Reacting to Parrikar’s terrorism remark, J-K govt rules out revival of ‘Ikhwanis’ to take on militants

[related-post]

His remarks came as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s recent statement said that “terrorists have to be neutralised only through terrorists” has sparked a fresh debate on the issue.

Akhtar said in a landmark judgement on the issue of Salwa Judam, the government sponsored gunmen used by
Chhattisgarh government against Maoists, the Supreme Court had in April 2008 declared all such activities illegal and unconstitutional.

He said the Supreme Court has, in its judgement, made it clear that arms cannot be given to a civilian to kill and “anybody doing so will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.”

“So if somebody has made any statement on the issue, he must be completely ignorant about the law,” Akhtar, a senior PDP leader, said.

He said PDP has earned its credibility among the masses by stopping such practices.

“Everybody knows how in 2002, the PDP-led coalition government not only ended the infamous Ikhwan culture in Kashmir, but also wound up the dreaded Task Force (special Operations Group of state police) and the people in every nook and corner of the state, at that time, acknowledged the substantial relief on the security front,” he said.