India, June 13 -- A senior woman Cabinet minister in the Omar Abdullah-led council of ministers on Friday called for the revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the Union Territory, arguing that if the Centre believes the security situation has improved elsewhere, the same principle should apply to Jammu and Kashmir.

The statement made by Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo has once again brought the contentious issue of the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to the centre stage after a long gap.

During his previous tenure as Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah aggressively pursued the partial withdrawal of AFSPA from specific districts where the army had no active operational role. Reacting to th...