Reduction of troops in Kashmir all speculation: PM

New Delhi, Mar 3 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Indian Army was not an ''army of occupation'', but the reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir would take place only if terrorist acts ceased.

He termed mere speculation the statement attributed to Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq that withdrawal of troops would be the first step towards finding a durable and acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue.

''These are all speculation,'' Dr Singh told reporters after releasing the book, ''The Cultural Heritage of India Vol. VII (Part One), edited by art historian Kapila Vatsyayan.

''We do not want to keep our forces there.... Our forces are there to protect the life and liberty of the law-abiding people of the state,'' Dr Singh said at the function at his official residence.

''If terrorist acts cease, we will reduce our troops,'' he added.

UNI