Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In a significant move, Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday announced that the Centre has withdrawn nearly 30,000 troops from Jammu and Kashmir.
Antony said two Army divisions comprising around 30,000 troops have been moved out of Kashmir in the wake of improvement in the security situation there.
The Centre’s move may be seen by some as caving into the demands of separatist leaders, as well as the United States.
Antony made the announcement just days after Home Minister P Chidambaram informed the Parliament, that troop reduction in Jammu and Kashmir was on the cards considering improvement in the overall security situation in the northern state.
Reacting to Chidambaram’s statement, former state chief minister and Union Minister for New and Renewable Sources of Energy Farooq Abdullah had said that the Home Minister had finally given good news to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Reduction in the number of troops deployed in the state would definitely ease the tensions here and herald the beginning of peace and development in the state," Abdullah had said.
Chidambaram had also remarked that the Central government was ready to speak to all shades of political opinion in the state and was prepared to discuss self-determination, self-rule, autonomy and other such issues.
Chidambaram’s announcement was also welcomed by many other mainstream political parties and politicians, including the opposition People`s Democratic Party (PDP), and former minister and chief of People`s Democratic Front (PDF) Hakim Muhammad Yasin.
Interestingly, most separatist leaders, including those in the moderate Hurriyat group headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, had refused to make any comment on the development then.
The US too had welcomed India`s decision to reduce troop strength in J&K, with a top US military official saying "de-tensioning of that border" is absolutely critical to the long-term stability of the region.
"I really do believe that ‘de-tensioning’ of (Kashmir) border is absolutely critical to long term stability in that region. And it is going to take outreach on the part of both countries (India and Pakistan)," Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.
