Jammu, April 22
His state — Jammu and Kashmir — may be the most difficult and sensitive to administer. But India’s youngest Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is now 15 months in the saddle, says: “Under the circumstances, my government has done a bloody good job.”

In an exclusive interview to The Tribune Editor-in Chief, Raj Chengappa at his Jammu residence today, he said infiltration was down and the law and order situation has improved but added, “There is absolutely zero room for complacency. We should not let our guard down.”

Omar was guarded over the question of demilitarisation of the Valley, stating that, “The decision should be taken out of the political arena. It should, instead, be based on the comfort level of the state and central government with the inputs from the forces on the ground”. He gave a nuanced reply to question of whether the Armed Forces Special Powers Act should be revoked. He said that while in the medium term such a step was necessary, in the short term it would be good if some of the offensive portions were amended.