SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday launched a scathing attack on New Delhi over the arrest of a militant Liyaqat Ali, who, his government says, was returning home from Pakistan to surrender and lead a normal life.
Omar also lashed out at the central government over the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFPSA and accused it of being “unfair” to J&K.
Liyaqat Ali, a resident of northern Kashmir’s Lolab area, was arrested by the Delhi police last week after he returned from Pakistan and entered India via Nepal with his family.
They say he was an active militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen sent from Pakistan to carry out a strike in New Delhi ahead of the Holi festival.
But the authorities in Kashmir say Ali was a former militant and that they had all the information about his return from Pakistan. They say they had approved his request under the militant ‘surrender and rehabilitation’ policy launched by New Delhi.
The chief minister told the legislative assembly in winter capital Jammu on Monday that Ali “was not headed to Delhi to carry out any militant attack”.
“If he wanted to attack a shopping mall then why would he bring his family along?”
Omar said Ali’s arrest was a setback to the flagship project of facilitating the return of former militants from Indian administered Kashmir who are living in Pakistan.
On AFSPA
Omar Abdullah also attacked New Delhi for not revoking the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFPSA which provide impunity to security forces from prosecution and practising “double standards”.
“When I talk about revoking AFSPA, you don’t want to take the risk, but you hang Afzal (Guru). Why don’t you have the courage to revoke AFSPA. You cannot bring Afzal back, but in this case (if you feel) you can impose it again,” he said.
“Naxals blow up a helicopter, but you don’t impose AFSPA there, There are no helicopters shot down in Kashmir, but you have a different yardstick for J&K.”
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