India, Pak trade charges at the flag meet!

New Delhi: There seems to be no end to the
frosty relations between India and Pakistan
following the skirmishes at the Line of Control
(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the killing of
soldiers in the firing from both the sides.
While Indian Army protested the beheading of
its soldier at a flag meeting of brigade
commanders in Poonch and demanded that
Pakistan respect the ceasefire, the Pakistan
Army claimed that its troops did not kill
Indian soldiers, and lodged its counter protest
about ceasefire violations even as Indian Army
Chief General Bikram Singh sent a tough
tactical message, saying all commanders at
the LoC have been asked to retaliate if
provoked by the enemy.
The one-hour meeting was preceded by some
tough talk by the Indian Army Chief who
described the beheading of an Indian soldier
as unacceptable and said he had asked his
commanders to strike back if Pakistan
continued to violate the ceasefire. The Indian
Army team for the flag meeting at Chakan-da-
Bagh Crossing Point along the LoC in Poonch
district was led by 10th Brigade (Krishnaghati
Brigade) Commander Brigadier TS Sandhu.
Earlier, General Singh warned Pakistan against
any misadventure along the LoC, saying that
all commanders have the full backing of the
Army hierarchy and they need to maintain an
aggressive stance.
Talking tough against Pakistan, General Bikram
Singh rejected Pakistan's claims of an Indian
operation at the Line of Control killing one
soldier. "No operation was carried out by the
Indian Army on January 6 as claimed by
Pakistan," General Bikram Singh said.
He called the killing of two Indian soldiers by
Pakistan 'gruesome' and 'unpardonable' and
said beheading the soldier was unacceptable.
"This incident has had strategic nuances,
beheading our soldiers is not acceptable. The
act was against ethics and principles of rules
of engagement," General Singh said. General
Singh also said that Pakistan Army's attack in
Mendhar was pre-planned.
However, the aggressive press conference by
the Army Chief has put the Centre in a tight
spot as it is really struggling to come up with
a credible response to the allegations that it
has been weak-kneed in its response to the
killing of two Indian soldiers. Public outrage
and political pressure to act against Pakistan
is only growing with every passing day and
there is a view in government circles that the
Army has not been helpful in this regard.
Eyebrows have also been raised about the
one-and-a-half hour long press conference by
the Indian Army Chief General which was
largely devoted to the tensions with Pakistan
and questions are being asked in government
circles about the way the Army publicly
disclosed details of the gruesome killings. The
government feels emotions cannot dictate
policy responses, particularly as it takes a
larger view of ties with Pakistan, in the
context of Islamabad's internal dynamics and
in the context of the evolving situation in
Afghanistan.