Author: Manu Pubby
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: March 13, 2009
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/valley-violence-at-alltime-low-army-starts-to-thin-out-troops/433885/
With violence levels in the Valley at an all-time
low, the Army is relocating and thinning out troops engaged in counter-terrorism
operations in Kashmir. Close to 3,000 troops deployed in the Valley have been
relocated to the Line of Control with the Army moving out its 70 Infantry
Brigade from Shopian in south Kashmir.
The move has taken place keeping in mind the
changing "threat perception" in the Valley where militancy-related
incidents have dropped to their lowest since the 1990s when the separatist
movement was at its peak.
The 70 Infantry Brigade was moved out in February,
barely a month after Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said that barring an
odd aberration, violence levels in the state had come down more than 50 per
cent compared to the previous year.
Sources said the headquarters of the Shopian-based
brigade, which played a decisive role in the Kargil conflict, has moved to
Leh. The brigade, whose earlier role was to support the Rashtriya Rifles (RR)
in counter-militancy operations in the Valley, has now been tasked to guard
the border.
"Troop movements or relocations take
place according to the changing security environment. It is a dynamic process,"
a senior Army officer said, confirming that the brigade had been moved out
of the Valley.
Even though infiltration levels came down
65 per cent last year, the Army is looking to strengthen its counter-infiltration
grid along the Line of Control, given the deteriorating situation in Pakistan.
While official figures show that violence
levels are at their lowest, the heavy turnout in the recent Assembly elections
in the state has again underlined that militancy is on the decline in the
Valley. Just over 20 militant-related incidents took place during the elections
as against nearly 150 attacks that marred the 2002 polls. Srinagar, too, has
not witnessed any major Terror strike since 2005.
With violence levels steadily declining, paramilitary
and state police forces are being assigned a larger role in maintaining security
within the state. The Army, for example, has been replaced by paramilitary
forces in major towns.