NEW DELHI: The bodies of the 17 soldiers killed in the terror attack at an army base in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri on Sunday are being flown back to their homes today. In Delhi, top ministers are holding multiple meetings to shape the government’s response.
Top sources said the government is clear there must be a caliberated response from India to the attack. India, the sources said, could raise the Uri attack at the United Nations General Assembly, which is in session in New York.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar this morning briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will in a short while hold a review meeting with Mr Parrikar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Rajnath Singh held a separate meeting with Mr Parrikar and Army Chief Dalbir Singh, both of who visited J&K yesterday after the attack, and other top officials.
Early on Sunday morning, four terrorists sneaked into the base firing AK-47s and throwing grenades, killing soldiers sleeping in tents that caught fire. Twenty soldiers were injured, seven of them critically.
India has directly blamed Pakistan for the attack. “Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, adding that the attackers were “highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped”.
Pakistan has rejected what it called “baseless and irresponsible accusations” and said it was, “deplorable that the Indian Minister chose to blame Pakistan for the incident even prior to conducting proper investigation.”