By IANS,
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Wednesday said the statement made by Defence Minister A.K. Antony on the killing of soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir was not contradictory and there was no scope of controversy.
“See the corrected version of the Indian Army press release and match it with what the defence minister says, it is exactly the same. I don’t think the statement is contradictory. I have read the statement very carefully. At the given moment that was the factual narrative which was available to him from the army,” Khurshid said.
He said there was no scope of controversy, which the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to create.
“There is no scope for controversy. Don’t make a controversy that makes us look before Pakistan as house bickering among itself. The BJP leaders should speak in the same voice,” he told a news channel here.
Backing Antony, Khurshid said: “I’m saying categorically that there could not have been a better statement made by him yesterday (Tuesday).”
“I don’t think we should speculate. It is an evolving situation…one cannot be egoistic and say whatever we have said yesterday (Tuesday) that is the last word. There is more information he will review.
“I will not give a forced clarity to a statement that is clear by itself and a statement which is made with all solemn responsibility in parliament,” he added.
Khurshid was responding to the BJP’s demands that Antony apologise for a statement Tuesday in which he said the attack on Indian soldiers was carried out by 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with people in Pakistan army uniform.
A defence ministry statement — which was withdrawn later — had stated that the ambush was carried out by Pakistan’s Border Action Team and had also said that the Pakistan army was involved.
Border Action Team comprises regulars of Pakistan army and militants.
Antony has said his Tuesday’s statement was based on information available at that time and he would come back to parliament after an update from Army chief Gen Bikram Singh who visited Jammu region a day after the incident.