Defence Minister Arun Jaitley says Pakistan army was involved in killing of two Indian soldiers.
Highlights
- Pakistan's denial carries no credibility: Arun Jaitley
- "Strong act of provocation," says Indian Foreign Secretary
- Pak High Commissioner denies his country's involvement in the attack
Pakistan's claim that its army personnel were not involved in the
barbaric killing and mutilating two Indian soldiers carries no credibility, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday, hours after Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit told New Delhi that its armed forces had nothing to do with the May 1 killing.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had summoned Mr Basit to his office around noon to convey India's outrage at the incident that India counts as a "strong act of provocation" and in contravention of all norms of civilised conduct.
What next, the Defence Minister was asked at a media briefing on a cabinet meeting later in the evening. "Have faith in your army," the minister responded. The army had vowed an appropriate response to the Pakistan army's "despicable act".
The two soldiers,
Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of the Indian Army and Constable Prem Sagar of the Border Security Force were on patrol near the Line of Control in Kashmir when they were ambushed by a Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) that sneaked 250 metres into Indian territory. The mutilated bodies of the two soldiers were found on Monday morning.
Mr Jaitley said the denial carried no credibility because "the entire gamut of circumstances clearly indicates that this barbaric act... has been carried out with the active participation of the (Pakistani) army."
Such an act cannot be carried out without the "protection, participation or the actual indulgence" of the army.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay had earlier in the day pointed that the trail of blood leading to the Line of Control was proof that the perpetrators had come over from, and returned to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He also noted that the ambush was preceded by firing from Pakistani posts, that defence experts say is a standard tactic to distract border guards.