Former Chief of the Army Staff Joginder Jaswant Singh has lashed out at Sanjaya Baru, former media adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that his insider account of India-Pakistan negotiations over the battle-torn Siachen Glacier is “inaccurate.”
Mr. Baru’s book claims that General Singh helped sabotage a peace deal on the world’s highest battlefield.
“In closed-door briefings, the General would say that a deal with Pakistan was doable, but in public he would back [A.K.] Antony when the Defence Minister chose not to back the PM.”
General Singh, however, said Prime Minister Singh was made aware of the Army’s reservations on a peace deal on Siachen.
“The Prime Minister was aware of our stand, and never pushed us to revise our professional opinion,” he said.
The former Army Chief said he was “deeply disappointed” that Mr. Baru never sought his version of events.
