RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: President Gen Pervez Musharraf presided over a meeting of corps commanders here on Monday which reviewed the process of troop withdrawal from border by India and Pakistan.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, press secretary to the president, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said that Pakistan was making sure that while its troops were returning to their normal position, certain amount of force should continue to be there for defence purposes.

He said that the meeting was told that the Indians were also returning to their previous positions.

However, he said, he could not give the exact number of men being withdrawn due to security reasons. “This cannot be shared with anybody,” said Gen Qureshi, who is also the director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations.

In reply to a question, he said the military authorities knew that how far the Indians had gone back. “But again I cannot give you the details as it’s an strategic matter,” he added.

According to an ISPR handout, the meeting while reviewing the process of de-escalation appreciated the efficiency and smoothness with which the Pakistan armed forces had accomplished the task assigned to them.

Addressing the meeting, the president said that during the recent escalation along with Line of Control, working boundary and international borders, Indian attempts to coerce Pakistan were thwarted by the resolve, professional competence and above all the unswerving faith in the country’s defence forces.

He reiterated Pakistan’s position that all outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Kashmir, should be resolved through dialogues between Pakistan and India and regretted Indian obstinacy in this regard.

Gen Musharraf said that Pakistan’s armed forces had proved once again that they were a coordinated fighting outfit fully capable of defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.