Defence Minister AK Antony must apologise to India, says BJP

New Delhi: The BJP in Parliament today said that Defence Minister AK Antony owes the country an apology for his misleading statement on how five Indian soldiers were killed in Kashmir. Mr Antony has blamed the attack on Pakistani militants dressed in army uniforms. A separate statement by the Defence Ministry, which said Pakistani soldiers were responsible for the deadly ambush was withdrawn yesterday, triggering a giant controversy. "The guilty have been made innocent. Pakistan has been given a clean chit," said Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, adding that it is imperative for the Prime Minister must explain the different statements.
 The BJP's Yashwant Sinha says he has sent a breach of privilege notice to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha against the Defence Minister for misleading parliament. Describing the minister's statement as "most laughable," Mr Sinha said, "The Army clearly said that Pakistan soldiers were involved. He (Mr Antony) has misled country and because of his statement, the Army was forced to change its statement. After his statement, it seems as if he is on the Pakistan army's side." The Defence Minister said in Parliament that "the ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan Army Uniforms." The statement absolved the Pakistani army from the attack. However, a press release sent by the Defence Ministry said, "Pak Border Action Team attacked Indian Soldiers" indicting the Pakistani Army, which has denied the charge.
 In a separate statement later, the Defence Ministry said it "regretted" its earlier release that conflicted with the minister's version. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied that its soldiers killed any Indian troops. The statement said Pakistan "looks forward to an early resumption of the dialogue process" with India. Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been indicating he is open to restarting peace talks. This evening, Dr Manmohan Singh will meet the BJP's senior leaders who have exhorted him not to hold talks with the Pakistani PM given Tuesday's attack.