Rawat’s yet another unwanted remark

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat always in news for creating unwanted controversies has triggered yet another unwanted controversy over the review of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir. Knowing that it is for the Defence and home ministers of the country to publicly speak over the government’s policy on Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Not letting either the home minister or defence minister of the country to clarify the government’s latest stand over the review of Armed Forces Special Powers Act the army Chief General Rawat has not take care of his institutional and administrative jurisdiction. As even naives understand that home and defence ministries of the country have to take a final call over the review of AFSPA with due consideration to the views and suggestions of the army top brass the army Chief has needlessly spoken over an issue which is the domain of either the home or defence minister of the country. As regards the army chief’s statement on human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir, his highly questionable and challengable contentions on human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir came a day after the killing of two youth in army firing in Shopian district in South Kashmir. Even if the army Chief had to defend the army on the allegations of human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir the timing choosen by him to speak on a sensitive issue like human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir was absolutely not right. A day after the army chief spoke over the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her statement over the civilian killings in Shopian told the state assembly “ army is an institution but like any other institution black sheep in army bring a bad name to force”. The Chief Minister’s statement is contrary to all that what army chief has said over the human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir state.
Administrative wisdom demands that army chief draws a lesson from his statement on human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir which he made the time when people were emotionally hurt by the army action in Shopian and everyone in the country would expect a very cautious approach from the army chief on the sensitive issue of human rights situation in Jammu & Kashmir in future. More better it would have been if the army chief General Bipin Rawat would leave it to the political leadership of the country to speak on issues concerning peace and security in Jammu & Kashmir state instead of creating unwanted controversies by his provocative remarks over the sensitive policy issues always attracting the attention of the top leadership of the country.