"Time not ripe to scale down the level of troops in Kashmir":COAS

Bangalore, Aug 17 (UNI) Chief of Army Staff General J J Singh today said that the time was not ripe to scaledown the level of troops in Kashmir.

Speaking to newsmen after flying the mechanised version of indigenous Advanced Flight Helicopter Dhruv at the Helicopter Division of the HAL here, he said that Kashmir is a border State and the border issues has remained unresolved with both China and Pakistan where the country's have different perceptions.

He said there was no increase in the level of troops in Kashmir but there had been replacement of battalions.

General Singh said that " when you have armed terrorists infiltrating into India how do you expect the Indian army to reduce the troop level. When there are teething problems like terrorists coming across the border and serious law and order problem in the hinter land of Kashmir and the unresolved border issues it will not be possible to reduce the troop level in Kashmir in the near feature." "I do not understand why the media is raking up this issue again and again. Army is given the task of guarding the borders of the country and we are doing just that.", he added.

However, he said that confidence building measures was continuing and the country was engaged in dialogue with its neighbours in the West (China) and North (Pakistan). It was heartening that the cease fire has been honoured for the last three years, bus and train services were being run between the two countries. The army to army problems were being solved in the flag level meetings.

He said that the army was proud of the indigenous defence based industry "we want to give them maximum encouragement to produce guns aircraft and ships and sufficiently be well equipped when the nation is challenged.

He said that HAL has done a great job in developing aircraft and equipment for the armed forces. "ALH has inspired me. I first flew on this machine during operation "Parakram" in Rajasthan. Now I am glad that we will have weaponsied version of the ALH by the middle of next year. The Indian army will have the third squadron of 40 weaponsined ALH.

He said that teething problems faced earlier has been solved by the HAL. The fan dampner and aris dampner had done the trick. Now the ALH is as good as any other helicopter you can get in the world.

"The prototype of weaponised ALH will take time to mature but I am confident that it will meet the challenges faced by the army. ALH fitted with Shakthi engine will be inducted after the weaponsied version comes into the army", he added.

UNI