Srinagar, July 21
Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said he expected positive action on the PDP’s demand for reduction of troops and revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as the situation now demanded such confidence building measures to impact fast-changing ground situation.

At a meeting of PDP functionaries here today the PDP patron disclosed in response to his recent communication to the Prime Minister, on the reduction of troops and revocation of the AFSPA, he received a letter from Manmohan Singh last evening. The Mufti added the Prime Minister had reiterated his commitment to the understanding arrived at and the mechanism devised for the purpose in March this year. He informed at the meeting the Prime Minister had stated vigorous efforts were being made to implement the decisions taken in March and the expert panel constituted for the purpose had already visited various parts of the state as part of this exercise. "The final recommendations of the committee are expected soon," he said.

The Mufti wrote to the Prime Minister on July 6 re-emphasising the urgency of reducing troops and the revocation of the AFSPA in the backdrop of the public outrage over Bandipora and Kupwara incidents. In his reply the Prime Minister has reiterated he "shares the vision of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of what is required for J&K and on how to end the cycle of violence that has deprived the state of its full potential".

The Mufti also welcomed the Prime Minister’s assertion, in his latest letter, the orchards, institutional buildings and private property, being used by the security forces would be handed-over to their rightful owners with adequate compensation. He added with the level of violence declining such steps had become imperative to build confidence of people.

Sayeed said in the fast-changing ground situation, measures like reduction of troops and the revocation of the AFSPA were now unavoidable to rebuild and consolidate the people’s growing participation and faith in the political and democratic institutions in the state. "This is the only way to a workable and lasting peace", he said and added the people and the civil society must now have a greater say in the affairs of the state and they should get full room to assert.

Srinagar, July 21
Terming the election of Legislative Council chairman held here yesterday as illegal, the opposition National Conference (NC) has decided to appeal to the Governor ‘to exercise his constitutional powers to declare the election as null and void".

NC leaders and members headed by Sakina Ittoo accused acting chairman P. Namgyal of disgracing democracy in the Legislative Council yesterday while resorting to most undemocratic means to get the PDP candidate elected. Sakina said the members had served a motion to the Chair to conduct the election through secret ballot instead of voice vote. She added the party had also demanded discussion on the spurt in human rights violations in the state, use of force against the protesting unemployed technocrats, engineers, teachers and anganwari workers, but the acting chairman did not allow discussion.

Fearing some members of the coalition may vote against the PDP candidate, the acting chairman chose voice vote that too when NC Legislative members were dragged out of the House and doors bolted from inside.