MEA's statement sparks hope for Capt Saurabh Kalia's family

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement that the government will approach the Supreme Court to ask if India can go to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding martyred Captain Saurabh Kalia's case, has sparked hope for the brave soldier's family.

"If we look at it, this is good news and certainly gives us hope. But we have always requested the government to take some action. And the impact that this action will have on Pakistan, is more important," Captain Saurabh Kalia's father N.K. Kalia told ANI.

"Everything is still on paper. The day some concrete action is taken, will be the day we'll finally be hopeful. The fact that the government at least felt the need to take action, gives us hope," he added.

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 an 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.