Days after Shopian FIR against Army, CM Mehbooba Mufti says force is ‘most disciplined’

SRINAGAR: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday complimented the armed forces, calling them the "most disciplined force".
The remarks came nearly a week after an FIR was filed against an Army officer and a unit after three men were killed when security personnel fired on a mob of stone-pelters in Shopian. The Army had opened fire after a convoy was attacked by the mob, and the FIR had led to friction between Mehbooba's PDP and ally BJP.

However, on Friday, while calling the Army the "most disciplined force", Mehbooba, addressing the J&K assembly, also batted for the continuance of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the state. "The situation on the ground does not allow for the revocation of AFSPA," the chief minister said.

Justifying her stand, she said that, earlier, militant sympathisers would "run five kilometres away from the spot of an encounter between terrorists and security forces", but now "they rush towards the encounter site to disrupt the operation against the militants". "Is the situation feasible in such conditions to revoke AFSPA?" she asked.

"Is the situation in Kashmir in the aftermath of the Shopian killings conducive to withdrawing AFSPA and no use of pellet guns?" she added. The CM said maximum restraint was being exercised in dealing with the situation in the Valley and pellet guns were used as a last resort. Mehbooba questioned the growing tendency of separatists to use mosques for political purposes.

"Sometime, somehow, somewhere they (separatists) have to explain how long they can continue to drive youth to violent paths. In the end, dialogue is the only option," she said.