Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 27: Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said today that Pakistan will have to pay for mutilation of bodies of its soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) even as he declared that Army was fully ready on the borders to face any kind of situation and its top priority remained to tackle infiltration by the militants.
“Army is fully prepared on the borders to meet with any kind of developing situation. Our borders, Line of Control are fully safe. Troops are guarding the borders efficiently and effectively,’’ he told Doordarshan News in an interview on the completion of three years of Narendra Modi Government, this morning.
The Defence Minister’s statement comes on a day Army eliminated eight top terrorists in the Kashmir valley taking death toll (of the militants) during last two days to 10 including slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s successor, Sabzaar Ahmad. The statement also assumed significance due to heightened tensions between two hostile neighbours on the LoC with India undertaking two major offensives to destroy Pakistan army posts and bunkers, which were instrumental in facilitating infiltration attempts by the militants on Indian side.
“I can’t disclose everything here. Some information can’t be disclosed or discussed in public. But I can tell you that our borders and Line of Control are fully safe in the hands of Army and security forces. They are doing their job,’’ Jaitley, the Finance Minister, who has been holding charge of the Defence Minister for the past about two and a half months after the exit of Manohar Parrikar, said.
Asserting that priority of the Army presently is to fully contain infiltration by the militants, Jaitley said: “Army has one clear priority at this stage that it won’t allow infiltration by the militants. Daily efforts were being made (by the militants) to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and troops have to act daily’’.
Only today, six infiltrators were eliminated by the troops in Rampur sector while yesterday two militants were gunned down in Uri sector of the Kashmir valley. The infiltration attempts have witnessed a surge with melting of snow in upper reaches and opening up of passes. Sources were anticipating more infiltration attempts on the LoC in the coming days.
Jaitley said Pakistan will have to pay for the mutilation of bodies of two Indian soldiers.
He said India was dominating both Line of Control and International Border with Pakistan and Army was taking all steps required to check infiltration by the militants from across the LoC.
“Whatever steps are required are being taken to check infiltration. All these steps can’t be discussed publicly,’’ Jaitley said.
“Our forces have full domination on the border and LoC and whatever was necessary to check infiltration they were doing,’’ he added.
The Army last week launched punitive assault on Pakistan along the LoC. “We take punitive action around LoC, so that infiltration attempts are reduced.
With the melting of ice and opening of passes, there is risk of an increase in infiltration attempts. We want peace in Kashmir, and it is important that we improve counter-terrorist operation,’’ the Army had said after the strikes.
Replying to a question as to whether there were chances of war with Pakistan, Jaitley evaded a direct reply but admitted that situation created by Pakistan didn’t permit any sort of dialogue with that country.
“Internal situation in Pakistan is such that some forces there want to keep the pot boiling. We tried for talks earlier but then there were Pathankot and Uri like attacks, Kulbushan Jadhav episode and mutilation of soldiers. The situation is not such that we can have talks with Pakistan,” the Defence Minister said.
Denying that India is a soft State, Jaitley said, Pakistan was trying to create tensions but “we are dominating the LoC and IB and will continue to do that’’.
Jaitley also defended an Army officer who had tied a man to a jeep as a human shield against stone-pelters in Kashmir last month, saying he must have taken the decision considering the ground realities.
Asked whether there is lack of coordination between Defence Ministry and armed forces, he replied in negative.
He said the strategic partnership model will boost the domestic defence industry.
“You cannot go around the world buying military equipment just when they are needed the most,” he said.
The Union Cabinet earlier this week had given a go ahead to the ‘strategic partnership’ model under which select private firms will be engaged to build military platforms like fighter jets, submarines and battle tanks.
The new policy is expected to attract billions of dollars of investment in defence manufacturing by private defence majors including leading foreign firms.
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