Digvijay asks govt to take up Saurabh Kalia case with Pakistan

New Delhi, Nov 28: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh today asked the government to take up the case of Kargil war hero Saurabh Kalia with Pakistan, after his parents moved the Supreme Court for intervention. Singh tweeted: "GOI must take up case of Capt. Saurav kalia with Govrt Of Pakistan, did then NDA govt raise the issue with Pakistan " Captain Saurabh Kalia's father, Dr N K Kalia has sought the apex court's directions to the government to approach the International Court of Justice. His petition requests the Supreme Court to order the home and external affairs ministries to take up the matter with Islamabad. Capt Saurabh Kalia was captured by the Pakistan Army in 1999 and subjected to brutal torture. Dr Kalia had made several representations to the government in the past 13 years but failed to get any adequate response. He said the attitude of the government, including that of the President's office, had been "pathetic". "I have approached three Presidents. I have received one standard reply: 'Your letter has been received and would be forwarded for necessary action', he said. In May 1999, Saurabh went missing from patrol duty along with five other soldiers - Arjunram Baswana, Mula Ram Bidiasar, Naresh Singh Sinsinwar, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and Bhika Ram Mudh - in Kargil's Kakar. The Indian patrol was captured by the Pakistan Army and kept hostage for around a month before their bodies were returned in June. The incident took place just before the start of the Kargil operation and during the war. The Indian government underplayed the torture as it would have had an impact on the morale of the force. But as soon as the war was over, the government accepted that Saurabh and others were tortured in captivity. The issue was also raised several times by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who wrote to the external affairs ministry. The then external affairs S.M. Krishna said the issue had been taken up with Pakistan several times, but in vain. "Whatever is possible would be done but I do not want to give you a commitment now of what is possible or what is being done," external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday. BJP veteran and former defence minister Jaswant Singh said: "Unfortunately in governance, the urgent takes over the important... But it is still not late and the government should go to the international court of justice." Dr Kalia said: "I am afraid every parent would think twice before sending their wards to the armed forces if we all fall short of our duty of safeguarding the prisoners of war and let them meet the fate of my son."