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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