JKHC Bar condemns fmr IAF chief's suggestion to use air power to combat militancy

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association today termed as "barbaric" and "full of venom" against Kashmiri people the statement of former IAF head Air Chief Marshal P V Naik that ruthless measures, including use of air power, were needed to combat militancy in the state.

Condemning Indian Air Force veteran's statement, the Bar association general secretary Bashir Sidiq said that the statement is "biased, inhuman, barbaric and also full of venom and vengeance against the people of Kashmir".

"Their only fault is that they are fighting for a legitimate right. They are only asking India and its leaders to respect their promises and pledges made before the international foras of holding a plebiscite in J-K under the auspices of United Nations, so that they can decide about their future," he said in a statement.

The former IAF chief had called for "ruthless measures" -- including the use of air power and special zones where intruders can be killed without a warning -- to combat militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

In an interview, he suggested a slew of methods, which, he said, could be "better accomplished" under a few months of Governor's Rule.

Naik, who was the IAF chief from 2009 to 2011, had said there had to be a "more effective use" of air power, so far "underutilised" in the valley.