Defence Minister A.K. Antony today termed as totally baseless Pakistan's claim that its soldiers were beheaded by the Indian army in the past. Mr. Antony's statement comes in the wake of a newspaper yesterday reporting that Pakistan has accused India of beheading its soldiers in cross-border attacks since 1998.

On the recent incident of beheading two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Antony said although the tension has now reduced after the meeting of the Director Generals of Military Operations, the Army can not lower its guard on the border. He exhorted the army to be vigilant round-the-clock and said that the armed forces are taking all precautions to maintain peace and tranquility. Mr. Antony stated that India is not in a haste to normalise relations with Pakistan and will wait and watch. The Defence Minister was talking to the media on the sidelines of an international seminar-cum-exhibition on Naval Armament in New Delhi.

Earlier, addressing the seminar, Mr. Antony said his ministry is in the process of revising the Defence Procurement Procedure to be operationalised from April this year. Describing offsets as an integrated part of the defence policy to promote indigenization, he said the policy has enabled greater participation of the defence industry.

The Defence Minister said the government is also encouraging the industry to intensify research and development efforts to remain globally competitive, especially in critical technology areas. Mr. Antony called upon the industry both public and private to forsake their miserly attitude towards spending on research and development.