India to Cut Troops in Kashmir

Posted on Jan 14, 2011

AP / Mukhtar Khan

A Kashmiri Muslim girl confronts an Indian soldier during a 2006 search operation in Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley.

In an attempt to rebuild relations with restive Kashmir, one of the world’s most militarized regions, the Indian government has declared that it will cut its troop levels there by 25 percent over the next 12 months.

Relations between India and mostly Muslim Kashmir have worsened in the wake of a violent uprising against Indian rule last year. —JCL

Al-Jazeera English:

India plans to reduce its security forces by a quarter in the Himalayan region of Kashmir to ease conditions for locals in one of the world’s most militarised areas, a senior official has said.

The announcement made by G K Pillai, India’s home secretary, was intended to rebuild fractured public goodwill after a violent uprising by young people in the Muslim-majority region last year.

Speaking at a university seminar in New Delhi on Friday, Pillai said the government was looking to cut troops by “25 per cent in 12 months from populated areas.”

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