We can consider troops reduction if terror stops:PM

Srinagar, May 25 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government could consider reducing the strength of troops in Jammu and Kashmir if terrorism was under control and declared that it was ready to talk to anyone who abandoned violence to faciliate a resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Addressing a press conference at the end of the second two-day roundtable on Kashmir, he said ''we can consider all options, including the reduction of troops, if the terrorist acts go down.'' Answering a question on whether the Centre would consider a ceasefire in order to create a ''conducive'' atmosphere for militants to participate in the talks, Dr Singh said the Centre was ''ready to talk to anybody who shuns violence and abandons the path of terror.'' However, without directly responding to whether a ceasefire could be considered, the Prime Minister said that ''ways and means'' to hold talks could be worked out.

He noted that the security personnel were tasked with protecting the life and property of the inhabitants of the state. ''If the basic cause (for their stay) is removed, all options can be considered,'' he added.

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