On a day when security forces in Jammu & Kashmir were battling on ground zero to neutralise a heavily armed group of fidayeen inside a police station in Kathua district, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, keen on positioning himself as ‘man of peace’ said his Government would initiate the gradual process of scrapping the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Jammu & Kashmir. “There are certain reservations as far as the Defence Ministry and some Army officials are concerned, but we will try to start the gradual process (of scrapping AFSPA),” Mufti told the State Assembly while replying to the Motion of Thanks on the Governors' address. “Until you completely revoke AFSPA, make your people accountable,” he said.
Referring to his recent discussion with GOC-in-C Northern Command lt Gen D S Hooda, Mufti said, “I told him that you have to have a standard procedure.” Commenting on the Kathua terror attack Mufti blamed non-State actors and also warned them saying that the will of the people cannot be weakened by any gun. “I want to warn those people (who engineered the terror attacks) that the will of the people cannot be weakened by any gun. I want to send them a message they should not create any hurdles in this (path of democracy),” Mufti said.