37 persons detained under PSA at present in state
SRINAGAR: The Government in Legislative Council on Tuesday made a surprising revelation, saying Disturbed Area Act which present the basis of AFSPA in JK is no more in vogue in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to KNS, at the beginning of the LC session on Tuesday, NC legislator Bashir Ahmad Veeri moved adjournment motion in the upper house, submitting that the business in the house be adjourned and Disturbed Area Act be discussed. Later, chairman Amrit Malhotra rejected the plea of the NC legislator. Amid ruckus, Veeri was later marshaled out.
While elaborating over the reason behind rejected Veris motion, LC chairman Amrit Malhotra said that the house has already intimated the legislator in a written format that DDA is no more in vogue in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that on September 19, 1997 the act was implemented in the state and after a year, it was expired and hence no longer in vogue.
Later, Veeri while talking to reporters questioned the contents of the reply, saying if DDA is no longer being implemented in JK then how come the chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed pitched for de-notifying the act .
Later, NC legislators Ali Mohammad Sagar and Mohammad Akbar Lone along with Independent Legislator Engineer Rashid told reporters that if the government is serious in revoking the law then he would find their support.
Later, in the house, while replying to the question submitted by PDPs Firdous Tak over the total number of people against wh0m PSA has been slapped in JK, government said that from the past six years, PSA against 1309 people was slapped. It added that later 852 PSAs were quashed. The government added that at present the total number of people detained under PSA is 37 out of which 17 are locals and 20 are non- locals.
Question Mark on AFSPA
JAMMU: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led government on Tuesday said that the Disturbed Areas Act has lapsed in 1998, putting a question mark on continuation of AFSPA in the state.
This is to inform you that the Jammu and Kashmir Disturbed Area Act, 1997, was valid for only one year and has lapsed on 7th of October 1998. At present, the (DDA) is not in force in the state. Therefore, the resolution submitted by you for revocation of Disturbed Area Act has been disallowed, read a letter written by Additional Secretary Legislative Council to National Conferences Dr. Bashir Ahmad Veeri to inform him about the rejection of his resolution regarding revocation of DAA.
Agitated over rejection of his resolution by the Council Secretariat, Veeri according to GNS raised the issue in the House and even walked into the well.
I have moved a motion seeking adjournment of question hour to discuss this important issue as it has serious and wider ramifications, he said.
Chairman Legislative Council, Amrit Malhotra asked Veeri to take his seat, saying that he has given him the full reply while rejecting his resolution.
Talking to reporters outside the Council, Veeri said that the absence of DDA in the state has rendered the continuation of AFSPA illegal.
How AFSPA is continuing in the state when the state government has to first declare an area disturbed under provisions of the DDA which, however, is not in vogue in the state since 1998, he asked.
Nayeem Akhtar, Minister of Education, declined to elucidate even as he accused Veeri of raking up a non-issue. The power to declare an area disturbed is inherent in AFSPA itself, he said. Asked to elucidate, he said, Kindly ask the Chairman.
On Monday, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said that his government will undertake denotification of areas of DAA in a gradual way in bid to remove Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
By gradual process some areas will be denotified from Disturbed Areas Act. I cannot do it in one go but I will do it,” Mufti had told Legislative Council.
Mufti maintained that Army will be taken on-board over the decision.
“I will do it with their (Army’s) consultation and after taking them on board”, Mufti had said.