India wants Pakistan to take responsibility for LoC killings

New Delhi, Aug 11: India on Sunday said it wants the Pakistan Government to take responsibility for killing of five of its soldiers on the LoC and asserted that all issues will be factored in "objectively" in dealing with the neighbouring country.

Noting that Pakistan government will remain responsible for any such incidents, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said India has done a "lot more" to contribute to the peace process and insisted that the neighbouring country must take responsibility for the LoC incident.

"The responsibility must rest with the government. Our meeting point is the civilian elected government of Pakistan, not the Pakistan Army or any other agency," he said. Referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's statement on killing of five Indian soldiers, Khurshid rued that there was no indication of acceptance of responsibility for the attack.

"One element is that the regret about what has happened, which has certainly been mentioned. But, there is no indication of acceptance of responsibility. "Whether I can expect or not, we have said that we expect responsibility. That hasn't happened, one.

Two, the other concern of what we have been expecting...culpability for what happened in Mumbai. There in no indication of that.

And, finally, the statement doesn't take into account, the outreach and the extra mile that India has periodically gone to overcome great difficulties posed," Khurshid told a news channel.

Asked whether he was looking forward for a meeting between Prime Ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next month, Khurshid did not give a direct reply. "If Prime Minister of our country takes a position, it is fair that we let our Prime Minister take a position," he said.

Asked whether the attack was an attempt to derail the talks between the two countries, he said there may be such possibility but added that it does not take the responsibility away from Pakistan Government for the incident.

PTI