Time not right for pulling out Army: Omar
The security situation of Jammu and Kashmir is not yet conducive for moving the Army out of the state, said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here on Tuesday, pointing out that demilitarisation will take time.
The Chief Minister was speaking on the occasion of the dedication of a war memorial to the nation in Jammu. The war memorial, Balidan Sthambh, was dedicated by Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and accepted by the Chief Minister on behalf of the people of the state.
Omar said that although the Armys primary task was to take care of the border and the Line of Control (LoC), it has been in Jammu and Kashmir for the past 21 years on account of the internal situation of the state arising out of the prevailing militancy in the state.
Omar said that during the past 21 years, the Army has helped the state in many ways, not just in maintaining security and law and order. The Army has always been with the people in any kind of major crisis arising out of natural calamities and disasters or any other eventuality.
Although the Army may also be willing to go back to its primary task of managing and protecting countrys border, the internal security situation of the state is not so conductive for their moving out of the state and the Army is needed to maintain the internal security situation in the state, he said.
He pointed out that there would be timely reduction in the Armys presence in the state when the security situation normalises. There has been marked improvement in the security situation and efforts are underway to bring about a situation of peace and tranquility so that the management of internal security situation is entrusted to the paramilitary forces and the state police, he said.
There was a massive political clamour demanding demilitarisation. I met Gen Deepak Kapoor on Tuesday morning and we both agreed that we will look at a programme to reduce the footprints of the Army and giving a greater role to paramilitary forces and the state police, he added.
2,500 terrorists waiting to cross over: Army Chief
JAMMU: About 2,500 terrorists are waiting to sneak into J&K from across the border, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said here on Tuesday, pointing out that while ceasefire violations have come down, attacks on security forces have increased in the past few months. Kapoor said the terrorists are waiting for the right time to cross into India at various terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. However, he said the security forces were ready to foil any infiltration bid.