Capt. Saurabh Kalia case: Govt. remained 'silent spectator' for 16 years, says family

Martyred Captain Saurabh Kalia's father N.K. Kalia on Tuesday said that the governments which have been in power over the past 16 years had remained 'silent spectators' over his son's case, adding that he was content that the matter was finally being seen as a national issue.

"After a long wait, the government realised that this is a national issue. I am quite content the way the government has taken this in view after 16 years. None of the parties in power cared about this case. The Indian government just stayed as a silent spectator," said Kalia.

"I am a scientist and do not understand much about legal activities. I hope that Supreme Court will take this in consideration and I am quite optimistic that it will take appropriate action," he added.

On Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that the government will approach the Supreme Court to ask if India can go to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Captain Kalia's case.

Captain Kalia, along with five other soldiers, was taken prisoner by Pakistani troops during the Kargil War in 1999. They were held captive and allegedly tortured before their badly mangled bodies were handed back to the Indian authorities on June 9, 1999.

The site of the tortured bodies caused uproar across the nation, as the torturing of Prisoners of War (PoW) went against the Geneva Convention.

Pakistan, however, has consistently denied the charges of torture, stating that the soldiers may have died because of poor weather conditions.