File photo: Indian jawans patrolling the Line of Control
India's Parliament has, in a resolution, strongly rejected the one passed by the Pakistan National Assembly yesterday, which blames India for aggression along the Line of Control or LoC. (
Read the text of the resolution)
India's resolution, passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, says: "This House rejects and deplores the resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on Aug 13, 2013, and the Provincial Assembly of Punjab which makes absolutely baseless and unfounded allegations against the Indian Army and the people of India. There should be absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind including members of the Pakistan National Assembly that it was the Pakistan army that was involved in the unprovoked attack on an Indian army patrol."
India also hit back at Islamabad's mention of Kashmir: "... the entire state of Jammu & Kashmir, including the territory forcibly and illegally occupied by Pakistan is an integral part of India, and will always remain so," the resolution said.
Pakistan's resolution had extended support to the "struggle of the Kashmiri people".
While India's resolution is tough, there are voices calling for restraint and urging the two countries to keep talking.
In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would try to ease tensions with India after talks with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. But he also raked up Kashmir, saying: "We hope that the UN will play its due role in resolving the Kashmir dispute."
Islamabad continues to deny any "involvement" of its Army in the killing of five Indian soldiers at the LoC in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, on August 6. Pakistan's envoy to India, Salman Bashir, said today, that "it is very difficult to say how this incident happened, but we are very confident that there is no involvement of Pakistan Army in the incident. And there is a need to see it with an open mind."
The political and diplomatic freeze comes at a time when the ceasefire along the Line of Control faces a serious threat after 10 years. In the last one week alone, Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire eight times.
India has made it clear that talks are possible only in an environment free from violence and terror.