India does not rule out military action

NEW DELHI (Agencies) - India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday denied ruling out military action against Pakistan in the wake of terror strikes in Mumbai, reports Zee News.
The clarification from the Ministry sources, aired on a TV news channel, came after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said earlier in the day that the Indian government was not considering any military action against Pakistan in the wake of the November 26 terror attack.
However, MEA sources said that Pranab had actually not discounted the use of military action.
The Minister had said, in a bid to allay fears about an armed conflict with Pakistan, that military action was not being considered and that it will wait for Islamabad to respond to its demand for action against terror groups and individuals operating out of the neighbouring country.
“What will be done, time will show and you will come to know,” Pranab told reporters here when referred to US President-elect Barack Obama’s suggestion that India has a “right to protect” itself.
Asked whether it could mean military action, Pranab responded by saying, “There is no misinterpretation. Nobody is talking about military action.”
He said India “will await” Pakistan’s response to a demarche issued to it demanding action against terrorist groups and individuals operating out of that country and handing over of 20 fugitive terrorists.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs Monday evening and served a demarche which sought “strong action” from Islamabad against those behind last week’s terror strikes in Mumbai.