Did MEA, NSA help to draft the statement?
Defence minister A.K. Antony’s statement on the Poonch killings of Indian Army soldiers made on Tuesday before Parliament — in which he had said that some of the attackers were “dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms” — may have been drafted by senior officials of his ministry in consultation with the ministry of external affairs (MEA), the national security adviser (NSA) and the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). Mr Antony’s statement — which did not directly implicate the Pakistan Army — could have been made after much thought in top echelons of the government, including the MEA and NSA, since a direct accusation against the Pakistan Army would have made the continuation of the peace dialogue with Pakistan untenable and impossible.
Sources also indicated on Wednesday that the Army may have been advised by the government initially not to issue any press statement before the defence minister spoke in Parliament. The original Army statement was issued after clearance by the Udhampur-based Northern Command before Mr Antony spoke in Parliament. There was no confirmation of any enquiry in the matter now that the issue has rocked Parliament.
The original statement of the Army — issued from Jammu on Tuesday — had directly blamed the Pakistan Army and had clearly mentioned that its soldiers were ambushed by “20 heavily armed terrorists along with soldiers of Pakistan Army”. However, the Army later said the phrase “armed terrorists along with soldiers of the Pakistan Army” was to be amended to “armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms”.
The amended statement was in line with the defence minister’s statement, setting off the political storm in Parliament on Wednesday. It also raised questions on whether the Army had been pressurised in any way by the government to amend the statement.
Meanwhile, the Army chief’s visit to J&K on Wednesday comes as a morale-booster for Indian troops, even as the Line of Control (LoC) is expected to witness more incidents of firing between the two armies. Top Army sources had earlier maintained that the Indian Army troops would retaliate and “hit back” if fired upon.
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