SRINAGAR, March 20: Occupied Kashmir’s chief minister Omar Abdullah called on Friday for the repeal of strict security laws giving sweeping powers to Indian troops battling a liberation movement in the region.

Militant violence has dropped sharply in occupied Kashmir since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.

New Delhi put the peace process on hold after deadly militant attacks on Mumbai that left 165 dead and were blamed on Pakistan-based guerillas opposed to India’s occupation of Kashmir.

But there has been no upsurge in violence since the talks were suspended and Abdullah said abolishing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives authorities wide powers to shoot, arrest and search and is widely detested by Kashmiris, was “realistic.”

“The special powers were granted to the army under an extremely unusual situation which arose in 1989-90,” he told NDTV, referring to the years when Kashmiris launched the movement against Indian occupation.

“As that situation heads towards normalising, I think it (repealing of the law) is something that we definitely can look at.”

Abdullah’s comments came a day after Kashmir witnessed a massive protest over the killing of a carpenter by federal police deployed in the region under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Police said the carpenter died in crossfire during a clash between militants and police. But his family said he was killed after he argued with police who raided his house and there were no militants in the area at the time of his death.

Last month, troops were accused of killing two civilians near their camp, and the 39-year-old chief minister said such killings were “simply unacceptable.”

The unrest has so far left more than 47,000 people dead by official count. Human rights groups say some 70,000 people are dead or missing.—AFP
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