SRINAGAR: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, citing improvement in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, stated that assembly elections will be held there soon, without providing a timeline.
He expressed his view on the potential discontinuation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the region, emphasizing that it is for the Home Ministry to decide. “The way the situation is improving in Jammu and Kashmir, I think a time will come when AFSPA will no longer be required there. It is my view and it is for the Home Ministry to decide on it,” he said in an interview.
The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives immunity to the forces if they shoot someone dead.
Singh highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in cross-border terrorism and stressed the need for Islamabad to cease such activities, stating, “They are trying to destabilize India, and we will not allow it to happen.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following India’s airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in February 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
Further strain occurred after India announced the withdrawal of special powers from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, leading to the region’s bifurcation into two union territories.
India maintains its desire for normal neighborly relations with Pakistan, while insisting that Islamabad must create a terror-free environment for such engagement.
