The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has taken the spotlight yet again in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region after Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said the federal government is considering the possibility of revoking the law.
Critics consider the legislation to be controversial because it gives overreaching powers to the Indian armed forces in conflict-ridden zones or unstable areas, including the Kashmir region.
The law was introduced in J&K in 1990, a year after an anti-India insurgency had broken out in the region.
Backers of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which include the Bharatiya Janata Party, have argued that the law is necessary to maintain order in the Kashmir region.
However, regional parties in Kashmir have been pursuing its removal for a long time, with these calls growing louder as violence and militant activities in the region have decreased.
Former state chief of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and head of the regions, Mehbooba Mufti, cautiously welcomed Shah's statement, expressing hope that it would lead to the revocation of the 'draconian' law. Mufti acknowledged that her party had long been advocating for this law's repeal and emphasized the importance of Shah's commitment to action and not mere rhetoric.