Srinagar, July 1: Former Parliamentarian and PDP Chief spokesperson, Dr.Mehboob Beg has reacted sharply to the recent comments made by Dr.Jitendra Singh with regard to the partial revocation of AFSPA. Dr.Beg asserted that in a Democracy it has to be the ‘Elected representatives’ who have to take the final call on this and despite the commendable service that the Armed Forces do towards the Nation, one has to be very clear that taking decisions on such issues do not fall within their domain. Dr.Beg said that it would of-course be incumbent to take the security agencies on-board when taking such decisions, but to say that the decision is to be taken by the security agencies is going against the fundamental principles on which Democracy is built. Dr.Beg said that it was appalling to see Dr.Jitendra delve into each and every question and then top it up by saying “I am not qualified enough to answer these questions”. Dr.Beg further added that Dr.jitendra Singh must realize that he cannot just speak as an individual on such sensitive issues when he holds the position of an MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Dr.Beg took a very strong exception of Dr.Jitendra Singh’s statement where-in he dismissed the idea of a partial revocation of AFSPA by citing an example where-in he said that partial revocation would be “like not having it in Jamia and having it in Connaught Place. So somebody does something in Connaught Place and finds a safe haven here (Jamia) to reside, because it is a protective mechanism for the security forces”. Dr.Beg termed this statement as obnoxious and having unacceptable and unpardonable undertones.
Dr.Beg also questioned the partial revocation of AFSPA in the North-East and asked if the call in that case was taken exclusively by the Armed Forces. He further wondered whether the Government had no role to play in that case.