Give Army free hand to respond to Pak: Antony

CONGRESS LEADER A K Antony, Defence Minister in the previous UPA dispensation, on Tuesday askedthegovernmenttogivethe Army a “free hand” to respond to Pakistan. He said while only one such incident was reported during the three years he was the Defence Minister, three such incidents have taken place since the Bjp-led NDA came to power.

“I have no words to say about the cruelty of the Pakistan Army. So the Government must give a free hand to the Army to handle it in their own way,” he said. While saying that he would refrain from politicising the issue, Antony said: “During our time, only once this kind of an incident of mutilation happened .... Now it is three times in three years. I don’t want to go into details.”

“It (the attack) has affected the morale of the Indian people, morale of the Indian Army. Also the continuous attacks on military installations (have) put a question mark on the security structure on the border. It has affected the prestige, respect and morale of the Indian Army. My only request to the government is give freedom to the Army to take appropriate action at the appropriate time .... Take appropriate action as a reaction to this inhuman, barbaric action by Pakistan,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal recalled the BJP’S reaction after a soldier’s body was beheaded when the UPA was in power. He said a woman BJP leader had offered to send bangles to Manmohan Singh. “I remember when Hemraj was beheaded .... Sushma Swaraj had said get 10 heads from Pakistan .... So we want to ask the Prime Minister now .... How many heads now?” Sibal said.

Sibal said that it was “shameful” that the ruling BJP was organising “Vijay Parv” to celebrate its victory in the Delhi civic polls when Pakistan had killed two of “our soldiers in our territory”.

A K Antony