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Clean chit to Pak Army - Apologise : Oppn
The Congress-led UPA government has landed itself in a mess with the controversial statement made by Defence Minister A K Antony, who allegedly gave an escape route to Pakistan by not naming the Pakistan Army for the killings of five Indian soldiers along the LoC in the Poonch Sector on Tuesday. Antony’s statement, “The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms,” paralysed both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, with the BJP-led Opposition demanding an apology from the Defence Minister.
- Army said there were Pak soldiers along with terrorists
- BJP slams UPA govt for misleading the nation
- Asks Antony to apologise to nation
Antony’s statement, “The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms,” paralysed both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, with the BJP-led Opposition demanding an apology from the Defence Minister. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj raised the issue in Parliament, pointing out the contradiction in the statements made by the Indian Army and the Defence Minister. While the Indian Army, in its press note, specifically mentioned, “The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with the soldiers of Pak Army,” Defence Minister A K Antony tried to shield Pakistan from the blame by stating that the persons were dressed in Army uniforms.
He said that Antony’s remarks had given an opportunity to Pakistan to say that they were non-state actors. “It provides an escape route to Pakistan, which always says that not Army but non-state actors are behind such attacks.”
According to Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, "The Defence Minister has made a very clear statement in the House. Now, the Army Chief has gone to the spot and whatever information he will get that will be conveyed to the nation.” He said that "Violation of the LoC will not be allowed at any cost." Similarly, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid blamed the Opposition for unnecessarily raising the pitch over the issue. He said that Pakistan was exploiting the divide inside Indian Parliament.
Later in the evening, senior BJP leaders, including party chief Rajnath Singh, L K Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the land boundary agreement issue with Bangladesh, at the latter’s invitation. The issue of the killings of five Indian soldiers along the LoC was also raised. The BJP demanded clarification from the Defence Minister on the issue as to whether or not the Pakistan Army was involved in the attack.
<span style="--"font-size:" 12px;--"="">While the BJP is demanding stalling of the dialogue process with Pakistan, the UPA government is keen to go ahead with it, saying that it is only through talks that they can register their protest. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are likely to hold talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September-end.
