Rajnath, Parrikar, NSA, Army Chief Meet to Discuss Kashmir

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and top security brass of the country today met to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the border areas, in the wake of the terror attack in Uri.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and top officials of the ministries of Home and Defence, paramilitary forces and chiefs of intelligence agencies briefed the meeting on the latest situation in Kashmir Valley as well as along the Line of Control, official sources said.

Parrikar and General Suhag had visited Kashmir yesterday in the aftermath of the terror attack in Uri where 17 soldiers were killed.

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, the sources said.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who has postponed his visit to Srinagar, also attended the meeting.

The Home Minister, Defence Minister and the top officials also reviewed the security situation across the country, particular along the western border - from Punjab to Gujarat, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a team of National Investigation Agency is expected to visit Uri to gather leads and other evidence from the terror attack site.

Heavily armed militants suspected to be from Pakistan-based JeM had yesterday stormed an army base in Uri in Kashmir, killing 17 jawans.

India had reacted strongly to the deadliest attack on the Army in Jammu and Kashmir in a quarter-century-old insurgency that sparked an outrage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 had said.

The Home Minister, who had yesterday called an emergency meeting in Delhi, had pointed a finger directly at Pakistan, saying it is a "terrorist state" and should be isolated while BJP leader Ram Madhav said days of strategic restraint are over and suggested that "for one tooth, the complete jaw" should be the policy after the attack.