NEW DELHI, May 6: Defence Minister George Fernandes has ruled out any move to downsize India's army in the wake of nuclear neighbour Pakistan's plans to reduce 50,000 troops, a report said on Thursday.
Mr Fernandes was asked at a press conference in the temple town of Chidambaram, 250km from Madras, if India would reduce the size of its military to match Pakistan's planned troop reduction, the Hindu newspaper said.
"There is no proposal along this line," the paper quoted him as saying. India has the fourth-largest army in the world with 1.32 million troops. "All that Pakistan has done is that it has kept the combat forces intact and cut off the tail.
As far as the combat forces of Pakistan are concerned, the same balance remains," he added. The "tail" refers to those working in logistics and administration.
Last month, Pakistan announced it would reduce the size of its army by 50,000 troops, the first military downsizing in the country's 57-year history. -AFP
