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The National Security Advisory Board has advised the government to start calibrated withdrawal of troops from the international border with Pakistan while continuing to maintain a 'state of readiness' along the Line of Control.
The board, comprising some 20 independent security analysts, interacted for two and a half hours on Wednesday morning with the National Security Council headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The NSAB said a detailed cost-benefit analysis showed that it would not be prudent to continue the full-scale deployment along the western frontier. Convenor C V Ranganathan, a former ambassador to China, said in his presentation that the country had squeezed the maximum benefit out of the deployment and the law of diminishing returns had kicked in. Continuing to maintain a state of high alert would only have negative fallout on troop morale, the national economy, and the goodwill India enjoys in the international community.
The board, which briefed the NSC for the first time after the Kargil conflict, said the government should look at withdrawing some mechanised divisions from the border in the first phase and relaxing the alert level.
"We were unanimous in our recommendation," an NSAB member told rediff.com after the meeting. "But ours is only a recommendation; the final decision has to be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security."
The board is called upon to give its recommendation on key security matters whenever the government so desires.
Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Defence Minister George Fernandes, the chiefs of all three defence services, representatives of all intelligence agencies, and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra were present to hear out the NSAB. They questioned the board members closely on their analysis.
General Ved Prakash Malik, former army chief and a member of the NSAB, spoke at length on the various aspects of troop deployment. The board also gave its observations on the post-election scenario in Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan.
The CCS headed by Vajpayee and comprising Advani, Fernandes, Sinha, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant, and other invitees is meeting at 1800 IST on Wednesday to take a final decision on the deployment, which officially ends on October 31.
EARLIER REPORT: Government advised to withdraw troops from border
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