Capt Saurabh Kalia case: Govt says will change affidavit in Supreme Court
| 1st Jun, 2015
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday reversed its earlier stand on taking Kargil martyr Saurabh Kalia's to the International Court of Justice. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said the government will change its affidavit submitted the Supreme Court's in the case.
The Supreme Court had directed the government of India to pursue martyr Saurabh Kalia's matter in the ICJ. Earlier, the government had filed its response in the case in the apex court, saying it had no intention of taking up the issue under the Geneva Convention at the ICJ.
Earlier in 2013, the previous Manmohan Singh government had clarified its stand in the Supreme Court that it will not treat Kalia's torture by Pakistani troops as a war crime.
The Narendra Modi government's response prompted a strong reaction from Capt Kalia's family and the opposition Congress.
"Whether it's the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) or the UPA (United Progressive Alliance), both are two sides of the same coin," the late young Army officer's father NK Kalia told
Aghast at the stand of the Narendra Modi government on dealing with Mumbai terror attackers and the Pakistan army, the senior Kalia said India was apparently confused in its policy on Pakistan.
Modi govt shuts doors on Kargil martyr Capt Kalia
His outburst came a day after foreign minister Sushma Swaraj denied any "flip-flop" in India's policy towards Pakistan and said no talks can be held with it as long as Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was walking free.
"It's something astonishing that India is projecting a tough stand against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack but somehow soft towards its national heroes. Why?" asked 64-year-old Kalia, who retired as a senior scientist from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
"Is Pakistan a friend or an enemy? India is totally confused. This is my personal experience for the past 16 years when I lost my son for the country's sake."
The Congress on Monday criticized the stand taken by the NDA government at the Centre to not approach the ICJ with respect to the torture and killing of Capt Kalia by Pakistani forces, terming it a "disgrace" to soldiers sacrificing their lives for the nation.
"The Supreme Court had directed the government of India to pursue martyr Saurabh Kalia's matter in the International Court of Justice. The BJP government has been in power for more than one year now and they have not done anything. Now there are reports that they have decided to not go to the ICJ. This is a disgrace to martyrs," Congress leader PL Punia told
"They are trying to shield Pakistan. This is condemnable; we demand that the Supreme Court's order be followed and the matter be raised in the ICJ," he added.
Capt Saurabh Kalia (who was a lieutenant then) of 4 Jat Regiment was on a patrolling mission along with five other troops Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh in the Kargil heights on May 15, 1999. He was captured by Pakistani troops who had intruded into Indian territory. They were brutally tortured for 22 days.
Autopsy reports showed the Pakistanis had brutally tortured them by gouging out their eyes, piercing their ear drums with hot rods, cutting their lips, chipping their noses, chopping off limbs and private organs, breaking most of their teeth and bones, fracturing their skulls, and burning their bodies with cigarettes before killing them by shooting at their temples.
The Pakistani army handed over their mutilated bodies to Indian commanders at the Kargil sector on June 9, 1999.
For more:
Kargil conflict #SaurabhKalia #Jaihind : Modi sarkar fails Kargil martyr: NDA WON'T take Captain Saurabh Kalia's case to international court... despite evidence he was tortured by Pakistan
-Yes, we killed Captain Saurabh Kalia: Pak soldier
-कारगिल शहीदों को न्याय के मामले पर यूपीए की नीति पर चल रही मोदी सरकार
-“Why is Indian government going soft on Pakistan even after several wars"?
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