CRPF cannot be withdrawn overnight from J and K : Omar

New Delhi, July 7 (PTI) Ruling out any immediate
withdrawal of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from India's
northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah on Tuesday said before considering any such step the
state police has to be augmented in numbers, equipment and
levels of training.

Abdullah, who had meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram here on Monday, said he
had raised the issue of withdrawal of the controversial Armed
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in a phased manner.

Reorganisation of security forces figured during his
meetings, Omar told PTI.

On the issue of withdrawal of CRPF from the state, he
said the J and K police "is not immediately ready" to fill all
the gaps. "The CRPF withdrawal has to be as per a plan" and
simultaneously the state police will have to gear up to be at
the forefront of the anti-militancy operations.

"We have over 70 battalions of the CRPF and the
state police’s strength is not even one-third of it. Five
battalions of the state police which includes India Reserve
Police are undergoing training. So any rash decision in this
aspect can be detrimental to state’s security,” he said.

"A lot is required to be done in terms of augmenting
the numbers of J and K police, upgrading their equipment and
improving their levels of training," he said.

Abdullah made it clear that there was no move to
replace CRPF in the near future as this may lead to a vacuum.

"The issue of AFSPA was flagged by me and the Union
Home Minister in the first meeting itself and now we are
toying with an idea of having it withdrawn in a phased manner
....where the violence is nil or bare minimum, in such areas
this law need not be applicable," the Chief Minister, who has
completed six months in office, said.

The Chief Minister said he had assured people in his
state that AFPSA will be withdrawn.

"I have held a series of meetings earlier with the
Union Home Minister. Even the Centre has said that it is
reviewing the Act," he said.

While the Chief Minister remained non-committal
about the areas where AFSPA would be made non-applicable,
sources in the Home Ministry said the Centre was likely to
explore possibility of phased withdrawal of the anti-terror
law in two districts of Kashmir– Srinagar and Budgam – and two
in Jammu region – Jammu and Kathua -- as these districts have
registered minimum violence for past one year.

The Home Minister, while unveiling the Action Plan-II
of his ministry, had said earlier this month that the
Centre has "agreed to review AFSPA (in Jammu and Kashmir
and Northeast). That review is underway. No decision has been
taken yet." PTI SKL
SDE
NNNN