Parliament adjourned as BJP attacks Antony over U-turn on LoC killing

Both houses of Parliament have been adjourned for the day as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition continued to mount pressure on the Congress-led UPA Government and demanded an apology from Defence Minister A.K. Antony for misleading the nation through his 'militants in Pakistan Army uniform' remark made in Parliament.

There was uproar in both houses of Parliament as the BJP made it clear that Antony owes the country an apology for letting Pakistan off the hook with the statement he made in Parliament yesterday.

The ruling Congress Party, including External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, defended the Defence Minister, saying there was no question of apologizing as the Defence Minister had made the statement based on facts.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, criticized Antony for making contradictory remarks after his ministry had accused the Pakistani army of carrying out this attack.

"In the statement by the Defence Ministry it was said 'this action is a likely consequence of frustrations of the terrorists and Pakistan army'. This line was completely removed from the Defence Minister's remark. That means the Defence Ministry held the Pakistani army responsible for this incident, but the Defence Minister gave the Pakistan army a clean chit and made them completely innocent," Swaraj told the Lok Sabha.

"I would want the Prime Minister to acknowledge that the Pakistani army is responsible for this incident, we are no one to say that they are innocent. When the Defence Ministry accepted that they were from the Pakistani army who came with the terrorists, but the government says that they were just some people wearing the uniforms. We want the Prime Minister to respond on this," she added.

Of the five Indian soldiers killed, four belong to the 21 Bihar Regiment and one to the Maratha Light Infantry. They were killed in an ambush by Pakistani troops. The Indian Army soldiers killed in the incident have been identified as Prem Nath Singh, Shambhu Saran Ray, Vyay Kumay Ray, Raghunandan Prasad and Pundalik Mane.

On Tuesday, Antony strongly condemned Pakistan's firing and attack on the Indian side of the LoC in the Poonch sector.

"We strongly condemn this unprovoked incident. The Government of India has lodged strong protest with the Government of Pakistan through diplomatic channels. I assure the House that our Army is fully ready to take all necessary steps to uphold the sanctity of the LoC," Antony said in a suo moto statement in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"The Government of India conveys its condolences to the families of the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," he added.

Antony informed that a patrol of the Indian Army comprising of one Non Commissioned Officer and five other ranks was ambushed on our side of Line of Control in Poonch Sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

"In the ensuing firefight, five Indian soldiers were martyred and one soldier was injured. The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms," he said.

The Defence Minister informed that the numbers of infiltration attempts have doubled this year in comparison to the corresponding period (January 1- August 5) of 2012.

"There has also been 57 cease fire violations this year, which is 80 percent more than the violations last year during the same corresponding period. The Indian Army successfully eliminated 19 hardcore terrorists in the recent months of July and August along the Line of Control and in the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir," said Antony.

"The effective counter infiltration grid on the Line of Control has ensured that 17 infiltration bids were foiled this year," he added.