Antony's request

Former defence minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony is a soft-spoken man. As defence minister during the first and second terms of the United Progressive Alliance governments, Antony was often ridiculed by the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership for not allowing the Army to retaliate against Pakistan for mutilating bodies of Indian soldiers. But on Tuesday as another incident of Indian soldiers being mutilated hit the headlines, Antony pointed out that only one incident of mutilation had happened during his eight-year stint as defence minister, while the last three years have witnessed three such incidents. “My only request to the government is give freedom to the Army to take appropriate action at an appropriate time,” he said.