A proposal to remove the Indian Army from the Valley hinterland is currently being discussed, The Indian Express reported.
The Army will only be present along the Line of Control (LoC) if approved.
According to representatives of the security establishment, the proposal to remove the Army from the hinterland of Kashmir has been discussed for about two years and is currently in an “advanced stage” with the participation of the J-K police, the armed forces, the Union Ministry of Defence, and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The idea is that the CRPF would step in to handle the responsibilities of maintaining law and order as well as anti-militancy operations in place of the army men who are likely to be withdrawn from the Valley, the report added.
As per reports, the matter is under discussion at the ministerial level. As per bureaucratic discussions, the phased withdrawal is practical, but the ultimate decision will be a political call.
Over 60,000 CRPF members are reportedly on duty in Jammu Kashmir, more than 45,000 of whom are stationed in the Kashmir Valley.
The JK Police has 83,000 members, as per the report.
A few companies from different Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are still stationed in the Valley aside from this. The number of CAPFs varies according to the Valley’s security situation.
The purpose of the discussions is to not only assert but also demonstrate that life is normal in Kashmir. According to the authorities, since August 5, 2019, compared to the prior period, terrorist violent occurrences and the killing of security personnel in J&K have decreased by over 50 percent.