Indian Troops to Remain at Border With Pakistan: Minister

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 20, 2002

Indian Troops to Remain at Border With Pakistan: Minister

Indian troops will remain along the frontier with Pakistan till Islamabad takes steps to address New Delhi's concerns about cross-border terrorism, DefenceMinister George Fernandes said Tuesday.

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Indian troops will remain along the frontier with Pakistan till Islamabad takes steps to address New Delhi's concerns about cross-border terrorism, DefenceMinister George Fernandes said Tuesday.

"The troops were deployed in a certain situation and the situation still remains. We laid down some conditions and they still haven't been fulfilled. The troops will remain there," Fernandes told reporters after opening Defexpo 2002, one of the region's largest defense exhibitions.

The five-day event, organized jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indian defense ministry, showcases the country's defense production capabilities and seeks to attractprivate investment in the sector, which was deregulated last month.

India and Pakistan had mobilized troops along their 2,900 km border following the tension triggered by the December 13 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. New Delhi blamed the attack on two terrorist outfits based in Pakistan.

Fernandes acknowledged that the cost of moving the troops therehad been "very high." "Moving the troops has cost a lot of money. Moving them back will also cost a lot of money," he said.

He dismissed reports that prolonged deployment was affecting the troops' morale. "There are no morale problems. The morale is still very high," said Fernandes, who had recently visited forwardlocations on the western border.

He said no exercises were being planned by the forces at the current juncture due to the deployment along the border.

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