New Delhi: India on October 16 announced withdrawal of troops from the international border (IB) with Pakistan.

"There will be no lowering of vigil in Jammu and Kashmir", Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters in New Delhi after a 90-minute meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) presided by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

"The CCS, after deliberation upon and examination of all aspects of continued deployment of our security forces along the border, has decided that as the armed forces have achieved the objective assigned to them, they now be asked to be redeployed from positions on the international border with Pakistan without impairing their capacity to respond decisively to any emergency," Fernandes said in a statement.

Replying to a question, Fernandes ruled out resumption of dialogue with Pakistan unless cross-border terrorism stops completely.

The Chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy would now be instructed accordingly by the Defence Minister, the statement said.

Acknowledging its wholehearted appreciation of the conduct of the armed forces, it said the successful completion of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir" caps their achievements."

The CCS was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, the three Services Chiefs and other top officials.

Earlier in the day, a full meeting of the National Security Advisory Board with National Security Council was presided by the Prime Minister.

PTI