Dalbir Singh Suhag meets Home Minister to discuss J&K issue

It is not everyday that the Army Chief seeks audience with the Union home minister. On Wednesday, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag met Union home minister Rajnath Singh for about half-an-hour in North Block where Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi was also present.

With no word coming out from the relevant quarters on what exactly transpired in the meeting, speculation is rife that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was part of the discussions, besides the home minister asking for the Army’s assessment of the situation in the Valley.

The speculation is not based on wild hunches since a dilution or removal of the AFSPA has been gaining ground in recent days as the violent situation in the Kashmir Valley shows no signs of abating.

Left leader Sitaram Yechury — back after his Kashmir visit where he went to meet the Hurriyat leaders but in vain — was vocal about the removal of AFSPA from civilian areas, although his view was not supported by other political parties.

Amid a hue of leaders cutting from across party lines, former chief minister and National Front leader Farooq Abdullah has been in the forefront of those seeking removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the troubled state.