By IANS,
Srinagar : “Who the hell is leaking the proceedings of the UHQ to the media??????”, an angry Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted after a crucial Unified Headquarters meet ended without reaching a decision on the partial withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir.
As media channels flashed reports about the army putting up stiff resistance to the proposed partial withdrawal of AFSPA, Abdullah wondered who was giving the details of the security grid meeting at the UHQ in Jammu Wednesday evening to the media.
“It’s amusing to see how ‘sources’ are giving verbatim accounts to various channels. My dad used to complain about this after cabinet meetings,” Abdullah said in another post on his Twitter site.
Not pleased at all with the “verbatim accounts” of what happened at the UHQ meeting, Abdullah refused to oblige the media about what he himself had said during the meeting.
“And for those of you in the media following me wanting to know what I said “NO comment’,” said another of his posts.
Abdullah has made a strong case for the withdrawal of the controversial AFSPA from some areas.
“Where the army has not operated for several years. What protection do they need in such areas,” Omar had posed a counter-question while answering questions at a media conference in winter capital Jammu Wednesday.
“We cannot wait for the last gun to fall silent,” Abdullah said, upping the ante ahead of the UHQ meeting.
Even though the chief minister has said the last call on the partial revocation of AFSPA would be taken by the state cabinet, a panel comprising the state police, the intelligence agencies and the army has been asked to furnish a report on the security aspect of the proposed partial revocation of AFSPA as early as possible.
Abdullah is determined to go ahead with his decision to have the act revoked from Srinagar city and Badgam town in the valley and Jammu city and Samba town in the Jammu region.