India Allows Troops to Take Leave

16/06/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Indian Army Says Allowing Troops to Take Leave Won't Affect Military Preparedness||Kashmir Resistance Attacks Chief Minister|| No Troops Withdrawals, Says Fernandes|| STORY: India has allowed its troops to go on leave for the first time in nearly six months, in yet another sign its tense military standoff with Pakistan may be easing, officials said on Saturday.

India's announcement was the latest in a series designed to ease tension with its neighbor which until a few days ago threatened to spiral into the world's first nuclear war.

An Indian military official said the move to allow leave was aimed at relieving pressure on its troops, most of whom have braved scorching summer heat for over two months.

"It won't affect our preparedness in any way. In any case, the equipment is all ready and deployed. Giving a couple of weeks off will only give troops some relief," said the official, who asked not to be named.

KASHMIR RESISTANCE ATTACKS CHIEF MINISTER

India's announcement on the troops' leave came on the same day as the chief minister of India's Jammu and Kashmir state escaped an attempt on his life. Two grenades were fired at a government building that Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was inaugurating in the region's main city, police said.

Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes on Saturday repeated the government's decision not to withdraw the troops and said the army would remain stationed on the border until "the situation warranted it," the Press Trust of India reported.

India has signaled it would not stand down its troops until October, after elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which it views as key to end the 12-year-old revolt in the Muslim-majority region.

PHOTO CAPTION

An Indian soldier guards his position opposite the Pakistani border at the Mendhar sector in the northern state of Kashmir June 14, 2002. India has just begun allowing troops to go on leave for the first time in nearly six months, in yet another sign its tense military standoff with Pakistan may be easing. Photo by B Mathur/R