Naresh Agarwal accuses Centre, Army of 'covering up' Pakistan infiltration

After Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh asserted that there is no Kargil-like situation in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal on Saturday alleged that the Centre and the Army was hand-in-glove in covering up the truth of the ongoing infiltration operation, and advised that India should go to war to reach a final solution to the matter along the Line of Control (LoC).

"We want that the only solution to this problem is to go to war with Pakistan to sort out the issue once and for all," Agarwal said.

Agarwal specifically targeted Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for embarking on talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York, last month, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and said that the initiative portrayed a weak India in the light of the recent violations along the border.

"In one way, the Government is hiding a mini-Kargil situation. The Army General is also hiding it. Pakistan is hell-bent on war. Pakistan wants to fight, so why don't we go ahead? Our Prime Minister goes on his feet before the Pakistan Prime Minister, in a way that shows how weak a Prime Minister he is. Though, it is true, if a Prime Minister is weak before his own Party, how can one expect him to be the strength of the nation?" Agarwal asked.

Media reports suggest that another four terrorists were killed in the Keran Sector operation, which has entered its 12th day today.

On Friday, Army Chief General Bikram Singh assured that the terrorists will be flushed out the area soon, and said that the ongoing operation was under control.

"There is nothing like that. It was an infiltration attempt by about 30 to 40 terrorists; they attempted this infiltration at four or five places. We had information about it. They have been stopped, prevented, neutralized some of them and operations are on to flush them out," said General Singh, when asked that there are media speculations about the present situation in Keran Sector being another Kargil.

"No village has been occupied. It's an area where they have come in, we are dominating from all sides and the terrorists are holed up. It's a broken ground, it's very difficult terrain; they are stuck in that and we will take them on," he added.

Two terrorists were killed as the army foiled an infiltration bid at Gujjardur in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir today.

According to reports, the operation took place west of Shala Batu village in Keran sector in the Kashmir Valley where the army has been involved in an encounter with militants for the last 11 days.