New Delhi: Reduction of troops in Jammu and Kashmir would take place only if terrorist acts ceased, clarified Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, saying, the Indian Army was not an 'army of occupation'.
The statement, attributed to Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq that withdrawal of troops would be the first step towards finding a durable and acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue, is 'mere speculation', said Singh.
''These are all speculation,'' the Prime Minister told reporters after releasing the book, ''The Cultural Heritage of India Volume VII (Part One) '', edited by art historian Kapila Vatsyayan.
''We do not want to keep our forces there. Our forces are there to protect the life and liberty of the law-abiding people of the state,'' as quoted by UNI, Singh said at the function at his official residence.
''If terrorist acts cease, we will reduce our troops,'' he added.
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