Srinagar:
Omar Abdullah's move to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir has in the past few days led to a confrontation with the Army. Today, Mr Abdullah's ally, the Congress, also questioned his announcement.
Mr Abdullah is chairman of the unified command of various security agencies in his home state.
"He (Omar Abdullah) must understand, he is not the only important actor. I wish he had consulted around, then he would be on a stronger footing. Today he is not on a strong footing because he has not done the consultation exercise fully," said Saifuddin Soz, the head of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Soz also said that the Chief Minister seems to have deliberately left the Congress out of the loop. "Look, he is the chairman of the unified command, he didn't discuss it there. He has a cabinet, he didn't discuss it there... he makes statements on his own, he thinks that he is the Chief Minister, he can do anything. These laws are very important, it needs very calm reflection in a congenial atmosphere."
"I have no grouse at not being consulted by the Chief Minister. He could have even sought my opinion over phone... However, the main players like Union Home Ministry, Defence Ministry, Congress party and Army should be taken on board on the issue. It does not seem to be the case at the moment," Mr Soz said. "There is no game in the world where you can score a goal all by yourself... you have to have a team," he added.
Mr Abdullah's response was terse. "As Chief Minister, I am well aware of my responsibilities of consultation and carrying my alliance partners with me," he said. "At every step of the way, I have kept the Home Minister of India briefed...not only about discussions here but also about future intentions," he added. Mr Abdullah suggested that Mr Soz could have brought up any differences of opinion over AFSPA at the coordination committee that is meant to handle relations between the National Conference and the Congress. The committee is chaired by Mr Soz and includes four other representatives of both parties, including Tara Chand, the state's Deputy Chief Minister who is from the Congress.
Even as his ally questioned his style and decision, the Chief Minister tried to stress that his initiative to revoke AFSPA in some areas like Srinagar and Jammu is not an attempt to undermine the Army, or to demonize it. "The Army has played a crucial role in controlling militancy in the state and the removal of AFSPA from certain areas is being done in consultation with the Army," he said.
Today, Army Chief General V K Singh said the matter is now being reviewed by the Home Ministry.
The Act, its critics believe, gives the Army sweeping powers - like the right to arrest someone without a warrant. The Army says working without the Act makes it vulnerable. Sources say intelligence inputs and intercepts report that currently, around 2,500 militants are present in 42 training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Of these, 800 are poised to cross over to India. Around 30-odd militants have been killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last two months while attempting to cross over. Sources further say that intercepts indicate that infiltration attempts are likely to continue even during the winter months - usually, the weather ensures against this.