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Special powers to military in Indian-controlled Kashmir will go when situation conducive: minister

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday said the law that grants special powers to military in Indian-controlled Kashmir would go if situation improves in the restive region.

"Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be revoked from Jammu and Kashmir (Indian-controlled Kashmir) when the situation is conducive," India's official broadcaster - All India Radio quotes Singh as having said.

New Delhi has imposed the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the region in 1990. The law gives extraordinary powers to Indian troops such as shooting a person on mere suspicion in the region.

The controversial law will complete 25 years on July 5 since its imposition in the restive region.

Singh was in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir on a two-day visit to review security arrangements for the Hindu pilgrimage.

Singh's comments have come day after a leading human rights watchdog - Amnesty International (AI) said lack of accountability within Indian forces operating in Indian-controlled Kashmir has fueled serious abuses in the restive region and not a single member has been tried in a civilian court for human rights violations.

"Till now, not a single member of the security forces deployed in the state (Indian-controlled Kashmir) has been tried for human rights violations in a civilian court. This lack of accountability has in turn facilitated other serious abuses," said Minar Pimple, group's senior director of global operations.

AI's report - "Denied: Failures in accountability for human rights violations by security force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir " released in New Delhi on Wednesday has urged India to probe cases of rights abuses in the restive region.

The reports chronicles rights abuses allegedly committed by Indian troops and reveals Indian government has failed to hold its troopers responsible for such violations.

Indian-controlled Kashmir is considered as one of the highest militarized region in world. Officially India does not reveal the actual number of its troops deployed in Kashmir. Rights groups say that India has deployed more than 700,000 troopers and paramilitary troopers in the region to counter militants fighting in the region.

Indian troops and police are consistently accused of grave human rights violations in the region.

Separatists in the region have been consistently demanding withdrawal of the troops and scrapping of their special powers and have even made it a pre-condition for entering into formal talks with New Delhi.

A guerrilla war is also going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Endi