Pakistan is a terrorist state, says Rajnath Singh after holding high-level meeting on Uri attack
The home minister said he was 'deeply disappointed' with Islamabad's 'continued and direct support to terrorism'.
Pakistan is a terrorist state, and it should be identified and isolated as such, Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh said after convening a high-level meeting on Sunday to take stock of Sunday's militant attack on an Army installation in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri near the Line of Control. "There are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of the Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped," he said on Twitter, adding that he was "deeply disappointed" with Islamabad's "continued and direct support to terrorism".
Top defence officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, attended the high-level security meeting at Singh's official residence in Delhi. The home minister said he had apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of their discussions. Modi had condemned the attack on Twitter, saying, "I assure the nation that all those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."
Singh cancelled his trip to Russia and the United States in light of the incident. Officials told NDTV that the attack "is a part of Pakistan's larger game plan to spread unrest in Jammu and Kashmir". Singh reportedly spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti about the situation and asked the home secretaries to monitor it closely.
Among the officials present at the meeting were Director General Military Operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force director general and the Intelligence Bureau chief.
A total of 17 Indian soldiers were killed after four militants attacked an Army base in Uri, in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. All the militants involved in the incident were also killed. Army chief Dalbir Singh went to Srinagar to take stock of the situation and briefed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Authorities said a fidayeen group might have been involved, though there is no confirmation of this.
There has been increased violence in Kashmir over the past two months as the state grapples with protests that began following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.