NEW DELHI: A furious India on Saturday kept up the pressure on Pakistan over the killing of two soldiers and beheading of one of them with Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne saying that the country may have to look at "other options" for ensuring the sanctity of the line of control (LoC) and the ceasefire along it.

"We are monitoring the situation carefully because if these things continue to be the way they are and these violations continue to take place, then perhaps we may have to look at some other options for compliance," Browne told reporters on the sidelines of an NCC function here.

He termed as unacceptable the growing cases of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops. "We have a Line of Control, we have a ceasefire agreement, we have certain structures and mechanisms which are sacrosanct and any violation of these with impunity especially what has been happening in the last few months is totally unacceptable."

'Can't reveal options'

Asked to spell out the options, the IAF chief declined, saying "options are options. We do not discuss these options openly. If violations continue we might have to look at the whole issue again."

Browne, who is the chairman of chiefs of staff committee, was the first to comment among the military chiefs ever since two Indian soldiers were killed and one of them was beheaded by Pakistani troops in Mendhar sector on January 8.

Even as speculation is rife over what he may have meant by "other options", Brown's statement reflects India's anger over the killing of Indian soldiers and brutalization of their bodies by the Pakistani Army, and the stubborn refusal of Islamabad to show even a faint trace of remorse. The IAF chief was speaking a day after India owned up the Thursday's killing of Pakistani Havildar Mohyuddin, and justified it as a "controlled response" to unprovoked firing on Indian troops.

The outrage over the beheading of an Indian soldier was given vent to by defence minister AK Antony on Friday evening when he described the conduct of Pakistan as a "turning point", adding they were both tragic and provocative.

Antony said, "This kind of occasional ceasefire violations and firing is a serious concern, because even though violence level in Kashmir has come down compared to the past, infiltration attempts are increasing."

Foreign minister Salman Khurshid said "wild calls for revenge and reaction" would not be heeded. However, he stressed that Pakistan needed to explain the gruesome behaviour of its army.

"There should not be any disagreement in the manner in which our soldiers and their bodies were treated. That is the bottom line. That is unacceptable and that must be explained," he added.

Khurshid emphasized there had been no substantial response from Pakistan to India's demand for investigations into the killing and mutilation of Indian soldiers. "We will do what is in the best interest of the country and peace, keeping in mind that there is a lot at stake. And we hope there will be a similar approach from the other side. We shouldn't really be lulled into believing that nothing went wrong," he added.

The IAF chief's statement stood in contrast to the studied silence being maintained by Army chief General Bikram Singh on the issue. Gen Singh is expected to make his first comments on the killings on Monday during his customary media interaction on the occasion of the annual Army Day.