Four militants reportedly crossed from Pakistan into India-administered northern Kashmir territory early Sunday and attacked an Indian base in Uri, killing 18 servicemen.
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Expressing shock over Sunday’s terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, “We want to express our deep sympathies and condolences to the affected families and the injured”.
As part of the plans, the Director General of Military Operations will hand over all the evidence linking Pakistan’s involvement in Uri attack to his Pakistani counterpart shortly.
He also sought immediate withdrawal of unilateral most-favoured nation (MFN) status given to Pakistan for trade.
“Religious and sectarian minorities such as Hindus, Christians, Shias, Ahmaddiyas, Ismailis and others continue to face discrimination, persecution and targeted attacks in Pakistan”.
Army officials said some of the critically wounded had been flown to a hospital in New Delhi and one had died while undergoing treatment.
India held back from military retaliation when a Pakistan-based group killed 166 people in a 2008 rampage through Mumbai, for fear of igniting a broader conflict, and opted instead for a diplomatic offensive to isolate Islamabad.
“We call upon this Council to urge Pakistan to put an end to cross-border infiltration; dismantle the terrorism infrastructure; and stop acting as an epicentre of terrorism”, it said in its statement. The accusations sparked a strong reaction from Pakistan, which railed against the “vitriolic statements” from India, calling them a “blatant attempt” to distract the world from human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Incidentally, Jaish is also believed to be behind the Pathankot attack but it did not claim responsibility for the same them.
General Raheel pointed out the “hostile narrative being propagated by India” and said that the Pakistani armed forces are “fully prepared to respond to the entire spectrum of direct and indirect threats”.
The recent escalation of violence in the region started in July after Indian security forces killed Burhan Wani, a commander of the separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, outlawed in India, which has led to further deterioration of India-Pakistan relations.
“The pressure on the Modi government to act decisively now is visible, but this should be tempered by objective cost-benefit operational analysis”, C. Uday Bhaskar, a defense analyst, wrote in the Indian Express.
“Terrorist attacks have become regular in Jammu and Kashmir”. The UN is preparing to hold its annual general assembly in NY, where Kashmir is likely to be on the agenda.
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India has for decades accused Pakistan of funding, training and equipping Islamic militants and then helping them cross into the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
