Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) will be removed from Jammu and Kashmir once permanent peace returns to the Union Territory (UT).

Addressing a national security conclave here, Rajnath Singh said, “Today AFSPA has been removed from large parts of the North East. I am waiting for the day when permanent peace will come in Jammu and Kashmir and AFSPA will be removed from here too.”

The Defence Minister, however, didn’t give any timeline for removal of AFSPA from J&K and said “I hope things will further improve in J&K. A time will come when we will remove AFSPA from J&K. I hope so.”

The security conclave was to mark the completion of nine years of governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Referring to the Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), the Defence Minister said a large part of J&K is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.

The people there are seeing that on this side people are living peacefully. We feel pain when they are oppressed by the government of Pakistan that does not have a locus standi on that part of J&K.

The Parliament has unanimously passed a resolution on PoJK that belongs to India.

“Since long time, Pakistan has tried to destabilise peace and harmony in the country through cross-border terrorism. However, when we came to power, we launched an effective action against terrorism,” he said.

“We showed the world the meaning of ‘zero tolerance against terrorism’. The bold and first-of-its-kind moves to eliminate terrorists following the Uri and Pulwama incidents are proof of India’s ‘zero tolerance against terrorism’ policy and the unmatched valour of the Armed Forces.”

Rajnath Singh said that the network of terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir has substantially weakened in the last few years as strict and consistent action is being taken.

“Terror funding has been curbed. Supply of arms and drugs to terrorists has been stopped. Along with elimination of terrorists, work is being done to dismantle the network of UnderGround workers,” he said.

The Defence Minister termed the border situation with China as a matter of perceptional difference, but there are agreements and protocols, based on which the armies of both the countries carry out the patrolling.

Referring to the stand-off in East Ladakh in 2020, he said, the Chinese Army ignored the agreed protocols and unilaterally tried to change the status quo on the LAC.

He lauded the valour and dedication of the Indian Army which prevented the attempts by the PLA to change the status quo.

Rajnath Singh reiterated the Government’s stand to resolve the border issue through dialogue and in a peaceful manner. He added that the talks are continuing at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the dispute.

He assured the nation that the Government will never compromise on India’s border, its honour and self-respect. “We will never let the sanctity of our borders be violated,” he added.

He asserted that India has witnessed a paradigm shift in its security scenario in the last nine years. He pointed out that India’s image in 2013-14 was that of a weak nation which allowed its adversaries to create problems, but today the country has the ability to overcome every threat.