Jammu And Kashmir - 2

[Guest]

Another stupidity of PM Moron Singh
Next time Paki or terrorist invade India, ask Moron Singh's family to stand on LOC
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>UPA Govt succumbs to pressure </b>
Pioneer.com
Rahul Dutta | New Delhi
Prepares to pull out 20,000 troops from LoC
In a clear bid to appease Congress' coalition partner People's Democratic Party (PDP), the UPA Government on Tuesday cleared the decks for withdrawal of over 20,000 troops from Jammu and Kashmir.   

The panel set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the purpose in March this year on the PDP's demand for demilitarisation of the terrorist-infected State finalised the troop withdrawal plan at its meeting on Tuesday evening.

<b>Sources said the Centre may withdraw about 20,000 troops, which were deployed in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Parakaram in 2001. But there will be no withdrawal or dilution of the troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations, they insisted.</b>

The decision to withdraw the troops to pacify the PDP is reported to be part of the recommendations in the report finalised by the expert panel headed by Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt on Tuesday.

The panel comprising top officials of the armed forces, Defence and Home Ministries and Chief Secretary and director general of police of Jammu and Kashmir will submit this report to the Prime Minister's Office and Defence Minister AK Antony later this week.

However, the final decision about withdrawal of troops will be taken after Antony's visit to Srinagar over the week-end. He will review the security situation with the Northern Command top brass and security officials and will also visit some forward areas.

While the Government refrained from giving details of the Defence Secretary's meeting, sources said later the panel recommended relocation of 20,000 troops in a phased manner from the State.

A large contingent of troops from all over the country, including the eastern sector, were mobilised for Operation Parakaram and posted in Jammu and Kashmir for operations against Pakistan.

While most of the troops returned to their original positions after nearly one-year-long Operation Parakaram, about two divisions remained in the State, sources said and clarified that they were not involved in counter-insurgency operations. However, these troops were deployed on the borders and were engaged in checking infiltration. The Shekhar Dutt panel felt that these divisions could be sent back to their original positions in a phased manner in the months to come.

<b>The panel was not in favour of withdrawing or diluting the counter-insurgency grid where more than 50 battalions of the Rashtriya Rifles were engaged throughout the hinterland. The Rashtriya Rifles was raised in the early 90s with troops drawn from the Army for the exclusive role of counter-insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.</b>

The Defence Secretary held a series of meetings during the last three months, including the last one in Srinagar earlier this month and a detailed briefing in the operations room of the South Block here by the Army top brass. That meeting saw the top brass giving him the lowdown about the troop deployment, rate of infiltration and levels of violence, it was learnt.

The Centre and the State Government, meanwhile, were favourably inclined towards the proposal to pull out security forces from public and private buildings and orchards and agriculture land. The State Government was also proposing to raise the compensation to the farmers and owners of the properties occupied by the security forces.

While PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was in favour of demilitarisation, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was against politicising of the demilitarisation issue in the wake of its sensitivity concerning the security of the country. He, however, wanted security forces to vacate Government and private buildings and orchards in the Valley.

The PDP chief also demanded the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the State and conveyed this to the Prime Minister on many occasions. However, the security forces were not in favour of this proposal.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->