Sources: US asks India to pull back troops

Friday, March 20, 2009 at 3:03 am

According to government sources, the United States has asked India to pull back troops along the Indo-Pakistan border as a gesture of goodwill.

India in turn has told America that the country hasn’t moved more troops along the border, and that it was the neighbouring country, Pakistan, that deployed more troops along the Line of Control (LoC), and that America should ask Pakistan to pull back its troops.

Earlier, defence sources said that Pakistan had deployed several army brigades along Indo-Pak border in Jehlum-Chenab and Chenab-Ravi corridors sparking concern in the Indian armed forces.

The forces had been withdrawn from Pakistan’s troubled north-western tribal belt where they were battling Taliban to put pressure on the US, which had been pressing Islamabad to act against terrorists operating from its soil, and diverted to the border with India, they said.

Pakistan had depoyed several brigades (each comprising 4,000 to 6,000 personnel), including 33 brigade, 27 brigade, 7 brigade, 28 brigade, 331 brigade, two battalions (with 1,000 personnel each) of 37 Punjab and 39 Punjab Rawalkote in Hajira, Mandol, Hajipeer, Uri, Bhimber, Nikial, Kotli, Sailkote, Zafarwal, Neelam valley and other areas, sources said.

“The deployment had been a surprising move. It is an area of concern for us,” they said adding that the Pakistani side has already cleaned the bunkers along the borderline.

The sources said “several brigades involved in the war against Taliban in north-western tribal belt had been withdrawn and deployed along Jehlum-Chenab corridor in the past one week.”

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Sources: US asks India to pull back troops

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