J&K Health Minister Calls for AFSPA Review, Citing Improved Security Situation
Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakina Itoo has called on the Centre to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from J&K, arguing that the government's own assertions of restored normalcy justify its removal. Her remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced plans to withdraw AFSPA from most of the northeast by next year, citing improved security conditions there. The statement reignites a long-running debate over AFSPA's continuation in J&K and adds political pressure on the Centre ahead of a planned protest in New Delhi demanding statehood restoration.
National Conference leader and J&K Cabinet Minister Sakina Itoo on Friday said the Centre should review and remove AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir if, as the government claims, the security situation has normalised and stone pelting has ceased. Her comments were prompted by Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement that AFSPA would be nearly fully withdrawn from the northeast by next year due to declining insurgency. Itoo, the only woman minister in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's cabinet, argued that the Centre's own narrative of peace in J&K makes a compelling case for repealing the law there first. She also reiterated the demand for restoration of J&K's statehood, describing it as the region's right, and said a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is being planned to press the issue. AFSPA has been in force in J&K since September 1990, and previous governments — including Omar Abdullah's first tenure and the PDP-BJP coalition — had discussed reviewing or phasing it out but made no concrete progress. In March 2024, Amit Shah had again indicated the Centre would consider revoking AFSPA in J&K, but no action followed.
What's missing
Neither source specifies the current legal or administrative status of AFSPA in J&K following the 2019 reorganisation of the state into union territories, nor do they detail what specific security benchmarks the Centre uses to determine when AFSPA can be lifted.
How coverage differed
The Times of India provided significantly more historical and political context, including the legislative history of AFSPA in J&K, past failed attempts at repeal, and personal background on Minister Itoo, while The Hindu focused more narrowly on her direct statements without this broader framing.
What different sources said
- Times of IndiaCenter
AFSPA debate returns to J&K as minister seeks its repeal before North East
- The HinduCenter
Review AFSPA in J&K if situation is normal: Minister
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