India to cut IHK forces by 25 percent

India will reduce its security forces by a quarter in occupied Kashmir, where a two-decade insurgency has declined in intensity, the country's top home ministry official said on Friday. Speaking at a university seminar on Kashmir in the Indian capital, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said the government was looking at cutting troops by "25 percent in 12 months from populated areas."
"If we can manage with local police, that would be the most ideal situation, and this is one of the confidence-building measures - that people don't get harassed by the over-presence of security forces," Pillai said.