New Delhi: The Indian Army is against removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir, saying that there is no let-up in infiltration bids. According to sources, Army has taken up AFSPA issue with Cabinet Secretary, claiming that there is no let up in infiltration from across the border. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain said, "Deliberations on this subject are still going on. We will decide in...
07:10 PM, Oct 23, 2011
New Delhi: Curtains are likely to be drawn on the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in four districts -- two each in Jammu and Kashmir Valley -- as the Jammu and Kashmir Government works on plans to revoke the Disturbed Areas Act, a prelude for automatic revocation of the Act which gives extra-ordinary powers to Army. According to sources privy to the developments, the areas which may soon...
05:05 PM, Oct 23, 2011
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Disturbed Areas Act will be removed from some areas of the state within the next few days. The comments from the chief minister come in the wake of the interlocutors report submitted to Home Minister P Chidambaram on October 12. According to sources, the interlocutors have recommended the withdrawal of...
11:56 AM, Oct 21, 2011
Catch the day's top stories on India at 9 with Rajdeep Sardesai. ...
10:00 PM, Oct 12, 2011
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir interlocutors' report calls for review of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and gradual withdrawal of Disturbed Areas Act from certain parts of the Kashmir Valley. The report, which will be submitted to Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday evening and has been accessed by CNN-IBN, stays away from the contentious issues of 'azadi' and autonomy, saying the clock cannot be turned back in...
12:12 PM, Oct 12, 2011
New Delhi: A day before Jammu and Kashmir interlocutors scheduled to submit their report, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. "I am Looking forward to interlocutors reports tomorrow. There is no apprehension of any law and order issue. Interlocutors panel was formed after all-party meet, so looking forward to report being shared with all parties and then getting implemented," said Abdullah after the meeting....
09:06 PM, Oct 11, 2011
CNN-IBN's Senior Editor Anubha Bhonsle talks about the amazing journey of the ten-year old fast of the Iron Lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).Anubha acknowledges and also laments the fact that Irom's cause came to hit the national headlines only after the 13-day fast of Anna Hazare to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed. She points out that either our indifference to...
07:08 PM, Sep 19, 2011
![Anubha Bhonsle]( "Anubha Bhonsle")
"I am still naked." She said it tonelessly, almost hopelessly; no anger, not even an eye-lid moved, and then she got up and left. ...
05:49 PM, Sep 05, 2011
New Delhi: A fresh attempt is being made to build consensus within the Government to amend the controversial Armed Forces Special (Powers) Act (AFSPA), Home Minister P Chidambaram indicated on Thursday. "I am trying to revisit AFSPA but as you know one needs to build a consensus within the government before amendments can be brought before Parliament," Chidambaram said while replying to questions after presenting the monthly report for his...
05:38 PM, Sep 01, 2011
Irom Sharmila has been on a fast for over a decade and demand that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act must go. ...
11:16 PM, Aug 29, 2011
Irom Sharmila, the Iron Lady of Manipur as she is often called, has been on a fast for the last ten years protesting against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act that is in place in parts of Manipur and the north east and gives the Army and the paramilitary forces the power to shoot or arrest on mere suspicion. The Indian state has kept her alive on a cocktail of...
03:42 PM, Aug 24, 2011
New Delhi: When it comes to fasts and dharnas, popularity clearly matters. Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare hog the public limelight and the Centre's attention but a woman who has been on a fast in Manipur against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been ignored for ten years now. The high profile fasts of activists in Delhi and the silent 10-year long fast of Irom Sharmila - Hazare and...
09:11 PM, Jun 10, 2011
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the army searches of hotels in Leh district earlier this week were completely illegal as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was not applicable in the Ladakh region. "If Army did conduct such an operation at Leh, it has done it completely illegally. There is absolutely no legal cover for them to carry out the sort of activity they...
03:25 PM, Jun 04, 2011
New Delhi: Irom Sharmila Chanu and Anna Hazare have one thing in common " the ability to fast indefinitely for what they perceive is right. But the similarities end there. She has been on a political fast for 11 years but her silent resilience moves you when you realize the sheer magnitude of what she is single-handedly trying to achieve. Far from the glare of studio lights of television channels...
06:40 PM, Apr 20, 2011
![Pawan Bali]( "Pawan Bali")
Young lives lost are always tragic. The grief of it is something which every home in Kashmir carefully guards against. Somehow, it quietly creeps in. ...
10:16 AM, Feb 07, 2011
New Delhi: The Army on Thursday apologised to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after an army press release blamed a 'demilitarised Srinagar' for Monday's shootout in the city. The release also slammed the Omar Abdullah government's stand on repealing the AFSPA. Lt Gen BS Jaiswal, GoC-in-Chief, Northern Command has apologised to Omar Abdullah about the statement, which was issued on Wednesday and was subsequently withdrawn. General Jaiswal said that the...
11:51 AM, Dec 02, 2010
Srinagar: The Army has withdrawn an official release slamming the Omar Abdullah govt for deteriorating law and order situation and allowing the special powers act to be repealed. Issuing an official release, the Army had raised questions on the Omar Abdullah government's stand on repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir after a shoot-out in Srinagar in which a policeman and 3...
09:09 AM, Dec 01, 2010
New Delhi: Hitting out at those clamouring for dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Army Chief Gen V K Singh is of the view that the Act is being used as a "beating stick" by the separatists in Jammu and Kashmir "We are unnecessarily playing into the hands of separatists for whom this is a beating stick," said Gen Singh in a candid interview during which he...
12:57 PM, Oct 24, 2010
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday reached out to the Valley residents and decided that 52 youngsters arrested on charges of stonepelting will be released. Sixteen CRPF bunkers across Srinagar city will also be removed. The state government after a Unified Command meeting decided to immediately free 52 detained stone pelters. A committee has been set up to look into the possibility of denotifying the Disturbed...
10:21 PM, Sep 29, 2010
Srinagar: A day after the all-party delegation reached out to separatist leaders in the Kashmir Valley, the BJP on Tuesday opposed the decision to send members of the delegation to meet the separatists. The development came about even as the delegation was listening to voices in Jammu. A day after the all-party delegations reached out on Srinagar’s streets, residents bought their supply of essentials, and took stock of the visit....
09:29 PM, Sep 21, 2010
