Can't take our restraint for granted: Defence Minister AK Antony on ceasefire violations

New Delhi: India's restraint should not be taken for granted, Defence Minister AK Antony warned today in a short statement to Parliament on Pakistan's repeated violation of the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control or LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also said that these incidents and the killing of five Indian jawans on the LoC on August 6 would impact Indo-Pakistan ties. "The guilty", he said, "must not go unpunished."

India has already made clear that there is no question of agreeing to go ahead with talks between the Prime Ministers of the two countries in New York next month in the current environment. Pakistan has made repeated requests that the meeting, on the sidelines of a United Nations session, happen as had been scheduled.

As he had in a previous statement in the Lok Sabha last week, Mr Antony told the Rajya Sabha today, "It is now clear that Pakistani troops were involved (in the August 6 incident). Nothing happens without the facilitation of the Pakistani Army."

A day after the jawans were killed, Mr Antony had controversially said that the soldiers were killed by "men in Pakistani army uniforms."

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He was slammed by an angry Opposition and forced to make another statement to say that special Pakistani troops along with terrorists had attacked the Indian patrol team.

He explained that his first statement "was based on details available then."

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There have been 20 incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistan every day of the last fortnight and the Indian Army has also foiled repeated attempts by militants to cross over into India under cover of fire. The Defence Minister had said last week that the Indian Army have the freedom to respond appropriately to a developing situation along the Line of Control with Pakistan.

The Indian Army has retaliated with heavy fire of its own, especially since an Independence Day attack by Pakistan that left more than six people injured.