AFSPA (the Armed Forces Special Powers Act) was introduced in 1990 in the region to give hundreds of thousands of army and paramilitary forces there sweeping powers to detain people, use deadly force and destroy property.—AP Photo

NEW DELHI: India’s army chief said on Friday he opposed ending tough emergency laws in areas of Indian-administered Kashmir and the northeast that offer security forces near complete legal immunity.

The statement by General Bikram Singh, India’s chief of army staff, came two days after a militant attack in Muslim-majority Kashmir killed five paramilitary policemen. Both attackers were shot dead by Indian forces.

“I feel the time is not right to remove AFSPA (the Armed Forces Special Powers Act). It is an enabling act and we should not take it away at the moment,” Singh told a conference.

“It is important to remain on guard,” he added.

Wednesday’s raid, claimed by the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, was the deadliest in Indian-administered Kashmir for nearly five years.

AFSPA was introduced in 1990 in the region to give hundreds of thousands of army and paramilitary forces there sweeping powers to detain people, use deadly force and destroy property.

Human rights groups say it provides cover for soldiers who are regularly accused of murder and rape, but they cannot be prosecuted unless the Indian government gives its sanction.

The chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, Omar Abdullah argued recently that the Indian government should abolish the emergency law because violence has dropped there to its lowest levels since the start of a separatist insurgency in 1989.

According to an official Indian count, more than 47,000 people have died in the fighting in Indian-administered Kashmir, while rights groups estimate up to 70,000 have lost their lives.