New Delhi: The Central government has reportedly taken a U-turn in the case of Kargil martyr Sourav Kalia.
Talking to a newspaper, MoS for External Affairs Gen VK Singh said that it is not viable to pursue the matter in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as it has many legal obstacles.
The response from the government comes after Captain Kalia's family asked for an international probe in the Supreme Court.
Reacting sharply to the change in stand of the government, Congress leader PL Punia said "They are trying to shield Pakistan. This is condemnable; we demand that the Supreme Court's order be followed and the matter be raised in the ICJ," he added.
Captain Kalia, along with five other soldiers, were taken prisoners by Pakistani troops during the Kargil war in 1999. They were held captive and allegedly tortured before their bodies were handed back to India on June 9, 1999.
This incident had caused anger across the nation, as the torturing of prisoners of war (pow) is against the Geneva Convention. Earlier The UPA government had also maintained that it could not move the ICJ as Pakistan will not permit it.
Defence experts feel that the biggest hurdle coming in the trial of Sourav Kalia and five other martyrs is the 1971 Shimla agreement according to which any bilateral issue between India and Pakistan will be resolved by the two countries and no third party intervention will be accepted.
