India not planning military action against Pak: Antony

He was talking to reporters on occasion of ‘Vijay Diwas’ marking the 37th anniversary of India’s military victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war.

On the issue of troop deployment along the Indo-Pak border, Antony said the situation there was “normal” and armed forces were “always ready”.

“Everything is normal because our forces are always ready,” the Minister said.

The Minister denied that India was planning to call off the more than five-year-old ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).

“Nothing like that,” he stated when asked if India had any plans to call off the ceasefire with Pakistan.

Refusing to divulge India’s course of action in the present scenario, Antony demanded sincere action by Pakistan against the terrorists.

“I cannot say what course of action we will take but unless Pakistan shows sincerity in whatever they are saying through their actions, one thing is very sure that there is no question of things as usual,” he said.

The chiefs of Navy, Army and Air Force — Admiral Sureesh Mehta, General Deepak Kapoor and Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major — also attended the Vijay Diwas function.

Stressing the need for continued cooperation between India and Pakistan in bringing the perpetrators of Mumbai terror strikes to justice, the US has said both the neighbours should ensure that such attacks are not repeated.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said the United States will continue to cooperate with both India and Pakistan in “every regard”.

Influential American Senator John Kerry met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday and discussed the Mumbai Terror attacks and the situation arising out of it.

During the meeting, Singh is understood to have apprised the Senator about the details of attack which were carried out by the Pakistan-based outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Kerry, a Democrat Senator considered close to President-elect Barack Obama, has said LeT was being nurtured by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, which had founded the terror organisation. He has also demanded reform of the ISI.

Pakistan on Monday had turned down British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s request for allowing UK authorities to interrogate the Pakistani suspects arrested in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks, saying it will not hand over any of its nationals to a foreign country and will act on them according to the country’s own laws.

Premier Gordon Brown had requested both India and Pakistan that British police be allowed to quiz the lone surviving gunman as well as the suspects in custody.

Brown said he had requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that permission may be given to British police to interview Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pakistani national lodged in Mumbai in an undisclosed location.

A similar request was made to President Asif Ali Zardari to allow the British police to interview the persons arrested in Pakistan for their suspected involvement in the Mumbai attacks in which at least one British citizen died.