New Delhi:
With the situation "improving" in Jammu and Kashmir, the government on Friday said it has withdrawn two Army divisions, comprising 30,000 men, from the state but made it clear that the operation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) there could not be revoked at present.
However, it favoured "detailed discussion" to bring about some modifications in the controversial Act.
"Indian Army, by their own initiatives, have withdrawn two divisions (30,000) from J-K. Last year, they withdrew one, and this year the second division was withdrawn. They have been withdrawn because the situation has improved," Defence Minister A K Antony said on the sidelines of a seminar on human rights in New Delhi.
Antony said whenever the state government felt that it could manage without the Army, more forces could be pulled out, but as long as the Army was deployed in the state, it would need AFSPA to operate there.
"Without special powers, they will not be able to act effectively," he said, adding that the government itself wanted to further reduce the "visibility and presence" of the armed forces in the state with the improvement in the situation.
The Defence Minister also said there could be a "detailed discussion for some modifications here and there" in the Act.
Crediting the armed forces' presence for the improved situation in the state, he said, "Because of the presence of armed forces and their dedication and hard work, we have been able to prevent terrorists' attempts (to strike). That is why in J-K, for the first time, situation is improving and the number of infiltrations and violent instances are also declining."
Antony termed as "last resort" the deployment of armed forces for internal security and said the government and the armed forces were "not at all happy" in using troops for the purpose.
Earlier speaking at the seminar, the Minister said the operation AFSPA allowed the armed forces to act in "difficult situations" in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
There have been demands from several quarters to repeal AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states in the recent past with improvement in situation there.
He, however, added that the onus was on armed forces to stop "misuse" of these special provisions. Antony said: "I wish to emphasise here that we will not hesitate in taking stern action against the guilty, in case of any misuse. We must adopt the policy of 'Zero Tolerance' in letter and spirit, towards any instance of human rights violation."
He said terrorists want the security forces to make "mistakes", which can be projected as a violation of human rights.
"Our armed forces must consciously follow the twin ethics of minimum use of force and good faith during operations against an invisible and ruthless enemy," Antony added.
The Minister said the internal security was facing many challenges and was further "complicated" due to external support extended to perpetrators of terrorism.
"India has been the worst victims of terrorism. The international community has of late, woken up to the need for global unity in the fight against terror," Antony said.
To a query if Indian armed forces were not fully prepared to go into a war, the Defence Minister said, "It is not at all correct... even at this moment, our armed forces are capable and they are ready to face any challenge towards national security."
He said the security situation in the country was getting critical and the armed forces had a major role to play in meeting the challenges faced by the country.
Antony said that prior to 26/11 terror attacks, the country's focus was on security of land borders but after it, "coastal states also need special attention... We have now decided to strengthen coastal security and we are strengthening Indian Navy and Coast Guard."
Commending the role of judiciary, human rights organisations and media in protecting the human rights, Antony said the government was "very clear and categoric even a single instance of human right violation will not be ignored and we will take prompt action."
On the malfunctioning of Agni-2 series missiles, he said, "it (missile test-firing) is a trial and error process. There can be sometimes failures also but you should see, over the years through DRDO, India has been able to develop many modern effective missiles and they are doing well."
To a query on the VVIP helicopter purchase, he said the government took decisions on this after a detailed discussion in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).