Pak army ‘actively participated’ in mutilation of Indian soldiers, says Jaitley

Jaitley’s statement comes on a day the Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit was summoned by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and given actionable evidence of Pakistani Army’s involvement in the mutilation.

Defence minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s denial of involvement of its troops in the mutilation of two Indian soldiers, saying all circumstances clearly pointed to the active participation of its army.

Indian Army personnel carry the coffin of Indian Army soldier Paramjeet Singh ahead of his funeral at Vein Pein village, some 45kms from Amritsar on May 2, 2017. The Indian army accused Pakistan of killing two of its soldiers and mutilating their bodies in an 'unprovoked' rocket and mortar attack along the border on Monday morning. (Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times)

“I think the denial itself carries no credibility because the entire gambit of circumstances clearly indicates that this barbaric act of first killing two of our soldiers and then mutilating their bodies has been carried out with active participation of the (Pakistani) Army.

“The fact that cover firings were provided, those who carried out this act were helped to escape at such a heavily guarded border where posts are within few metres of each other -- this can’t happen without the protection, or participation, or active indulgence of the Army,” he told reporters.

Jaitley’s statement comes on a day the Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit was summoned by foreign secretary S Jaishankar and given actionable evidence of Pakistani Army’s involvement in the mutilation.

The message from Jaishankar to the Pakistani envoy was blunt — the Indian government considers the mutilation “a strong act of provocation and in contravention to all norms of civilised conduct”, and wants “immediate action” against the Pakistani soldiers and commanders responsible for the act.

Basit denied the Pakistan Army “was involved in any way” but said he would convey the contents of India’s demarche to his government.

Asked what the Indian government was planning to counter the Pakistani action, Jaitley merely replied: “Place your trust on our army.”