Mirwaiz Umar Farooq criticises Army's AFSPA stand

Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today criticised the Army for its stand against the partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, saying the forces have developed "vested interests" in the state.

"The Army is trying to create an impression that if black laws are revoked, Kashmir will be attacked. It is a pack of lies. Our struggle is 100 per cent peaceful," the Mirwaiz said at a Friday congregational gathering at Jamia Masjid here.

Debate over the partial revocation of AFSPA and Disturbed Areas Act, introduced in 1990 to give the Army and para-military forces powers to detain suspects and use deadly force, began last month when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced that these Acts would be revoked from parts of the state "within few days".