PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh’s Pakistan policy has come under fire after military intelligence reports pointed to the involvement of the Pakistan army and Lashkar-e-Taiba in the brutal killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers, while the establishment in Islamabad remained defiant.BJP on Thursday blamed Congress for turning the country into a “soft state” with its repeated attempts to foster peace with the hostile neighbour, even as the ruling party claimed that the response to the latest outrage from across the border would be stern.Strategic experts, too, blamed the Centre. “Ignoring over 70 ceasefire violations last year, symptomatic of infiltration attempts across the Line of Control with Pakistan army’s connivance, and contrived bonhomie over non-MFN trade, delayed and partial visa relaxation, besides cricket minus Miandad were ripe for derailment by the military-militant alliance,” said former ambassador KC Singh.KHAR Although the foreign policy establishment maintained that it would wait for a response from Pakistan on its call for action against the perpetrators of the brutal attack on Indian soldiers, Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar repeated that her country’s army was not involved in the attack. More provocatively, she blamed India for creating “unnecessary atmospherics” over the incident.“Some unnecessary statements have created some unnecessary atmospherics. The two countries have mechanisms in place to deal with challenges like the one we have been faced with...so that we can continue as normal neighbours,” an agency report from Islamabad quoting Khar said. Other reports claimed LeT chief Hafiz Saeed had visited the Mendhar sector, where the killings took place. “There has been an increase in ceasefire violations,” said National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon. “In 2012, there was an increase overall over 2011.That is a fact. And that is something we are dealing with, both ourselves and with the Pakistani authorities.” Former ambassador G Parthasarathy said the latest attack could not be treated as a one-off incident.“There has been an increase in Pakistani support for groups infiltrating into India over the past one year. These tensions have been building. If the army allows it, it’s to be blamed. This will have to play its course out. It’s not something that has happened as a one-off incident.” Experts agreed that the incident would impact the dialogue process between the two countries.“I suppose the dialogue process, as a matter of formality, will go on. Pakistan has now blocked trade. The incident took place when General Kayani (Pakistani army chief) was in Sialkot to check the preparedness of the troops. The space for peace process has shrunk. Pakistan was to give Most Favoured Nation status to India by December.That has not happened. It was foolish to invite Rehman Malik here,” said Parthasarathy. Former ambassador Singh said Indian leadership could not remain oblivious to the changing power matrix in Pakistan. “The civilian government’s term is about to lapse and the US is pampering Pak army to facilitate Af PAK exit, Singh said.