New Delhi:
After his remarks caused anger and controversy, Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik today told NDTV that he is willing to order an investigation into the case of Kargil martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia's torture.
Yesterday, when he arrived in India for a three-day visit, Mr Malik said that it was not clear whether the weather or bullets had killed Captain Kalia during the Kargil war of 1999. After stinging criticism, he told NDTV, "I only said circumstances of his death are disputed, I am asking for more information... I feel the pain of Captain Kalia's father; I will definitely look into the matter."
Captain Kalia's mutilated body was returned to Indian authorities along with those of five others who had been captured by Pakistan during the Kargil war. His father, NK Kalia, has demanded that Captain Kalia's case be taken up by the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Based on his petition, the Supreme Court has given the government 10 weeks to respond to Mr Kalia's Mr Kalia's request.
Mr Kalia says that the government has been indifferent to his repeated requests for justice for his son. He says he had first approached the Indian Defence Ministry for help, which said his son's case had been referred to the Prime Minister's Office, which in turn said the matter was being studied by the External Affairs Ministry.