SRINAGAR: Reacting to Indias warning of an unequivocal response to the mutilation of two soldiers along the LoC in Kashmir, Pakistan denied any hand in the incident and asked India to look inwards. Pakistan also sought actionable evidence of the claims and warned that any disadventure shall be appropriately responded at a place and time of own choosing, reported NDTV.
Earlier, the Indian army today lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani military over the beheading of its two soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a “dastardly and inhuman” act which merited “unequivocal condemnation and response”. The savage incident along the Line of Control on the Indian side also set off a spat between parties across the political divide.
The Indian army has already vowed an “appropriate” response to the “despicable act”. The Pakistani army establishment has denied its involvement in the attack.
A day after the incident triggered outrage, Congress mounted a scathing assault on the Modi government, asking it to “take off the bangles” and avenge the killing of Indian security personnel. Bangles are considered a sign of femininity.
“It is unfortunate that prime minister and the government do not have any policy on national security…We urge this government to take off its bangles and do something,” Sibal said in New Delhi.
He also attacked the government over the additional charge of defence ministry to finance minister Arun Jaitley, saying there cannot be an effective defence policy without a full-time minister.
After India’s DGMO’s tough talk about a “response” to the brazen slaughter of two soldiers, union minister M Venkaiah Naidu called Pakistan and “rogue” state and spoke of reprisal.
Responding to the opposition’s comments questioning the political will of the government to take military action against Pakistan, Naidu said, “There is will, there is kill.” “We are very firm, we will do whatever is possible, and the government is already at it, and you will hear about it,” Naidu told journalists in Bengaluru.
“It (the act of mutilation) is condemnable …it is not right to make public statements on what the response should be… the defence minister has made a statement. You will get the information with confirmation on what the result will be,” he said.
“You will see that the government of India will take appropriate action,” Naidu said.
The government came under fire also from its old saffron ally Shiv Sena, with its senior leader and Maharashtra minister Ramdas Kadam asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “sit up and think”.
“After one surgical strike by us, they (Pakistan) have killed our soldiers ten times more. The prime minister should sit up and think how to avenge it,” he said in Mumbai.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted the sacrifice made by the fallen soldiers would not go in vain. “The army has vowed to take effective action….we should trust our security forces.”
With inputs from agencies
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