People pay their last respects in front of the coffin of Indian army soldier Vijay Kumar Rai, allegedly killed by Pakistani soldiers, on the outskirts of Patna, India, on August 8, 2013.
New Delhi has directly blamed the Pakistani army for the killing of five Indian soldiers in Kashmir, which lies at the heart of 65 years of hostility between the two south Asian countries.
Å“It is now clear that the specialist troops of the Pakistani army were involved in this attack. Naturally, this incident will have consequences on our behavior on the Line of Control and for our relationship with Pakistan,” Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said on Thursday.
Antony also said that those responsible for the deaths of the soldiers Å“must be punished.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed concern over the attack saying, Å“It is incumbent upon the leadership of both sides not to allow the situation to drift, and to take steps to improve the atmosphere by engaging constructively with a view to building trust and confidence.”
He also added that Å“Pakistan will persist in its efforts to improve relations with India through a constructive dialogue on all issues.”
The deadly attack took place on a post in the Poonch sector of Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday morning.
Following the incident, Antony said the attack Å“was carried out by 20 heavily-armed terrorists, along with persons in Pakistani army uniform.”
India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full but each only has control over a section of the territory.
Over the past two decades, the conflict in Kashmir has left over 47,000 people dead by the official count, although other sources say the death toll could be as high as 100,000.
MAM/MHB
Republished from: Press TV