archive: Pakistan army doesn't spare jawans in its barbarism
Pakistan army doesn't spare jawans in its barbarism
Times of India News Service
The Times of India
June 11, 1999
Title: Pakistan army doesn't spare jawans in its barbarism
Author: Times of India News Service
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 11, 1999
A tale of barbarism by the Pakistani army was unfolded in the Kargil
sector on Wednesday with the handing over of the bodies of six Indian
soldiers in a disfigured and mutilated condition, some of them without
even their vital parts.
This is the second such incident since fighting began in the region.
Earlier this month, the Pakistanis had returned the body of Sqn Ldr
Ajay Ahuja who had been shot dead.
"An initial examination reveals that the bodies were disfigured. This
is an outrageous act and a violation of all international
conventions," said army spokesman Colonel Bikram Singh. "Since the
bodies were handed back by the Pakistani army, what happened to our
soldiers is entirely Pakistan's responsibility," the external affairs
ministry spokesman said.
The bodies of the six soldiers, including officer Lieutenant Saurav
Kalia, were handed over by the Pakistani army at post number 43 near
Kargil. The eyes of some of the soldiers had been gouged out, and the
cars, noses and genitals chopped off. The six soldiers belonging to
the Infantry's 4 Jat battalion had formed part of a patrol that had
been reported missing within Indian territory in the Kaksar sub-sector
since May 14 following reports of incursion by Pakistani infiltrators.
The army spokesman was reticent about giving any details of
mutilation. He also declined to comment on whether the soldiers had
been tortured to death or whether the bodies had been mutilated
afterwards, saying that they would not like to comment until they had
received details of the post-mortem report. The report has been
delayed as the bodies could not he flown to the base hospital in
Srinagar due to bad weather. "We are hopeful of getting the report
tomorrow," he said.
Spokesmen for the army and the external affairs ministry declined to
comment on what India's response would be in case the post-mortem
report indicated that the soldiers had been tortured. Neither were
they willing to comment on what impact it would have on the visit by
Pakistan's foreign minister Sartaj Aziz. They also declined to
comment on whether the army would he inviting organisations such as
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to be present
during the post-mortem of the soldiers. The standard response was
that they would not like to voice anger at this stage as they would
like to wait for the post-mortem report.
A report from Kargil quoted an army official as saying, "We have never
heard of any such treatment meted out to army personnel who have waged
a battle for their mother-land in the history of armed conflicts
between the two countries. This is a gift by Pakistan to India a few
days before its foreign minister's visit to New Delhi to discuss the
Kargil situation." He recalled that in the 1971 war, the Indian army
had captured over 95,000 Pakistani soldiers in the eastern sector who
were handed back to Islamabad unharmed and in good health.
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