India rejects UN probe demand

Outrightly rejecting Pakistan's demand for a probe by the United Nations into the killing of two Indian soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K, India on Thursday said it did not want to "internationalise" the issue and will "deal with the situation accordingly".

Spelling out the stand after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security where the issue was discussed, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the killing of two Indian soldiers was the third such incident to have taken place along the LoC.

"We are certainly not going to agree to internationalise the issue or allow the United Nations to hold an inquiry. That demand is obviously rejected out of hand," Chidambaram said after the briefing in the CCS by Defence Minister A K Antony.

"This is an incident of which we take grave note. Two such incidents have happened earlier. Whatever is to be done, we will do it," he said. "We will deal with it accordingly." He also ruled out the scope of Indian troops violating ceasefire provisions. "Our reports are that Indian forces conducted themselves strictly according to ceasefire rules," he said.

Separately, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said that this is not the first time such an incident has happened. He also said that the ceasefire violations have increased, and the infiltration attempts have gone up as well. "I think it is quite clear. Government has said what it has to say on the event. You have a selection of adjectives — reprehensible, barbaric, dastardly, whatever you want. Sadly, it is not the first time this has happened. I hope it never happens again. But we have also told you exactly what we intend to do. So, now I think you should let government go about its business," he told reporters.

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