Roundup: India Takes Step in Military De-Escalation

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Roundup: India Takes Step in Military De-Escalation

In a bid to further ease tensions in south Asia, India Tuesday took its first step towards military de-escalation by ordering warships to move away from forward patrolling near Pakistan shoreline.

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In a bid to further ease tensions in south Asia, India Tuesday took its first step towards military de-escalation by ordering warships to move away from forward patrolling near Pakistan shoreline.

"Warships of the western Naval fleet which were patrolling different areas of northern Arabian sea have been recalled to their base as per the government decision", a Navy spokesman said hours before U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit here.

He said that the warships, which include Russian acquired Kashin class Missile destroyers, Indigenous Godavari and Delhi class multi-purpose frigates as well as Missile corvettes have started moving back and are expected in Mumbai within two days.

The warships which are on their way back include the additionalNaval flotilla from the Eastern Naval command, which had moved from Bay of Bengal to Arabian sea to bolster the Western Naval fleet, he added.

Defense sources said Tuesday's decision indicated a clear shiftfrom an "offensive to a defensive posture" by the armed forces, which have been in a high state of alert since the December 13 attack on India's Parliament blamed on Pakistan-based militants groups.

Despite the pullback, defense sources said that the armed forces would remain in a "high state of readiness" to mount a quick response if the situation on the border took a turn for the worse.

Meanwhile, official sources said that India is considering sending its High Commissioner back to Islamabad as part of its calibrated steps to de-escalate tensions.

However, with Rumsfeld scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other top leaders Wednesday, India opposed any move for a helicopter-borne international force to monitor infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir, saying joint patrolling with Pakistan would be the "best" way.

"There is nothing to suggest that this is a proposal that has been made. The government's views on the issue of patrolling, verification and monitoring along the Line of Control (LoC) have been very well articulated," an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.

She was responding to a question on a report published in "The Times" in London that Rumsfeld would propose to India an airborne international monitoring mechanism of the LoC, a move which has the backing of Washington's closest ally Britain.

India and Pakistan had massed nearly a million troops, backed by artillery, tanks and combat jets, along their border over the past five months.

Following a spurt of attacks on a bus and an army camp in Jammulast month, India had rushed more troops to the border in Gujarat,Rajasthan and Punjab states to increase pressure on Pakistan to end its support to trans-border militants attacks.

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