High-level talks over AFSPA today

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is meeting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence on Monday to discuss the removal of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from certain parts of the state.

The J&K CM is also scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram later today to apprise them of his government’s stand on the controversial act.

Ahead of today’s meeting, Abdullah yesterday met Defence Minister AK Antony and Army Chief VK Singh to press for early removal of the Act from certain parts of the state.

During his meeting with Antony, Omar presented his case for removal of AFSPA from at least from four districts -- two each in Kashmir and Jammu, official sources said.

While Antony conveyed the reservations of the Army over such a move, Omar emphasised the need to translate the promises made by the National Conference-Congress alliance on ground and reward the people of the state for maintaining a peaceful year.

To drive home his point, Omar noted that his state has seen a boom in the tourism industry with nearly 13 lakh tourists visiting the state till October this year.

There was no official word on what transpired during the hour-long meeting between Omar and the Army Chief. The Army has voiced its serious reservations over withdrawal of AFSPA from certain parts citing security concerns.

The J&K Government has been pressing for partial removal of AFSPA and suggested that it could be removed from Srinagar and Budgam besides Jammu city and Sambha.

A Unified Headquarters meeting was held recently in which Army gave a detailed briefing on its opposition for even partial removal of AFSPA from certain areas of the state and also went to the extent that if AFSPA is removed, Kashmir may become independent by 2016, a statement which shocked everyone present at the meeting.

Army contended that AFSPA is an enabling act to counter terrorists operations and should be seen in the context of the proxy war waged by Pakistan in the state.

Other central agencies opposed the Army's move and termed the assertion of the Army as a far-fetched and without any basis.

The Chief Minister told the meeting in no uncertain terms that "no is not an option" and that partial removal of AFSPA would have to take place. Omar also later went on to stress that he was fully authorised to revoke the act from the areas he wished.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had said in Jammu recently that no controversy should be made out of AFSPA and the decision has to be taken politically.

Will ‘custodial death’ take Omar down?

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is likely to witness another stormy day on Tuesday, amidst continuing uproar over the mysterious death of a ruling National Conference worker.

Today is the last day of J&K Assembly’s current session.

The issue, which has created a political storm in the state, had yesterday led to pandemonium and ugly scenes in the state Assembly as the opposition People's Democratic Party raised a ruckus and alleged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's involvement. A top government official later clarified that the NC worker died of a heart attack.

Mikes were uprooted, a fan hurled and house papers torn in the Assembly as Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone and PDP leader Iftekhar Hussain Ansari traded abuses in the House.

Addressing a press conference, Omar yesterday said that he would slap defamation notices on opposition PDP leaders for alleging his hand in the death of NC worker Sayeed Muhammad Yusuf.

The trouble had started after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti sought an adjournment of the House to debate on the alleged custodial killing of Yusuf on September 30.

However, Speaker Lone declined saying the state government has requested the Chief Justice to appoint a sitting High Court judge to probe the matter.

PDP president Mufti said that the finger of suspicion in the alleged custodial killing pointed to the Chief Minister, his father, Union minister Farooq Abdullah, and junior Home Minister Nasir Aslam Wani.

"What has come to light is that Omar became the interrogator, the judge and the executioner. A fair probe is not possible while they are in power," Mufti said.

Yusuf, a land dealer from South Kashmir's Bijbehara town, died last week on Friday, allegedly in police custody. He had been detained for questioning along with two other middle-rung leaders of the party, who alleged that Yusuf had taken a bribe of Rs 1.18 crore from them for getting one a minister's post and the other a legislator's seat.