Defence Minister A. K. Antony on Wednesday said tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have reduced but sounded a note of caution on normalising relations with Pakistan, saying it was too early to do so.
Talking to journalists here, Defence Minister A K Antony said after the latest round of talks between the Director-Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) from India and Pakistan the tension along the LoC has reduced. “cannot say or set a timeline for normalising the atmosphere there. It depends on so many factors,’’ he said.
Mr. Antony said that infiltration attempts were going on even in extreme winter weather and wondered if it was the case now, what would be the position regarding infiltration during summer.
“We have to cross our fingers and after the tragic and inhuman incident, even though Pakistan has assured us certain things, we have to see how this assurance translates into action,’’ Mr. Antony said while responding to a question about the situation on the LoC.
His comments came nearly a week after the two DGMOs spoke to each other in the wake of skirmishes and ceasefire violations on the LoC in some sectors in Jammu and Kashmir that led to the death of four soldiers from both sides. India strongly protested against the beheading of one of its soldiers by Pakistani troops who had allegedly crossed the LoC. The incident triggered angry reactions from the Army and prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to warn that it could not be business as usual with Pakistan.
“We have to wait and watch and assess the ground situation and other factors. Regarding the future course of action and relations in the future, we will not take a hasty decision,’’ Mr. Antony said.
