India withdraws troops from Kashmir

The Pakistani government welcomed the decision of the Indian prime minister to reduce troops in the India-held Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week promised to reduce troops in the India-held &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/2002/01/16/25707.html' target=_blank>Kashmir, though he failed to make it clear how many troops would be removed. As the first step, a battalion of Indian paratroopers left the town of Anantnag on Wednesday.

Further troop reductions are possible if the violence of the past 15 years ends, said Singh soon after arriving in Srinagar Wednesday for his first visit since taking office in May, informs Xinhua.

According to Sun Network, singh was told that 54 attempts of infiltration were made till November this year against 157 last year. The Prime Minister was also informed that around 350 militants were stationed at launching pads across the border at various places, waiting for an opportunity to sneak in.