PM for ‘strategic approach’ to deal with Pak

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his Cabinet colleagues from the Home and Defence Ministries to work out a ‘strategic approach’ in dealing with Pakistan.

Modi on Wednesday chaired the Cabinet Committee on Security meet where the issue was discussed. Later in the evening he had another meeting with the Home Minister on the attack at the Indian military base in Uri.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar admitted that “something” did go wrong on that fateful Sunday morning when a group of terrorists killed 18 soldiers. Sources told

BusinessLine that discussions on the way the attack was planned, Army’s preparedness at that moment and what “strategic approach” India will take in tackling terror emanating from Pakistan also took place at the meeting.

Sources said India’s Pakistan policy, which will undergo a significant change, will be spelt out by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj during her speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 26. She is also going to urge the world at the UN to “isolate” Pakistan for being a “sponsor of terror”.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said “something” did go wrong on that day when the attacks took place and his Ministry will ensure this does not happen again. “I believe in zero error … But something must have gone wrong. While we are trying to correct it we will also ensure that it does not happen again. We will take steps that nothing goes wrong again and repetitions do not happen,” Parrikar said at an event organised by AIIMA.

Parrikar said while India is a “responsible” country and will take necessary action against the perpetrators of the attacks, he can have a “knee-jerk reaction” on the episode.

In a parallel development, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit where the High Commissioner was informed about the items recovered by India from the slain terrorists had Pakistani markings. India had told Pakistan that if it wishes to investigate the cross-border attacks, the government is willing to provide finger prints and DNA samples of terrorists.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif suffered a massive setback as a Bill was moved in the US House of Representatives to designate Pakistan as a state ‘sponsor of terror’.