Indian Kashmir: ‘Troop presence may be cut by 25%’

Indian army chief not aware of pullout; APHC leader heaps scorn at offer.

NEW DELHI:

India unveiled plans on Friday to pull out a quarter of its troops in Jammu and Kashmir over a 12-month period and lift more bunkers from Srinagar, a senior official said here.

The Indian move, however, was dismissed as a gimmick by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference which said that it wanted nothing short of a full withdrawal of Indian forces from the territory. “India is trying to hoodwink the international community by announcing such things,” Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah said.

“There will be a 25 per cent reduction of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, especially from populated areas,” Indian Home Secretary GK Pillai said at a symposium on Kashmir.

The military has already pulled out from Kashmir’s urban centres and is now operating on its borders, officials said.

The Border Security Force has been replaced by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and this too will be withdrawn slowly, leaving law and order in the hands of the police, Pillai said. The home secretary also said the government was also considering giving Pakistani Kashmiris six-month, multiple entry permits to visit relatives on the Indian side. They now get a 15-day permit.

The army had earlier warned against creating a vacuum in the state. Today that warning was repeated by Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh. “We have not yet felt that we have to cut down our forces. If they want to cut down paramilitary and police forces, I won’t say anything...

“So when that is done, it will be ensured that extra pressure is not brought on our already-stretched deployments there,” Singh told a press conference on the eve of Army Day.

Gen Singh said that though he was not aware of any troop reduction plans he was sure that any step in this direction would be taken in consultation with the Unified Command headquarters operating in the territory. The security forces operating in Indian Kashmir work under a unified command, which is headed by the state chief minister.

Gen Singh was responding to a question on Pillai’s statement and whether the army felt that the situation had improved to an extent that its presence could be reduced. Declining to comment on Pillai’s remarks, Gen Singh said the army had deployed its troops in the territory as per the requirements on the Line of Control and other areas.

“In the same way in the hinterland, some army columns are deployed to maintain peace and counter terrorism. We have not yet felt that we have to cut down our forces. If they want to cut down paramilitary or police forces, I won’t say anything,” he added. Singh said that security forces in Kashmir included the police, paramilitary and the army and probably only those people, who are considered to be dispensable, would be taken out of the territory.

The army chief said the security forces had been able to check infiltration to a large extent after putting an anti-terrorism mechanism in place.

With input from the news wires

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2011.