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Govt orders pullback of troops from international border, rules out reduction along LoC

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday evening decided to withdraw troops from the international border with Pakistan, but ruled out any reduction along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 troops will thus be redeployed to peacetime locations after 10 months of eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the Pakistani troops in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Parliament House in New Delhi on December 13.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee presided over a 90-minute meeting of the CCS, which took the decision on the troop withdrawal.

The withdrawal would entail India pulling back its two strike corps, massed tanks and heavy artillery from the international border facing Jammu sector, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Announcing the decision, Defence Minister George Fernandes said the armed forces would take their time to implement the process of withdrawal.

While stating that redeployment would take place on the international border, he said this would be undertaken without impairing India's capacity to respond decisively to any emergency.

Asked about the reasons for the withdrawal when Pakistan had not responded to India's demand for an end to cross-border terrorism and handing over of 20 wanted fugitives, Fernandes said, "For years we have been fighting cross-border terrorism on a daily basis. It will continue."

Fernandes rejected that the decision had been taken under US pressure and said the NSAB had suggested the pull back after indepth evaluation of the situation.

To a question if New Delhi expected a reciprocal gesture from Islamabad, he said, "We don't interact with Pakistan."

This is the third major step taken by India to de-escalate tensions with Pakitan. India had in May this year withdrawn it warships from forward locations in the Arabian Sea and later lifted the overflight ban on Pakistan planes, a move which has so far not been reciprocated by Islamabad.

Fernandes declined to divulge the cost incurred so far on the forward deployment.

Asked if the country could risk withdrawing troops from the IB in the Jammu sector in the wake of recurring infiltration bids there, the minister said the army would 'take care of these [infiltration]'.

He said, "The CCS, after deliberation upon and examination of all aspects of the continued deployment of our forces along the border, has decided that as the armed forces have, with great distinction, achieved the objective assigned to them, thus upholding all the tradition of the Indian military, they now be asked to redeploy from position on the international border with Pakistan."

Acknowledging its wholehearted appreciation of the conduct of the armed forces, it said the successful completion of the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir 'caps their achievements'.

The Pakistan government declined to react to India's decision, saying it would prefer to wait till it gets all details.

But the United States and Russia welcomed India's decision to withdraw troops and redeploy them to peacetime positions.

"We certainly have been calling for quite some time for lessening of (Indo-Pak) tensions and standing down of military forces. We certainly are happy to hear about the Indian decision," US officials said.

Russia described the decision as a 'major de-escalatory step' and said this should be seen as New Delhi's 'goodwill gesture' towards a new dispensation in post-election Pakistan.

Earlier in the day, the National Security Advisory Board had advised the government to withdraw troops from the international border with Pakistan, while continuing to maintain a 'state of readiness' along the Line of Control.

With inputs from PTI

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