Modi chairs meeting on Uri attack

Indian troops increase patrolling along LoC

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the Uri terror attack attended by top ministers and officials at his residence in New Delhi on Monday.

The meeting was attended by home minister Rajnath Singh, army chief Gen Dalbir Singh, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, finance minister Arun Jaitley and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval along with other senior officials. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, however, was missing.

At the over two-hour-long meeting, the security top brass briefed the prime minister on the ground situation in Kashmir in the wake of the militant attack at a brigade headquarters in Uri.

The Indian defence minister and the army chief had visited Kashmir after the militant attack on Sunday. Parikkar is believed to have told the army to act sternly, while minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said a “befitting reply” would be given to the terror elements.

At least 17 Indian soldiers were and 19 were injured as heavily armed militants stormed an army camp at the headquarters of the 12th Brigade in Baramulla district of Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) on Sunday.

India reacted strongly to the attack - the deadliest on the army in a quarter-century - with the prime minister and others strongly condemning it . “We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished,” Modi said.

The home minister blamed Pakistan squarely, calling it a “terrorist state” that should be isolated, while BJP leader Ram Madhav said days of “strategic restraint” were over and suggested that “for one tooth, the complete jaw” should be India’s policy after the attack.

Rajnath Singh too chaired a meeting with the defence minister and top security officials of the country on Monday to review the security situation in IHK, particularly in the border areas, in the wake of the terror attack in Uri.

Doval and top officials of the ministries of home and defence, army, paramilitary forces and chiefs of intelligence agencies briefed Singh on the ground report in the Kashmir Valley as well as along the Line of Control (LoC), Indian media reported.

The patrolling of Indian army along the LoC has been increased after the Uri attack.  Possible strategies to deal with the fresh challenges arising out of the terror attack at the Army Brigade Headquarters, located along the LoC, was also discussed in the meeting. Home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who postponed his visit to Srinagar, also attended the meeting.