Jammu:PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the revocation of AFSPA and withdrawal of security forces from civilian areas has been an important demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the past several years and hoped that Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on the issue are not just a “jumla”.

The PDP has been strongly advocating for this demand, she told reporters here.

“When the Home Minister talked about it (revocation of AFSPA), we could only say ‘Der aaye durust aaye’ (Better late than never). But whenever PDP or Mehbooba Mufti used to raise this demand, I was dubbed as an anti-national. It was said that I am against the Army, I am against the country. They have talked about it during the current elections, are they really serious, or is it a mere jumla (rhetoric) ?” Mufti told reporters.

Press Trust of India