India starts troop pullout

A battalion of Indian occupation paratroopers pulled out from northern occupied Kashmir town on Wednesday, the first Indian occupation soldiers to leave the volatile state, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hinted at further reductions. One thousand occupation paratroopers, dressed in Khaki, left in a convoy of trucks and buses bound for the northern Indian city of Agra, officers said.
"Consequent to the announcement made by (the) prime minister on the reduction of troops deployed in (occupied) Kashmir, the first batch of troops commenced de-induction from the valley on November 17," Defence Spokesman R.K. Sen said.
"These troops will be relocated outside Jammu and Kashmir," he said. The withdrawal coincides with a visit on Wednesday and Thursday to occupied Kashmir by Manmohan Singh to win "hearts and minds."
The prime minister said he held out hope for further troop reductions if violence subsided in the strife-torn region.
"We are working with Pakistan to put an end to senseless violence," Manmohan said soon after arriving in occupied Srinagar.
"I have already given instructions to reduce troops in occupied Kashmir and if violence goes down and if infiltration ends, it will become easier for me to reduce forces further," he said.
Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, hinted in comments to the NDTV channel that the troop cuts could include units on the Line of Control (LoC).
The occupation paratroopers withdrawn on Wednesday had been stationed at occupied Anantnag, 50km south of occupied Srinagar, for the last six months.
Before departing, trooper Balu Shinde said his battalion had served 'happily' in the region for the last six months. "We have to obey orders from seniors. We have been told to leave so we are leaving.
"People have been very friendly to us and we will miss them," Shinde said.
Military experts say India has about 250,000 troops in occupied Kashmir.
Occupied Kashmir's puppet chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed earlier told reporters that the people in the region were 'happy' at the pullout.
"It should have an impact on the overall situation in the state," he said. "Armies cannot resolve the problems related to hearts of people."
Sayeed said: "Now we expect a reciprocal step by Pakistan. There should be no violence (in occupied Kashmir), there is no reason for it."
Shabir Ahmed, a shopkeeper just outside the army camp, said the move would help in boosting peace in occupied Kashmir.