Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP
today asked the Centre and the state government to not take
any decision regarding dilution of Armed Forces Special Power
Act (AFSPA) in the state.
"Dilution of AFPSA would handicap the armed forces, who
have not only been fighting pitched battles with Pakistan
sponsored militants, but were also placed in a situation where
separatists and anti-national elements were looking for
opportunity to target the forces in one way or the other,"
state BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas said in a statement
here.
It was because of some powers under AFSPA given to forces
that situation in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed some
improvement in the past few years, he said.
Supporting the argument of Army Chief General V K Singh
that it is for the Centre to provide certain amount of legal
protection to Army which are deployed in areas where they face
well-armed and well-trained terrorists, Manhas said the
government should take this as a serious issue and not fall
prey to the contentions raised by some leaders for their
vested political interests.
PTI
UN sanctions bind Russia on Iran missiles: Report
Moscow: Russia`s Interfax news agency cites a
top military official as saying the UN`s latest Iran
sanctions, which Moscow has backed, rule out the delivery of
missile systems.
Russia has yet to fulfill a 2007 contract with Iran over
the delivery of the sophisticated S-300 defense missiles. The
West has urged against arming a state suspected of running a
covert nuclear weapons programme.
Military official Alexander Fomin today did not directly
identify the S-300s, but pledged Moscow would desist from
supplying "large missile systems" in accordance with the
sanctions, Interfax reported.
It is the latest indication that the deal is dead. Last
month, the Russian government said the sanctions blocked the
missile sale, but Iran insisted the restrictions don`t cover
existing contracts.
PTI
