Srinagar: Though there has been marked
improvement in the internal security situation in the state,
Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said time is not ripe for
total withdrawal of the Army and Central paramilitary forces.
"Time is still not ripe for the total withdrawal of the
Army and Central paramilitary forces from the state even as
there has been marked improvement in the internal security
situation," Law and Parliamentary Minister AM Sagar told the
state Legislative Council.
Replying to supplementaries by Murtaza Ahmad Khan of PDP,
Sagar said any such withdrawal will be considered only after
the defeat of insurgency and terrorism.
"We also want withdrawal of the Army and paramilitary
forces from the state but since encounters are still taking
place, the government does not want to take any hasty decision
in this regard," Sagar said.
He, however, said that the deployment of security forces
is under continuous review and adjustments will be considered
depending on ground situation.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had, at an internal security
meet in New Delhi yesterday, pressed for partial withdrawal of
the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the districts
where terrorist activities are "minimal".
Bureau Report
