Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 12

Cabinet Minister Sakeena Itoo on Friday said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) should be reviewed in view of what she described as an improved security situation in the region, while reiterating the demand for restoration of statehood.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Itoo said laws enacted under exceptional security circumstances should be reconsidered if conditions on the ground have changed.

“If peace has returned and incidents like stone-pelting have stopped, then AFSPA should be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir first,” she said.

The minister said restoration of statehood remained a legitimate demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and noted that the issue had been raised by the elected government with the Centre.

“Statehood is our right. We are demanding what existed earlier,” she said.

Itoo said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that a resolution seeking restoration of statehood had already been submitted to the Centre. She added that a protest programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was also being planned to press the demand.

Addressing the impact of administrative assignments on the education sector, Itoo, who also holds the education portfolio, said around 14,000 teachers had been deployed for census-related work, affecting classroom teaching across the Union Territory.

She said the government had written to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha seeking intervention to address the issue.

The minister also reviewed healthcare facilities in Srinagar and said the under-construction Srinagar Area Hospital was expected to be completed within a month, after which it would be made fully operational with the required staff and equipment.

Later, accompanied by legislators Ali Mohammad Sagar and Salman Ali Sagar, she visited Gousia Hospital in Srinagar to assess healthcare services and infrastructure requirements.

Itoo said the hospital, which treats about 10,000 patients every month, was facing acute space constraints. To address the issue, she announced plans for an additional medical block and said a detailed project report would be prepared. A prefabricated structure would be established initially to avoid disruption of services, she added.

The minister said the government had taken steps to strengthen the healthcare sector over the past 18 months, including the appointment of about 500 doctors, with another 400 expected to join shortly.

Efforts were also underway to improve accountability, infrastructure and patient care across government hospitals, she said, while acknowledging the pressures faced by healthcare workers.