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| PM responds to Mufti’s letter as Center discusses troop relocation | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 25: Even as the Central government today sat down to discuss possibilities of relocation of troops in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reported to have ‘warmly’ replied a ‘tough’ letter of former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Amidst the Shopian fiasco, the Mufti had earlier this month written to the Prime Minister a heavily loaded letter captioned “are we loosing way in Kashmir”. The Prime Minister, sources said, has replied to Mufti’s letter acknowledging his ‘major’ role in process of reconciliation in Kashmir and promised to take on board his inputs in taking the key decisions.
Meanwhile, the issue of relocation of troops in Jammu and Kashmir topped the agenda of Unified Commanders’ Conference which begin in New Delhi today. Top commanders of three services are also discussing integrated war fighting capabilities and the key achievements and progress made by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and tri-service implications.
Following massive anti-government protests across Kashmir Valley and an intense pressure from the US, Home Ministry is believed to be working on a road map to contemplate thinning down Army presence in Jammu and Kashmir. Though, Army top brass wants to defer any such decision till September, there is possibility of the issue being discussed threadbare at the commanders’ conference.
Americans have been asking India privately to respond to Pakistan moving several battalions from its border with India to Afghanistan
and for its operations against the Taliban. “Their argument is that Pakistani support is necessary for cleaning up Afghanistan,” sources here said.
Other key factors include decrease in militancy related incidents and public outcry against the presence of forces in Kashmir Valley. Even
“We have to respond to the improving situation in Kashmir,” a senior official at the Home Ministry said. The number of violent incidents until May 31 had dropped 30 per cent to 186 against 270 last year. Similarly, the number of infiltrations had dropped: In May, only six terrorists entered Kashmir compared to the 40 last year.
Home Ministry road map includes moving the Army out of major cities, and let the state police or the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) take charge. The arrangement has, however, failed to work in Srinagar city, where the CRPF replaced Border Security Force (BSF) two years ago. In absence of any intelligence wing, the CRPF has been involved in blind operations and excessive human rights abuses.
An official said a three-stage process was being planned: thinning Army presence, reducing CRPF personnel, and finally, giving the state police a hand in security matters.
“The CRPF has not been very impressive. Look at the Shopian rape and murder. They mishandled it. Earlier, we could not trust the state police but today the situation is different,” he said.
The Army commanders while agreeing that militancy level has come down doesn’t agree with the Home Ministry assessment. They maintain that right time for reduction is when militancy is reduced to zero level on a sustained basis. They believe once Army is withdrawn, it is difficult to re-deploy them if situation goes out of hand. They, however, agree rearranging responsibilities with the state police and the CRPF.
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