Rajnath Singh reviews security with NSA, Foreign Secretary

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of Sunday's terror strike at an army camp in Uri that left 18 soldiers dead.

This is the third security review meeting Singh has chaired since the Uri attack and the situation in the border areas of Punjab and Gujarat was also discussed, officials said.

Besides National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other senior Home Ministry officials, the meeting was also attended by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.

The presence of the Foreign Secretary was explained in the context of the move by India to launch a diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan at global fora, starting with the upcoming UN General Assembly.

A high-level meeting held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had authorised the diplomatic offensive, backed by clear proof of Pakistan Army backing to the four terrorists who mounted the early morning attack on the Uri camp.

Rajnath Singh was briefed on Tuesday by Doval and others, including officials from the Defence Ministry, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies, on the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley as well as along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Home Minister suggested that all necessary steps be taken to check infiltration along the LoC and the border areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Tuesday was in Srinagar to assess the ground situation and interact with civil and security officials in the state.

Mehrishi will also call on state Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during his visit.

Eighteen soldiers were killed and 30 injured when four terrorists attacked the administrative base camp of an infantry battalion in the highly fortified Uri town of Baramulla district on Sunday.

India has blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack. The group, which has not claimed responsibility, was also accused of mounting the January attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot that left seven soldiers dead.

Briefing reporters on Monday, Director General Military Operation (DGMO), Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, had said the Indian Army, reserves the right to respond to the terror strike "at a place and time of our choosing", adding that "we have the desired capability to reply to such a blatant act of violence in a manner as deemed appropriate by us".

--IANS

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