SRINAGAR: Taking a strong note of the camp set up by Army at Wuyen, Pampore, National Conference Additional General Secretary, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal Tuesday said that Parliamentary Panel in its recent recommendations have maintained that Army should do its constitutional work and should not be used against anti-militancy operations.
Why Army is keen to set up camps in populated areas. They should guard borders. People abhor their presence here, Kamal said in an interview with Sriangar based news gathering agency CNS and reiterated demand for restoration of autonomy and revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Kamal said that political aspirations of the people could only be addressed when all the stakeholders put their heads together and understand the importance of restoring autonomy. Autonomy is no longer now the document of National Conference only bit it is the document of people. Government of India had agreed with us but it never formally declared and granted autonomy to the state. Former Prime Minister, Narsimha Rao had said that sky is the limit but it was BJP government that rejected our autonomy proposal, he said.
He said Kashmir needs a serious initiative to ensure that we address the political aspirations of the people of the State, as it is not a financial matter. We fought 1996 elections just on the condition that Government of India will grant autonomy to the state. Then Prime Minister of India, Narsimha Rao was in an African country and Prof Saif-u-Din Soz was accompanying him. Rao assured us that India will grant the autonomy to the state by saying that Sky is the limit. Unfortunately, BJP at the Centre came to power which rejected the proposal, he said.
Taking a dig on Army for setting up new bunkers and camps in populated areas, Kamal said that they should guard the borders instead of creating trouble for people.
I fail to understand for what purpose they set up a new camp at Wuyen Pampore. Even Parliamentary Panel has recommended that Army should not used in anti-militancy operations and their work should purely be guarding boarders, he said and added that people feel uneasy by Army presence.
He said that Army has not a good record of accomplishment in Valley as they have indulged in human rights violations on mass scale. Let us accept reality that people of Kashmir abhor Army and they like Army on borders only and not in populated areas, Kamal said. (CNS)
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