Kashmir attacks won't derail peace process: India

He also shot down war talk over the incidents.

Talking to newsmen after visiting the Tanda camp where terrorists had killed an army brigadier and seven soldiers in twin attacks on Tuesday, Fernandes said that the fidayeen attacks were carried out by some agencies in Pakistan and the "whole world knows that there are many such camps".

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He said that the Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind the attack, though it seeks to deceive the world by giving out front names of little known groups. This appears to be an attempt to derail the nascent peace process.

He, however, would not commit himself to saying that they were working independent of the Pakistani government. "The Pakistani President says that they have given the necessary orders (to check terrorism)," he said.

Asked if he believed this, Fernandes replied: "This is a different matter".

He categorically stated that these incidents of violence should not be allowed to derail the peace process between India and Pakistan in recent months.

He also decried the tendency to talk in terms of a war with Pakistan over such incidents. "We are a big country and such incidents should not bring us to this level where it means something is going to happen instantly," Fernandes told a questioner who recalled how the May 2002 massacre of wives and children of soldiers at Kaluchak had brought India and Pakistan close to a war.

Fernandes denied that the two lieutenant generals were wounded in the attack, but he was contradicted by the corps commander of 16 corps, Lt. Gen. TPS Brar, who admitted to the fact "we all received minor injuries".

The minister said that the minor injuries didn't mean the generals had been rendered out of action. They are very much in action, Fernandes said.

Earlier, Fernandes visited the Tanda camp and the military hospital to inquire about the injured soldiers. He also held a security review meeting with the Army Chief Gen NC Vij and Lt Gen Hari Prasad, general officer commanding-in-chief northern command, who had received splinter injuries in the attack on Tuesday afternoon.

Fernandes, who reviewed the security situation here with the top commanders, evaded a direct answer to a question whether the attacks called for setting up of a unified security command in Jammu and Kashmir to intensify the counter-insurgency operations.