Disbelief and relief in both Army and residents as Anantnag pullout begins

At the sector headquarters of Rashtriya Rifles, troops from 5 Para, who had been stationed across South Kashmir, were all set to exit the Valley.

5 Para’s P T R Deepak hoped it was the beginning of a new start, both for his unit and the Kashmiris: ‘‘It’s a very hard life here, days and nights are tense. Let us pray that our pull-out will put an end to violence and return peace to the Valley. We want Kashmiris to live peacefully. For my family, it’s a dream come true. They are so happy to know that I am moving to Agra.’’

Deepak was one of the 2,000 soldiers who were moving out today. Their departure will be followed by a phased reduction of troops from other parts of Kashmir. As the convoy of trucks and jeeps left the heavily fortified Army compound at Khanbal with soldiers waving at onlookers, people watched in disbelief. ‘‘For the first time in my life, I genuinely believe that both India and Pakistan are serious about resolving the Kashmir issue. I am an old man, I have watched leaders fooling us. But Musharraf and Manmohan Singh seem to be serious about putting an end to this hatred. It has damaged us all,’’ Bhat said.

Mechanic Shakil Ahmad, who has a shop near the Army complex, was all for the new CBM: ‘‘This should not stop here. Manmohan Singh should declare that more troops will be pulled out. It will restore faith in Delhi’s peace process. This time, it has to work.’’