Ministry’s clean chit to PRO over Pak tip-off

The defence ministry gives a clean chit to its Jammu public relations officer who had briefed the media that Pak intimated India about movement of militants along the LoC.

Amid a controversy over whether Pakistan intimated India about movement of militants along the LoC, the defence ministry has given a clean chit to its Jammu public relations officer who had briefed the media apparently at the behest of a top army official.

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Army chief General Deepak Kapoor complained to the defence ministry against PRO Lt Col SD Goswami, claiming he had wrongly informed the media about Pakistan sharing information about the militants’ plan to infiltrate into India.

A senior defence ministry official said, “We will not initiate any action against Lt Col S.D. Goswami, as he has already given a satisfactory explanation.”

Goswami had on Thursday informed the media the army had foiled an infiltration bid, killing four militants in Poonch sector on the basis of a ‘tip-off’ from the Pakistan’s sector commander.

The army, however, insisted that Pakistan had shared no information and reportedly asked Col Goswami to retract his statement, which he did later.