<p>Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali’s statement that he had ordered destruction of a Pakistani boat with four persons in it off the Gujarat coast last December has actually blown up the government’s claims and theories about the incident. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The defence ministry had claimed that the intruding boat was chased by the Coast Guard and, when cornered, those on board had themselves set fire to the boat which sank without a trace. There was also a variation in the story which said the occupants of the boat had taken cyanide. The government’s theory does not sound credible at all. <br /><br />Why would the occupants want to kill themselves? Or take cyanide? The BJP and the government even claimed that the security agency’s vigil had averted a 26/11 style attack on the country. But the party’s and the government’s assertions had too many holes, inconsistencies and contradictions even then. <br /><br />Loshali’s statement has exposed them and raised uncomfortable questions about the government’s stance in the matter. The loose ends were obvious too, like the statement that the Coast Guard vessel could not catch up with the fishing boat for a long time. Photographs of the burning boat did not support claims about the nature of the fire. <br /><br />There was also nothing to prove that the occupants were terrorists. Communications which, it was said, would prove that they were terrorists, were never made public. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has offered to place the facts before the public but has not done so in many weeks. Even now he has repeated his promise. <br /><br />Unfortunately, there is also a temptation on the part of the government and the BJP to brand those who ask questions as unpatriotic. It was even claimed that such questioning would give oxygen to Pakistan and hurt the country’s national security interests. This is wrong and unacceptable. <br /><br />The government tried to take political advantage of the incident and it cannot evade its responsibility now. Taking action against the official does not help either. It will dent the credibility of the government in the international arena if it is seen as making false claims, especially on national security issues. <br /><br />The incident took place outside India’s territorial waters, and if Loshali’s statement is correct, the action amounted to violation of international law without any credible defence. The incident, which amounts to crime, was almost similar to the killing of the fishermen from Kerala by two Italian marines in 2012. <br /><br />If Loshali’s statement is an empty boast, it is for the government to place all the facts in the public realm to support its claim. In any case, the defence minister must, at least now, come out and place evidence of government’s defence in the boat incident.</p>
<p>Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali’s statement that he had ordered destruction of a Pakistani boat with four persons in it off the Gujarat coast last December has actually blown up the government’s claims and theories about the incident. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The defence ministry had claimed that the intruding boat was chased by the Coast Guard and, when cornered, those on board had themselves set fire to the boat which sank without a trace. There was also a variation in the story which said the occupants of the boat had taken cyanide. The government’s theory does not sound credible at all. <br /><br />Why would the occupants want to kill themselves? Or take cyanide? The BJP and the government even claimed that the security agency’s vigil had averted a 26/11 style attack on the country. But the party’s and the government’s assertions had too many holes, inconsistencies and contradictions even then. <br /><br />Loshali’s statement has exposed them and raised uncomfortable questions about the government’s stance in the matter. The loose ends were obvious too, like the statement that the Coast Guard vessel could not catch up with the fishing boat for a long time. Photographs of the burning boat did not support claims about the nature of the fire. <br /><br />There was also nothing to prove that the occupants were terrorists. Communications which, it was said, would prove that they were terrorists, were never made public. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has offered to place the facts before the public but has not done so in many weeks. Even now he has repeated his promise. <br /><br />Unfortunately, there is also a temptation on the part of the government and the BJP to brand those who ask questions as unpatriotic. It was even claimed that such questioning would give oxygen to Pakistan and hurt the country’s national security interests. This is wrong and unacceptable. <br /><br />The government tried to take political advantage of the incident and it cannot evade its responsibility now. Taking action against the official does not help either. It will dent the credibility of the government in the international arena if it is seen as making false claims, especially on national security issues. <br /><br />The incident took place outside India’s territorial waters, and if Loshali’s statement is correct, the action amounted to violation of international law without any credible defence. The incident, which amounts to crime, was almost similar to the killing of the fishermen from Kerala by two Italian marines in 2012. <br /><br />If Loshali’s statement is an empty boast, it is for the government to place all the facts in the public realm to support its claim. In any case, the defence minister must, at least now, come out and place evidence of government’s defence in the boat incident.</p>
