Modi vows to punish those behind IoK base attack

Rajnath Singh says Pakistan a 'terrorist state'; no infiltration allowed from Pakistani soil, says ISPR

SRINAGAR: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible for Sunday's "despicable" and "cowardly" attack on an army base in Indian-occupied Kashmir that left 17 soldiers dead.

"We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished," Modi said in a tweet following the raid on the base in the Uri area.

We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2016

We salute all those martyred in Uri. Their service to the nation will always be remembered. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2016

Have spoken to HM & RM on the situation. RM will go to J&K himself to take stock of the situation.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2016

The rebels broke into the base near the town of Uri before dawn and lobbed the grenades at tents and barracks housing the soldiers before opening fire, an army officer told AFP.

"Four terrorists killed in counter-terrorist operation at Uri. 17 soldiers make the supreme sacrifice," the command said on Twitter, referring to the Uri area, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of the troubled northern region's main city of Srinagar.

An Indian army soldier runs near the site of a gunbattle between Indian army soldiers and rebels inside an army brigade headquarters near the border with Pakistan, known as the Line of Control (LoC), in Uri on September 18, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

#JKOps Four terrorists killed in counter-terrorist operation at Uri. 17 soldiers make the supreme sacrifice. Combing ops in prog @adgpi

— NORTHERN COMMAND - INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 18, 2016

#JKOps Please find a statement attached on the operation at Uri in J&K @adgpi pic.twitter.com/9I90qRiEWT

— NORTHERN COMMAND - INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 18, 2016

The army deployed helicopters to evacuate 20 soldiers who had been injured in the dawn attack that was followed by an hours-long gunfight, army sources had said earlier, adding the toll may rise.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh breathed fire against Pakistan in the aftermath of the siege laid to Indian army's Uri base. In the latest of a series of tweets, he said:

Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

There are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

No infiltration allowed from Pakistani soil: ISPR

Pakistan does not allow any infiltration from its soil because watertight arrangements are in place on both sides of Line of Control and Working Boundary, the ISPR said in a statement. “In the backdrop of Uri terrorist attack, Pakistan and Indian army DGMOs established hotline contact on Indian request this afternoon,” the statement read.

It said the Pakistani DGMO asked his Indian counterpart to share any actionable intelligence on the cross-border infiltration while refuting the “unfounded and pre-mature” Indian allegations of Pakistan’s involvement in Sunday’s attack.

The raid comes amid heightened tension in India's only Muslim-majority region, which has faced more than two months of protests following the July 8 killing of a popular separatist field commander.

At least 78 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in street clashes with the Indian security forces, who have been criticised by human rights groups for using excessive force including shotguns that fire pellets that have blinded people.



Rajnath earlier said he had spoken to the region's political and military leadership and had instructed senior officials to monitor the situation.

Spoke to Governor & CM of Jammu & Kashmir regarding the terror attack in Uri. They have apprised me of the security situation in the state.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

I have given instructions to the Home Secretary and other senior officers in MHA to closely monitor the situation in Jammu and Kashmir

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

Keeping the situation of Jammu and Kashmir in mind and in the wake of terror attack in Uri, I have postponed my visits to Russia and the USA

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2016

He canceled planned trips to Russia and the United States.

"We have activated the entire force in and around Uri sector to step up security and launch combing operations," a senior Home Ministry official told Reuters.

"It is clearly a case of cross-border terror attack. We don't know which group is involved," this official added.

There has been no independent claim of responsibility.

The military death toll was the worst in Indian-ruled Kashmir since a raid in December 2014, also near Uri which is to the west of the region's main city of Srinagar, in which eight soldiers and three police were killed.

India accuses Pakistan of supporting 'militant' attacks in its northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule only in part.

Modi recently raised the stakes in their decades-old feud by expressing support for separatists within Pakistan.

Pakistan denies any role in cross-border terrorism, and has called on the United Nations and the international community to investigate atrocities it alleges have been committed by the security forces in Indian-ruled Kashmir.



Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have been on edge since a New-Year attack on an Indian air force base in Punjab, near the border with Pakistan, that killed seven uniformed men.

India has blamed a Pakistan-based group for that attack but, after initial progress, an attempt to conduct a joint investigation has lost momentum.

The two sides have frozen a tentative peace dialogue.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Indian-held Kashmir has been in the grip of widespread protests against Indian rule for more than two months, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader in a gun battle with soldiers on July 8.



At least 87 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the deadly protests and clashes, the worst violence to hit the region since 2010.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers - currently numbering around 500,000 - deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

Indian allegations baseless: Foreign Office

Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria has rejected allegations levelled against Pakistan.

In an interview with state television PTV, the spokesperson termed Singh’s allegations as baseless and irresponsible, adding that Indiahad a history of blaming Pakistan after every terror attack, reported Radio Pakistan.