The office of the Naga Hoho (apex Naga Parliament) in a rare letter written to the Prime Minister of India has brought to the attention of the latter on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA). The Naga Hoho has rightly described it as “one of the more draconian legislations that the Indian Parliament has passed in its 54 years of Parliamentary history”. Under this Act, all security forces are given unrestricted and unaccounted power to carry out their operations, once an area is declared disturbed. Even a non-commissioned officer is granted the right to shoot to kill based on mere suspicion and that it is necessary to do so in order to “maintain the public order”. And all of us are aware of the fact that more than 50 years have lapsed since the enforcement of this infamous AFSPA in Nagaland under the pretext of the Naga issue. The demand of the Naga Hoho for repeal of this draconian law and to remove the disturbed area tag is not a new thing and New Delhi is well aware about such grievances whether they are coming from the far corner of the Northeast or Kashmir.
It is quite strange (though not surprising) that the Government of India is unable to even take a decision on the AFSPA despite many years of ‘observation, study’ and even recommendations made by various committees on the subject. This dilly dallying is prove that the political establishment in the Government of India is not strong enough to take a decision on the AFSPA. How does New Delhi expect to resolve far bigger problems of Kashmir, Maoist and Northeast etc. if it cannot even make headway in dealing with the AFSPA? The government of the day seems unable to overcome the opposition from the strong security lobby. The Defence Minister AK Antony is acting more like the spokesman of the Indian Army rather than a political leader. The point is this: Continuing with AFSPA or repealing it or making changes to it is a matter of political decision. It is but natural that the security establishment will oppose any move to diminish the AFSPA. The Army will consider it as their duty to promote and sell the AFSPA. And that is also precisely the reason why several committees had been entrusted to look independently into the act itself and make recommendations.
The Justice BP Jeevan Reddy committee appointed by the Government of India has officially recommended for repeal of the AFPSA. Similarly the Second Administrative Reforms Commission that was then headed by Mr. Veerappa Moily, recently Law Minister in the central government has also made similar recommendation. The political establishment continue to sit over these findings and suggestions made thereof. At the end of the day all we can say through this column is this: the AFSPA does not have vote bank politics written over it. It is not an election item that can get you votes and political support in the numbers. It is not a burning issue in north, central and south India, which are politically important regions. And that is the reason why the security argument has always won over the political establishment in Delhi and not the voice of the people in Himalayan Kashmir or the corner of the Northeast, which counts for nothing politically.
And this is precisely the reason why problems in Kashmir and the Northeast region remain unresolved because people here are politically marginalized. They have no voice in the running of the government in Delhi. This is the crux of the matter. The Reddy committee in that sense appears to have been eyewash to divert attention on the atrocities committed under the name and justification of the AFSPA. The prestige of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is at stake. Having assured more than once about replacing the Act in the northeastern states with a “more humane” law, the PM will hopefully keep his word.
It is quite strange (though not surprising) that the Government of India is unable to even take a decision on the AFSPA despite many years of ‘observation, study’ and even recommendations made by various committees on the subject. This dilly dallying is prove that the political establishment in the Government of India is not strong enough to take a decision on the AFSPA. How does New Delhi expect to resolve far bigger problems of Kashmir, Maoist and Northeast etc. if it cannot even make headway in dealing with the AFSPA? The government of the day seems unable to overcome the opposition from the strong security lobby. The Defence Minister AK Antony is acting more like the spokesman of the Indian Army rather than a political leader. The point is this: Continuing with AFSPA or repealing it or making changes to it is a matter of political decision. It is but natural that the security establishment will oppose any move to diminish the AFSPA. The Army will consider it as their duty to promote and sell the AFSPA. And that is also precisely the reason why several committees had been entrusted to look independently into the act itself and make recommendations.
The Justice BP Jeevan Reddy committee appointed by the Government of India has officially recommended for repeal of the AFPSA. Similarly the Second Administrative Reforms Commission that was then headed by Mr. Veerappa Moily, recently Law Minister in the central government has also made similar recommendation. The political establishment continue to sit over these findings and suggestions made thereof. At the end of the day all we can say through this column is this: the AFSPA does not have vote bank politics written over it. It is not an election item that can get you votes and political support in the numbers. It is not a burning issue in north, central and south India, which are politically important regions. And that is the reason why the security argument has always won over the political establishment in Delhi and not the voice of the people in Himalayan Kashmir or the corner of the Northeast, which counts for nothing politically.
And this is precisely the reason why problems in Kashmir and the Northeast region remain unresolved because people here are politically marginalized. They have no voice in the running of the government in Delhi. This is the crux of the matter. The Reddy committee in that sense appears to have been eyewash to divert attention on the atrocities committed under the name and justification of the AFSPA. The prestige of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is at stake. Having assured more than once about replacing the Act in the northeastern states with a “more humane” law, the PM will hopefully keep his word.
