18 soldiers were killed in a terror attack at an army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri
Highlights
- PM, ministers discuss response to Uri attack in which 18 soldiers died
- 4 Pak-based Jaish terrorists had attacked army base in Uri on Sunday
- Pakistan rejects involvement in attack after India's direct blame
Pakistan must be diplomatically isolated at every international forum, it was decided today, said sources, at a meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held with his most senior ministers to shape the government's response to Sunday's terror attack, in which 18 soldiers were killed at an Army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri.
Here are the latest developments in this big story:
India would present all actionable evidence if required at these forums, it was decided at the meeting, the sources said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attended. PM Modi also met President Pranab Mukherjee and briefed him on the attack and the government's deliberations.
"Pakistan's actions have gone beyond tolerance. India-Pakistan relations will never be the same again," said senior minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in a sense of the government's mood. "While Pakistan lives in a chronic state of denial, there is conclusive evidence of its role," in the Uri terror attack, the minister said.
Top sources said the government is clear that it must respond to the attack, with a calibrated, multi-layered strategy. India, the sources said, could raise the Uri attack at the United Nations General Assembly, which is in session in New York.
Later on Monday, India delivered a strong message to Pakistan at the UN Rights Council, asking it to clean house by dismantling terror infrastructure and stopping cross-border terrorism.
Four terrorists from Pakistan sneaked into the Uri base early on Sunday morning and killed 17 soldiers before being shot dead in an intense three-hour gun battle. An 18th soldier died of his injuries today.
Preliminary investigation into the attack points firmly to Pakistani links, sources said. Apart from weapons and food with Pakistani markings seized from the terrorists, GPS trackers that they carried showed they had started from Pakistan.
The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General Ranbir Singh will hand over this evidence to his Pakistani counterpart as India takes up the matter strongly with Islamabad.
Pakistan has denied any links with the attackers, calling it a "baseless and irresponsible accusation," in a statement today.
A National Investigation Agency or NIA team has reached Uri to investigate the attack. The Army is also investigating how the terrorists breached a three-layered, counter-infiltration grid to cross the border and also how they entered the Uri base.
The attack happened during a change of command at the base between two regiments - 6 Bihar and 10 Dogra. The bodies of the soldiers killed, most of them from 6 Bihar, have been flown back to their homes.
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