“I am trying to revisit AFSPA but as you know one needs to build a consensus within the government before amendments can be brought before parliament,” Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Thursday while presenting his ministry’s monthly report card to the media persons.
AFSPA empowers the security forces to shoot at sight and arrest anybody without a warrant in an area which is declared disturbed like parts of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern region of the country.
In connection with the removal of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, Chidambaram said: “At operational level, the state would have to have the unified command review the application of Disturbed Areas Act.”
“If they are able to lift the Disturbed Areas Act then AFSPA won’t be applicable in the state. So that is something that they have to do. I am in touch with the chief minister and he has to weigh the pros and cons and then decide when to do it,” the Home Minister said.
AFSPA was passed in 1990 to grant special powers and immunity from prosecution to security forces to deal with raging insurgencies in northeastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir. The Act is a target for local human rights groups and international campaigners such as Amnesty International.
Regarding recent 13/7 terror attack in Mumbai, Chidambaram said that investigations were going on to trace the culprits. “I am in touch with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and he is satisfied with the progress being made in the investigation,” Chidambaram said.
When asked to comment on the resolution passed by the Tamilnadu Assembly seeking to commute the death sentence awarded to the killers of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi to life imprisonment, he said : “This is a matter of the court’s verdict and I cannot comment on it.”
He said that in the regime of the erstwhile NDA government 14 mercy petitions were submitted for Presidential pardon and the President did not take any decision. When the UPA Coalition came to power, it resend these 14 cases for Presidential pardon and also send addition 14 mercy petitions for Presidential pardon, out of which only two cases were decided.
Chidambaram said that when he became the home minister, the President send back the pending mercy petitions to him for review. After reviewing he send 23 cases to the President, out of which 13 were decided.
The Home Minister, however, refused to comment on recent Anna Hazare’s fast and satyagraha.
He said that he had initiated a video conferencing with District Collectors of 60 districts affected by Maoist terror and reviewed the implementation of the Integrated Action Plan.
On August 18, a sum of Rs 89.38 crore was reimbursed to Jammu and Kashmir Government under SRE scheme.
“On August 5, the terrorist outfit of Assam, ULFA submitted its charter of demands and the government has decided to initiate talks with them,” he said.
In northeastern region, suspension of operations agreements with the terrorist outfits, Kuki National Organisation (KNU) and the United People’s Front (UPF) have been extended for a further period of one year beyond August 21, 2011.
On August 5, the government has sanctioned creation of 185 posts for raising one Marine Coy in Border Security Force for guarding the coastal area between Medi and Jakhau. Land has been identified for 101 out of 131 coastal police stations sanctioned under Coastal Security Scheme and land acquisition process in 60 cases has been initiated.
Total amount of Rs 637.35 crore has been released to 17 states in the current financial year till August for Border Area Development Programme. Fencing, floodlighting are in progress along the India-Bangladesh border. Construction of roads are in progress along India-China border.
Seven Pakistani prisoners were repatriated to Pakistan in August, this year on completion of their sentences.
Integrated on-line visa application system under mission mode project has commenced in Indian missions in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa in Canda, Khartoum in Sudan and Brussels in Belgium.