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Fernandes to visit border outposts

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 3 . Even as the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, continued to urge the Centre to either move forward the troops massed on the border with Pakistan or de-escalate the military build-up, the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, has decided to visit Srinagar tomorrow.

Mr. Fernandes is slated to attend the meeting of the Unified Command at Srinagar, hold talks with Dr. Abdullah and tour border outposts on the Line of Control (LoC), according to an official news release here.

Mr. Fernandes' visit gains significance in the wake of reports that infiltration from across the border is continuing.

The security establishment is also apprehensive that the onset of summer could see an escalation in terrorist violence.

Also, Dr. Abdullah, in his meetings with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today and the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, on Tuesday evening, is said to have informed them that Jammu and Kashmir's anti-terrorist security grid had been affected because of the deployment of troops on the borders.

Maintaining that the tension on the border could not be allowed to linger on, Dr. Abdullah said the time had come for the Centre to take a decision on either teaching Pakistan a "lesson" or de-escalate the military build-up.

He also sought more security personnel to meet all contingencies and demanded additional funds to deal with the situation arising out of the displacement of thousands of families from the border areas."Some funds have to flow to the State Government to meet the demands of people, who were displaced following the escalation of tension at the border."

Dr. Abdullah's quest for funds comes against the backdrop of the Defence Ministry releasing funds to Rajasthan and Punjab to compensate farmers whose crops were destroyed or whose lands were rendered uninhabitable.

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