Militancy in Kashmir has declined: Omar Abdullah

Jammu, Mar 29 (ANI): Hailing the over all improving situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said militancy in the region has declined.

"There is a continuous dip in militant-related activities if we analyse the current scenario, I don't have to divulge any figures to support my statement, but a drop of 50 percent has been witnessed in militancy," Abdullah said.

"The death of civilians in comparison to the year 2009 has seen a decline of 58 percent, number of police personnel killed is same with 13 percent in 2009, 15 percent in 2010, and 13 percent in 2011. Security forces killed other than police, was 52 percent in 2009 has come down to 18 percent in 2011 and 65 percent decline in security forces killings. That itself is a proof in reality the conditions of the region, with respect to militancy, there is an improvement," he added.

Still standing strong on his remark in the context of a partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Abdullah said it should not be weighed in the same scale as law and order, and added that it was imposed with the combatting militancy in the region.

"Please don't weigh AFSPA in the same scale as law and order. AFSPA was not enforced in Jammu and Kashmir for the imposition of law and order, rather to combat militancy in the region. If you see the figures we have on militancy and compare this year then it is only about five percent of what it was in 2002. So to say that one can't determine the situation over a span of one year- we have kept track of the situation continuously since 2002. On this basis we feel time has come to revoke this law," he added.

The AFSPA and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) are controversial laws that give government troops sweeping powers to arrest suspects without charge and give troops substantial immunity from prosecution. (ANI)