Mulayam mum on non-use of Indo-Pak hotlines
Union Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday
refused to comment on why the hotlines between the directors
general of military operations of India and Pakistan were
not activated during the recent exchange of heavy fire on the Line
of Control in the Kashmir valley.
''The hotline between the armed forces of India and Pakistan is used only once a week on Tuesdays,'' Yadav told the media on board an Indian Air Force special aircraft. He was returning from Chandigarh, where he had visited the families of Major Depinder Bucher, killed in the Pakistani firing, and Major P P S Sidhu, killed in Assam while fighting militants.
According to reports, neither India nor Pakistan made an attempt
to activate the hotlines between the prime ministers's offices of
the two countries or the ones between the directors
general of military operations in spite of the seriousness of the clashes. The top defence officials reportedly could not have the routine Tuesday exchange as well because of a ''technical snag''.
In response to a question about India's intermediate range
Agni ballistic missile, the defence minister said a resource
crunch would not be allowed to come in the way of accelerating the
programme.
UNI
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