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| Troops Reduction Home Ministry says yes, Defence Ministry says no | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 15: The UPA Government is in complete disarray. There is no coordination between the crucial ministries dealing with the country's internal and external security. The situation has turned so bad that the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry are taking diametrically opposite stands on presence of the Army in the terrorist-infested troubled Jammu and Kashmir in general and the Kashmir Valley in particular. Even more alarming perhaps is the fact that the Home Ministry has virtually intruded in the domain of Defence Ministry, thus making the confusion worse confounded and sending a wrong signal. It's no wonder then that the Chief of the Army Staff, General V K Singh, has come down heavily on the Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai without, of course, naming him and making it loud and clear that he did not share the Home Ministry's perception on the security scenario in the state, particularly Kashmir.
Take, for example, what happened yesterday. The Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai, sprang a big surprise and announced in the Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi, that there could be 25 per cent reduction in the number of troops deployed in Kashmir." He gave the argument that the situation in Kashmir has improved a lot and the reduction in the number of troops would be a great confidence-building measure. "As a confidence-building measure in Jammu and Kashmir, the strength of the security forces would come down by 25 per cent in the next 12 months, especially from populated areas to ensure people do not feel harassed by the over-presence of security forces," he, in fact, said.
Underline the words confidence-building measure and harassment due to the over presence of security forces. There is no need to reflect on the implications of what Pillai said, as his formulations are self-explanatory. Suffice it to say that what Pillai said was what the Kashmiri separatists and the so-called mainstream politicians in the Valley have been consistently saying. That he expressed these views in a seminar only suggests that the Union Home Ministry is contemplating a move designed to appease the secessionists by lowering guard in the highly disturbed Kashmir Valley, where the government's writ doesn't really run.
It was expected that the Defence Ministry would sharply react to what the Home Secretary said and it really happened. The Army Chief took no time in putting things in perspective and said in unequivocal terms that "we have not yet felt that we have to cut down our forces. If they (Home Ministry) want to cut down paramilitary and police forces, I won't say anything…So when that is done, it will be ensured that extra-pressure is not brought on our already-stretched deployment there." Not just this, he also told reporters that the "Army is not aware of any troop reduction plan" and that "he is sure that any step in this direction would be taken in consultation with the Unified Command headquarters operating in Jammu and Kashmir."
The upshot of his whole argument was that "as far as the number of armed forces personnel is concerned, there is no need to reduce their presence…With regard to the army, we have deployed troops after analysing our requirements on the border and the Line of Control (with Pakistan). Similarly, in the interior areas, to maintain peace and to carry out operations against militants, we have some troops. As of now, we do not feel we should reduce the numbers."
The declaration made by the Home Secretary and the stand taken by the Army chief on this security-related issue should leave no one in any doubt that the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry are pulling in different directions. This doesn't augur well for the country. The situation in Kashmir is volatile. The separatists and their supporters in the establishment are doing their best to spoil the Indian pitch in the Valley. The situation as it exists in Kashmir requires both the ministries to work in tandem so that those posing threat to the internal and external threat are neutralized and the people's confidence restored in the system. What is immediately required is a meeting between the concerned officials of both the ministries so that they reach a consensus on the issue. They should not go public in the manner the Union Home Secretary did. It is also time for the Prime Minister to intervene and clear the confusion created by the Home secretary. After all, he is the chief executive head. |
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