New Delhi: A meeting of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) began in New Delhi on October 16 to review the issue of deployment of troops along Indo-Pak border made after the December 13 attack on Parliament.

The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, took up for discussion the troop deployment following the conclusion of the electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir and the appeals by the international community for resumption of India- Pakistan dialogue.

Among those present at the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, the three service chiefs, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, Brajesh Mishra and members of the Board.

The troops mobilisation at the border was made in December 2001 in the backdrop of rising Indo-Pak tension after the terrorist attack on Parliament and ever since an estimated six to seven lakh troops have been deployed though from last July armed forces personnel have been allowed leave on compassionate grounds.

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is slated for later in the evening.

PTI