Jammu, Dec 11 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir police chief Kuldeep Khoda said Friday that the police were fully prepared to take on the militants on their own strength, official sources said.
The director general of police reportedly made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, who assessed the security situation in the state.

Pillai wanted to know the capability of the Jammu and Kashmir Police to take up the role of fighting insurgents in place of central paramilitary forces.

“We are fully prepared to take up the role of fighting militancy,” the sources quoted Khoda as saying.

The government is pulling out the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from active duty in Jammu and Kashmir in a phased manner and replacing it by the state police.

The sources said police officials also pointed out that because of basic empathy between the locals and the state police, they stood the better chance of gathering information on the militants.

Khoda disclosed that there were 700 active militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the “winter season needed to be watched for infiltration” from Pakistan.

The home secretary also sought details on the security of the Hurriyat Conference leaders after the Dec 4 assassination bid on Fazal Haq Qureshi, a senior Hurriyat leader.