non-police personnel handling internal violence need to be covered, like the police is covered by the Criminal Procedure Code. Even with AFSPA, soldiers or para-military personnel do not have the kind and amount of power that a policeman has.
What certainly should be done is to rename AFSPA as Security Forces Special Services Act.