India announced yesterday it would pull troops back from its Pakistani border and Pakistan followed suit today (see GSN, June 11).

The nuclear-armed rivals, who have been in a tense standoff for almost a year, did not say how many troops would be withdrawn (see GSN, May 22).

India has stationed 700,000 troops on the border since December 2001, while Pakistan has 300,000 troops deployed to counter India.

India’s decision was made Wednesday night and announced by Defense Minister George Fernandes.  Indian troops would not be withdrawn from the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, he said (John Lancaster, Washington Post, Oct. 17).

Pakistan’s pullback to “peace-time locations” will begin soon, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement described India’s action as “a step in the right direction.”

The decision to withdraw forces was made after a meeting with President Musharraf and senior officials, BBC reported (BBC Online, Oct. 17).

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