Eight lakh troops presence in J

Srinagar, July 3 (UNI) Hurriyat Conference (moderate faction) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today termed ''unjustified'' deployment of about eight lakh troops in Jammu and Kashmir to fight ''nearly 1500 militants.;; ''For a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, it is important that the presence of troops in the state be reduced,'' the Mirwaiz told a gathering of mourners at the residence of Kashmiri singer Inayatullah Bhat, who was allegedly killed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on Saturday night.

According to Indian Army Chief General J J Singh, he said there were only 1500 militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

''It is totally unjustified that about eight lakh troops fight nearly 1500 militants,'' the Hurriyat Chairman said.

He alleged that every day several innocent civilians continue to get killed by the security forces in ''fake encounters'' and other operations.

About the recently-announced working groups on Kashmir, the Mirwaiz said the resolution of the vexed issue does not lie in good relations between New Delhi and Srinagar.

''The issue concerns 1.5 crore people. We favour good relations between India and Pakistan. But, the Kashmir issue should be resolved on the basis of justice to the people,'' he added.

UNI AG YA VV2057