|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
By Category |
 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
India On Media |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Others
News |
|
| Time not ripe for demilitarisation |
| Lt General H S Panag said there are close to 1500 militants still active in the state and army is still needed to fight them.
|
| INDIA
, 12-April-2007
3:20:29 AM |
| The PDP, led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, may be demanding demilitarisation but the Northern Army commander, in charge of operations in Jammu and Kashmir, has said the time is not ripe for reducing troops from the state.
Lt General H S Panag said there are close to 1500 militants still active in the state and army is still needed to fight them.
He said the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is intact and there was no truth in the reports that troop reduction has already started from some areas of the state.
Excerpts from the interview:
NDTV: There is a talk about demilitarization or army going back to the barracks, is it militarily feasible right now to take back the army from remote areas, professionally speaking?
Lt General Panag: Purely from the point of view of terrorist activities and the fact that there are anything between 1200 to 1500 militants which are present in Jammu and Kashmir and the terrorist operations which are conducted in populated areas cannot be conducted like military operations so that requires the presence and domination of the army in the areas where the terrorists come and take help of the villagers, specially the villages that are on the fringes towards the forest areas.
So this entire area has to be kept dominated and as long as this number of terrorist or even if they reduce a little tomorrow as long as the shadow of the guns remains and the terrorists can operate in these areas the time is not ripe for the army to be withdrawn.
NDTV: There are also reports that certain amount of troops have actually been moved from Budhal and other areas to the LoC, what the status right now?
Lt General Panag: No, nothing of the sort. The army is still dominating all the areas. Yes, because of the winters at times we carry out a certain amount of readjustment in the higher reaches because of the snow levels we can't operate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENTS
Free offer!!! Become an administrator for your zip home page, "Post" local news (local to your postcode)& pictures, "Post" advertisement banners from local companies. Make Extra money.
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
|
