Secret troop withdrawal in J&K on: BJP

The BJP today accused the Centre of withdrawing troops from at least 37 places in Jammu and Kashmir, even before the committee set up with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to look into the matter could meet.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said what the party objected to was the timing of the withdrawal, which was just before the summer influx of infiltrators from across the border.

"Troop reduction, particularly from the hilly areas of the Jammu region, is continuing unabated," he said.

"The whole 27th division of 10,000 troops is being ordered out of Rajouri. More serious is the development in the Hillkaka region, the site of Operation Sarp Vinash launched by the NDA government in 2003 to flush out infiltrators. Here, most small posts have been withdrawn and main posts vacated," he said.

"The troops have been moved out of Mendhar, which is a strong centre for terrorists, and which saw tension after an attempt by militants to acquire land to build a Madrassa," he said.

"The withdrawal of troops even as the defence minister says that no such thing is taking place is confusing. We demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh give an unambiguous explanation about the parleys he has had with People's Democratic Party chief Mufti Mohammad Sayyed," he said.

"The PDP has been claiming that the Centre has agreed for removal of troops from public places and the removal of Governor SK Sinha," he said.