SRINAGAR, 4 March 2007 — The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, yesterday rejected the demand for the withdrawal of Indian Army troops and abrogation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). “The slogans of demilitarization and withdrawal of the AFSPA are being raised by certain political forces just for their vested interests,” Azad said.

Talking to the media men in Uri near the Line of Control (LOC) Azad said that “the withdrawal of troops was linked to improvement in the overall security situation in the state and once that happens the troops will automatically go back to the barracks.”

The chief minister said that the “present situation was not ripe enough for such a withdrawal and any hasty step in this direction could be exploited by the militants which can result in loss of gains made over the years and can also lead to loss of lives.”

“The withdrawal of troops is linked to the security of the people of the state and cannot be done on the demands of political parties,” he told newsmen.

“We have reached a crucial stage where militancy would either completely vanish in the coming days or become more lethal and the withdrawal of troops cannot be made at this crucial stage.”

He said that the state government was ready for the cross-LOC trade but Pakistan’s disinterest was a hurdle. “We had sent a list of traders to Pakistan in November 2005 but they have not cleared their visit yet.”

Meanwhile former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed yesterday said that its demand for troop reduction and revocation of AFSPA are the “major formative features of the peace process that would have discernible and instantaneous impact on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.” “I am, both sure and confident that our proposals would get a positive response from the government of India, as it is the only way to move forward,” Mufti told newsmen in Jammu.

Meanwhile, yet another disappearance of a local youth has surfaced here with the Jammu and Kashmir High Court ordering identification parade of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel by the family of a youth missing since 2001.

The high court order comes close on the heels of the fake encounter racket that rocked the valley last month and triggered massive protests.