No formal proposal for revocation of AFSPA in Jammu & Kashmir: RTI

The Jammu and Kashmir government has not submitted any formal proposal for the withdrawal of the controversial AFSPA Act from the state, according to an RTI reply.

"There is no formal proposal from the state government of Jammu and Kashmir for revocation of AFSPA," Ministry of Home Affairs said in reply to an RTI query.

Human rights activist M M Shuja had filed an RTI to the Union Home Ministry seeking information about the state government's demand for revocation of AFSPA from the state.

The Home Ministry also said that the revocation of the AFSPA has been reviewed from time to time. "It has been decided that time is not appropriate for withdrawal of AFSPA from J&K," it said.

Revocation of AFSPA has been on the agenda of both ruling PDP and opposition National Conference, which ruled the state in coalition with Congress from 2008 to 2014.

PDP has been in power in the state since 2014 after forming a coalition government with the BJP.

The RTI reply said the issue of revocation of AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir has been raised by various sections of the society and individuals in Kashmir valley from time to time.

"Omar Abdullah (then chief minister of J&K) also raised this issue in meeting with then Union Home Minister (P Chidambaram) on November 14, 2011 and during Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security on June 5, 2013," it added.

In July, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that in order to improve the situation in the state AFSPA should be revoked from some areas, beginning with 25 to 50 police stations, as an experiment.

In reply to an earlier RTI query in June, the Home Ministry had said that no written request regarding revocation of the AFSPA has been received from government of Jammu and Kashmir state in the last two years.

"The situation is reviewed in the Ministry from time to time. However, no formal meeting (has been) held regarding revocation of AFSPA in J&K during last two years," the ministry had said in response to the earlier RTI application.