India on Friday made it clear that the deployment of large contingents of paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir state was based on the security situation there and requirements of rotation and that such things are not discussed in the public domain. Sources in the Home Ministry said 10,000 paramilitary personnel were ordered for deployment in the state about a week ago and they are in the process of reaching their destinations. This has apparently led to speculation of induction of additional forces, they said.
"Based on the assessment of the internal security situation, training requirements, the need for paramilitary troops to be rotated for rest and recuperation, induction and de-induction of central forces is a continuous and dynamic process," they said. It has never been the practice to discuss in the public domain the details of deployment and movement of paramilitary forces deployed in a particular theatre, they said.
The Home Ministry's response came after reports on Thursday suggested that 28,000 additional troops are in the process of deployment in Jammu and Kashmir, which is currently under federal Indian rule amidst speculation that the Indian government may plan to do away with Article 35A of the Constitution which gives exclusive rights to the state's residents in government jobs and land and no “outsider” can purchase or own property in the state.
These speculations have dominated the political discourse in Kashmir over the past few days and mainstream political parties such as the National Conference of Farooq Abdullah and the People’s Democratic Party of Mehbooba Mufti, have, however, vowed to resist any such move to tinker with Article 35A.
A delegation comprising National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, his son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and a party lawmaker met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday and urged him not to take any step which may lead to deterioration in the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti had earlier the Indian government of abolishing or diluting Article 35A saying such a move would have severe repercussions in Jammu and Kashmir.
