Resignation of more Panchs continues in J&K; Army Chief is not in favour of dilution of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state; Amid avalanche threats, Police evacuates about 40 families in South Kashmir
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    • According to reports, day after twenty Panchs and Sarpanches from Hardshiva area of Sopore tendered their resignation, twenty more Panchayat representatives from Zainagair belt resigned on January 14 stating that they do not need any security cover. The Panchayat representatives alleged that they were being made scapegoats by the government. 1

    Reports noted that Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh on January 14 said he did not favour dilution of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir as it was an enabler for soldiers to fight militancy in an asymmetric environment. The Chief also disfavored demilitarization of Siachen Glacier area against the backdrop of the trust deficit existing with Pakistan. Answering a query on AFPSA at his press conference on eve of the Army Day, Army Chief said that soldiers in the state work in an environment where it was difficult to differentiate between friend and foe as militants mingle with civilian population. He said the soldiers face a great deal of challenges and they need to be given “enablers” to operate against militants. 2

    In other developments, according to reports, amid avalanche threats in the wake of heavy snowfall, police have evacuated about 40 families comprising 130 persons in the remote village of Waltengoo Nar in the South Kashmir district. A police official said that teams were dispatched on January 18 evening to rescue the villagers in the avalanche prone area. 3

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