Yashwant Sinha issues breach of privilege against Antony

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday issued a breach of privilege notice against Defence Minister A.K. Antony, alleging that the latter had not only misled the House with his statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, but also altered the Indian Army's account of the incident.

"It was the most laughable statement by a Defence Minister of India. I have already sent my notice of breach of privilege to the speaker. I'm going to Parliament, and I'm going to raise this issue in Parliament, because Mr. Antony is not only guilty of misleading the House with his statement, but, he has also further compounded his guilt by getting the army's statement, which was issued before his statement, changed. The army clearly said that Pakistan soldiers were involved, and now, they have been made to retract. The army is on the ground. The army knows better than the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister. The army has been forced to change its statement. This is a very serious issue," Sinha said.

Targetting the UPA-led Government, Sinha said its reaction to Tuesday morning's incident seemed more favorable to Pakistan than to India.

"The defence minister and the government is talking in a language that is more acceptable to Pakistan than to us. ... They said a lot of things after the Mumbai attack (26/11), they said a lot of things when our jawan was beheaded, they are saying things now-they are always been saying things, but not acting on them," Sinha added.

Sinha urged the government to suspend talks with Pakistan in light of the death of the five soldiers in Poonch.

"I am surprised, that without batting an eyelid, and despite the sacrifice and martyrdom of these five soldiers and injury to one, the Congress spokespersons are merrily saying that talks will be scheduled. Indications are that they are discussing the dates and the time. We (BJP) are totally against it. I have already said that talks with Pakistan should not take place at any level, and most certainly not at the level of the Prime Minister," Sinha added.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that the intruders who ambushed the five Indian soldiers in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, were "terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniform."

His statement triggered a controversy, as the Indian Army had earlier issued a statement saying that the perpetrators were "soldiers from the Pakistan Army."

"The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniform," Antony said.

The Pakistan Army and its affiliates have violated the cease-fire established in November 2003 57 times in 2013, which is almost 50 per cent more than the violations that took place in the previous year, sources said.

The situation along the 778-kilometer-long Line of Control ( LoC) took a turn for the worse in January this year, when the two armies engaged in heavy firing on a daily basis, after Pakistani Army regulars and some militants crossed over into the Mendhar sector in Jammu and Kashmir and beheaded an Indian soldier and mutilated the body of another on January 8.

The Indian Army is of the view that the terrorism infrastructure in Pakistan continues to be intact. It claims that over 2,500 militants are located in 43 terror-training camps, and about 450 terrorists are ready to cross into India with the help of Pakistani Army.