Tuesday, June 29, 2010

ARMED FORCE SPECIAL PROTECTION ACT

THE TRIBUNE, NEW DELHI, JUNE 25, 2010, P. 8
Fighting terrorism
It is not so uncommon to hear that India is a soft state for its weak-kneed approach to combat terrorism largely because of want of strong political will and efficacious law (Editorial, “Amending AFSPA: Humane law can’t weaken fight against militancy”, June 22).
Terrorism is the worst form of assault on the sovereignty of a nation and sanctity of human lives. Before branding any law as draconian, it must be understood that democracy and terrorism are dichotomous, and to save the former sometimes the state has to take recourse to some unsavoury legal mechanism. Moreover, everything, including the law created by some human agency, is vulnerable to misuse. The remedy lies in minimising such misuse by awarding exemplary punishment.
History bears testimony to the fact that the menace of terrorism can be stamped out only if it is confronted with an iron hand. However, the sustained focus on constructive measures in terrorist-infested areas and respect for the notion of human rights will also contribute immensely to the task of eliminatting the menace.
RAJENDER GOYAL, Bahadurgarh

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