Pakistan to withdraw all troops from IB

by AFP, The Times of India, 22 October 2002

 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday that all of its troops would be pulled back from its internationally-recognised border with India, but refused to specify numbers.

"Pakistan will withdraw all its troops to peacetime locations," military spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi said.

He was unable to give a timetable for the withdrawals.

Pakistan announced the troop withdrawal on Thursday in response to India's decision a day earlier to demilitarise the international border, signalling the biggest step towards de-escalation in the tense 10-month military standoff.

Neither country, however, intends to reduce troops along the Line of Control.

"It is India that had massed troops on our borders," Qureshi said.

"We committed that for every one step India would take Pakistan would take two. (This withdrawal) is more than two in fact."

The spokesman would not say how many troops would be pulled back from battle-ready positions, deeming such information classified.

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