December 28, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 29, 1429

NEW DELHI, Dec 27: India on Saturday dismissed as “baseless and speculative” reports of moving additional troops to its western borders in the wake of tension with Pakistan, Press Trust of India said.

The Times of India said on Saturday that India’s 2nd Corps from Ambala and 10 Corps from Bhatinda had moved to border areas for an annual exercise. “This comes even as 11 Corps from Jalandhar has already moved for the exercise,” it said.

The newspaper quoted sources close to ground commanders of paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) that guards the border with Pakistan as saying the BSF had sent a report to the federal government giving details of “the movement by Pakistan troops along the border areas.”

These details were discussed at a meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with the country’s chiefs of the armed forces, it said.

The Indian defence ministry made it clear, however, that whatever reports were out about troop movements by India referred to a routine exercise, which was certainly not a response to Pakistan’s reported build-up in Punjab.

“The Army headquarters has termed all such reports as baseless and speculative in nature,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar told PTI.

He said the movements that have been reported were “normal” and “routine” and the army units were currently training at a winter exercise in Rajasthan and Punjab, which they carried out every year.

Other units were moving to Jammu and Kashmir as part of the regular turnover of troops in the state, he said.

“Taking into consideration the climatic conditions of Rajasthan throughout the year, winter months are the best months for troops to practice manoeuvres and hence these annual training exercises,” Mr Kar was quoted as saying.

The government also slammed reports of army units replacing BSF troopers along the international border with Pakistan.

It said the responsibility to guard the border remained with the BSF. “There is no change in the peacetime deployment orders issued to the army formations as of today,” Mr Kar said.