Antony must apologise for 'militants in Pak Army uniform' remark: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today sought an apology from defence minister AK Antony for his "militants in Pakistan Army uniform" remark made in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday sought an apology from defence minister AK Antony for his "militants in Pakistan Army uniform" remark made in Parliament on Tuesday.
"Antony's statement is in contrast to the defence ministry's statement. We demand that the defence minister should apologise. He gave a needless clean chit to the Pakistan Army," Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, said in Parliament on Wednesday.
"Who is the defence minister to give a clean chit to the Pakistani Army," Swaraj asked.
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 the 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.