Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday rejected the opposition's charge that Defence Minister A.K. Antony had misled the nation through his statement on the ambushed killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistani security personnel along the Line of Control (LOC).
He said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha had no basis to issue a breach of privilege notice to Antony.
Nath also said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would hold talks with the opposition today before taking a decision on India's response to Pakistan's statement that its troops were not involved in Tuesday morning's ambush in Poonch District.
"The breach of privilege motion will be considered by the Speaker, and it is for the Speaker to take a view on this. I don't see what breach of privilege there is. One can give any notice, no matter how frivolous. There is no question of the Defence Minister misleading, he made a statement of fact-facts which were available at the time when he made that statement. If any facts emerge after that, obviously those facts are after that statement," Nath said.
Hoping that Parliament would run smoothly today, Nath said it is the responsibility of all political parties in a democracy to ensure that the House functions productively.
Nath assured that India's response to Pakistan would be strong, but a decision would only be taken after the Prime Minister discusses the matter with the opposition.
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"There must always be strong action against Pakistan. Today, the Prime Minister is holding talks with the opposition, and a decision will be made after that," Nath said.
On Tuesday morning, five Indian soldiers were ambushed by Pakistani soldiers who intruded into Indian territory in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
On Tuesday, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that the intruders which ambushed five Indian soldiers on Monday night in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, were "terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniform."
His statement triggered a controversy, as the Indian Army had earlier issued a statement saying that the perpetrators were "soldiers from the Pakistan Army."
"The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniform," Antony said.
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Singh had issued a notice of breach of privilege against the Defence Minister earlier today, saying that Antony had not only misled the House with his statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir, but also altered the Indian Army's account of the incident.
The Pakistan Army and its affiliates have violated the cease-fire established in November 2003 57 times in 2013, which is almost 50 per cent more than the violations that took place in the previous year, sources said.
The situation along the 778-kilometer-long Line of Control ( LoC) took a turn for the worse in January this year, when the two armies engaged in heavy firing on a daily basis, after Pakistani Army regulars and some militants crossed over into the Mendhar sector in Jammu and Kashmir and beheaded an Indian soldier and mutilated the body of another on January 8.
The Indian Army is of the view that the terrorism infrastructure in Pakistan continues to be intact. It claims that over 2,500 militants are located in 43 terror-training camps, and about 450 terrorists are ready to cross into India with the help of Pakistani Army.