No plans to pull back Indian troops, clarifies Defence Ministry

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New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The Ministry of Defence on Monday rubbished Pakistan media reports, which said that the 'Indian Government may move troops to peace time locations'.

"The report published in Express Tribune, Islamabad edition, dated 14 May 2012, that "India may move troops to peace time locations" is completely incorrect and without any basis. There are no such plans," said a Defence Ministry release.

Media reports earlier said that the Indian Government is likely to pull back troops from what they call 'wartime positions' to which the troops were moved at the working boundary with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

The decision to withdraw troops is among the first substantial overture since India and Pakistan resumed peace talks following the terror strike in 2008 which killed more than 160 people, including foreigners, reports The Express Tribune.

(ANI)

No plans to pull back Indian troops, clarifies Defence Ministry

 

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[The Messiah]

 

[ejazr]

The Siachen leak, the leak that India is withdrawing its troops and the claims that MMS is going to visit later this year all could be coincidence. But interestingly all have

Or it could be a move to show that India is backtracking on negotiations and talks

India rubbishes Pak newspaper report on troop withdrawal plan - The Times of India

That the defence ministry, not known for issuing denials on newspaper reports from across the border, reacted promptly is an indicator that the government is unhappy over the "propaganda'' being floated from across the border.

"Despite Pakistan not delivering on our main concerns on terrorism, there seems to be an attempt to build unrealistic euphoria. At another level, it seems a ruse to portray to the world community that New Delhi is backtracking on agreements it had reached with Islamabad,'' said a senior official.

This comes ahead of the bilateral home secretary and defence secretary-level talks slated for May 24-25 and June 11-12, respectively, in Islamabad. Defence minister A K Antony, in fact, has declared nobody should "expect dramatic results" on the Siachen issue from the 13th round of the defence secretary-level talks next month.

Antony had told Rajya Sabha that India had neither "hardened'' or "softened'' its position and was "standing firmly where we were''. The two sides have to first agree on "authentication'' of respective troop positions on the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) along the Saltoro Ridge, then "delineation on map and ground'' and subsequently the final demarcation of the agreed border. "It's our long-standing considered position,'' said Antony.

Pakistani Army chief Gen Kayani had earlier created a flutter by stating India had "hardened'' its position on the glacial dispute by asking for "demarcation'' instead of the earlier "authentication'' of the AGPL. But Antony said the only way to resolve the long-festering dispute is through the sequential process of proper authentication, delineation and demarcation.

"Despite Pakistan not delivering on our main concerns on terrorism, there seems to be an attempt to build unrealistic euphoria. At another level, it seems a ruse to portray to the world community that New Delhi is backtracking on agreements it had reached with Islamabad,'' said a senior official.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Talk of troop reduction is nonsense with Chinese.In PoK.
This would be a golden opportunity for the communist
Vultures to try something like 62.