No business as usual with Pakistan: Indian PM

Published
203

Manmohan_File_670
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. — File photo

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Tuesday that there “cannot be business as usual” with Pakistan after last week's deadly flare-up along the border in disputed Kashmir. “It cannot be business as usual” with Pakistan, he told reporters on the sidelines of an army function.

“What has happened is unacceptable,” he added in reference to the killing of two Indian soldiers, one of whom was beheaded.

“Those responsible for this crime will have to be brought to book.”

Singh's comments came a day after commanders of the two armies traded protests over the border exchanges and the chief of India's million-plus military ordered an “aggressive” response to any fresh cross-border firing.

The Indian government has accused Pakistani soldiers of crossing into Indian territory and killing two of its soldiers on Jan 8.

Pakistan denies its troops were involved in any such incident and has accused Indian troops of killing two of its soldiers.

Foreign ministers of both sides have warned against escalating tensions.

But the Indian army chief of staff told his commanders Monday to respond “aggressively” to any future Pakistani firing across the de facto border in Kashmir known as the Line of Control.

Opinion

Editorial

Candid admission
Updated 30 Oct, 2026

Candid admission

Both ruling and opposition parties have lost credibility and political ground due to their ongoing vendetta.
Disrupted LPG supply
Updated 30 Oct, 2026

Disrupted LPG supply

Blaming the Iran border closure is but an attempt to cover up the ministry’s failure to do its basic duty.
Judicial disaffection
30 Oct, 2026

Judicial disaffection

THE resignation of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani from the Lahore High Court is another indicator of the deepening...
Restructuring plans
Updated 29 Oct, 2026

Restructuring plans

The primary reason for governance failure in Pakistan is not the geographical size of the existing provinces but the reluctance of provincial capitals to empower local bodies.
Polluted priorities
Updated 29 Oct, 2026

Polluted priorities

Enforcement must continue, but decisions should follow evidence, not the visibility of machinery on city roads.
Continuing genocide
29 Oct, 2026

Continuing genocide

FOR the people of Gaza, despite the ‘ceasefire’ reached last October, the genocide never really ceased. This ...