Srinagar, Apr 6: Union Home Secretary GK Pillai has said that there will be no troop cut in Jammu and Kashmir for the next six months as the government will “wait and watch” before taking any steps on further reduction of troops in view of the upsurge in violence and infiltration.
“We had a plan for further reduction of troops from Jammu and Kashmir. But we will wait and watch for the next six months and decide to see if any more forces should be withdrawn depending on the situation,” Pillai told a Delhi-based news service.
“The decision to put a brake on the withdrawal of troops comes in the wake of fresh violence in the state and increase in infiltration,” he said.
“Nearly 10 battalions of paramilitary troopers and two brigades of army have moved out of the state,” Pillai said.
“But till September 30 it is unlikely that there will be further reduction. We will want the situation to stabilize. We are seeing high-level infiltration. Between now and September we will review the situation. I don’t think there will be any further reduction till then,” he said.
Pillai said the overall situation in the state was not so disturbing given the fact that security forces have been able to take on militants in the hinterlands before they succeeded in moving into populated areas.
“The overall situation is good” barring the increase in infiltration levels. We have adequate forces to deal with infiltration. We have got a bulk of them (militants) in the hinterlands and not allowed them to go to populated areas,” he said.
 The government was also aiming to create a sense of freedom for the people of the state by taking security forces out of schools, colleges and other government buildings, and this process will start from May 1, he said.
 “We still have forces in schools. We want to get them out so that children go to schools. From May 1 we will remove them.”
 This, he said, would give Kashmiris a freedom to “feel like the rest of India”.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST