No soldier should lay down his life for India: Martyr's father

Narinder Kumar Kalia, father of Kargil War martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia, is a heart-broken man.

Captain Kalia was tortured and killed by Pakistani troops after being captured in the Kargil sector in May 1999.

"Neither do I have faith in the United Nations, where (Member of Parliament) Rajiv Chandershekhar had raised this issue, nor do I have faith in the Pakistani authorities that justice would be done to my son, who laid down his life for the sake of the nation," Narinder Kumar told rediff.com from his residence in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.

N K Kalia has taken up the case with the United Nations Human Rights Commission for a direction to Pakistan to probe the death of his son.

He has also filed a plea in the Supreme Court to direct the government to take up the case of his son's torture at the International Court of Justice at Hague. The Supreme Court had also sought a response from the Centre on N K Kalia's plea.

India is not in favour of taking the matter to ICJ as it feels that this is a bilateral issue.

"This is obviously a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan and, therefore, the position we have taken on ICJ is for a very, very good reason," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said.

Upset by the lackadaisical attitude of the Indian government, he said, "The government  has not taken up the case of my son as strongly as they should have done with Pakistan".

"Why should those like Captain Kalia lay down their lives for the nation when the nation fails to respond adequately," he rued.

Reacting to the comments made by Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Captain Kalia's death, he said, "Malik says it is yet to be established whether Captain Kalia was killed by a Pakistani bullet or if he died because of adverse weather conditions. This statement is ridiculous. It is their basic character to tell lies and that is what Rehman Maik did when he was visiting India last week. The ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) plotted the death of my son".

N K Kalia, a retired government official, added bitterly, "I have learnt a lesson -- no Indian soldier should lay down his life for the country."