Uri attack: Military reviews 'escalation ladder'

Uri attack: Military reviews 'escalation ladder'

The strike by jihadi militants on Sunday on an army camp near Uri, in which 18 soldiers were killed and 29 injured, has inflamed tensions along the Line of Control (LoC). On Tuesday, the army shot down eight Pakistani militants after intercepting a 15-strong group that was discovered infiltrating from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

With public opinion and the media aroused, and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to punish those responsible; and the army's top operations officer declaring the military would retaliate at a time and place of its choosing, both sides of the LoC are bracing for what might come.

New Delhi has pinned the attack on the Lashkar-e-Toiba, a militia controlled by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), a wing of the Pakistani Army. Home Minister Rajnath Singhhas declared Pakistan a "terrorist state" and the Indian Army, already grappling with public turmoil in the Kashmir Valley, is evaluating options to extract revenge for Uri.

Pakistan presents an easy target for an Indian diplomatic offensive against its terror-friendly ways, in western capitals and multilateral forums. However, a calibrated military riposte would need more careful consideration.(more)

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Rajnath Singh's visit to Jammu valley: Do not expect much

Rajnath Singh's visit to Jammu valley: Do not expect much

Rajnath Singh has begun his 2-day visit to the Jammu valley where he is likely to meet a cross section of people and review the prevailing situation that is yet to come back to normalcy. So should one expect a lot of change in the ground situation post this visit. It all depends on what kind of message he is ready to send.

He is after all, the Home Minister of the country. All paramilitary forces report to him. These are the very forces that are the target of hatred and rage in the state. So won’t Singh be a bit conflicted? Isn’t what Kashmir needs right now the healing touch? A soothing, gentle presence that offers to be a bridge between the Chief Minister and the mobs?

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Strong 6.8 earthquake hits India's northeastern region, 5 dead

At least five persons were killed and over 50 injured as a strong 6.8 magnitude Earthquake with epicentre in Manipur today hit the northeastern region, causing damage to many buildings and spreading panic.

Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor which struck at 4.35 a.m with its epicentre at Tamenglong district at a depth of 17 km below the ground.

"So far, five deaths and 33 injuries have been reported from Imphal. Damage to a few buildings, residential units and Government offices have been reported, including damage to a six storey building in Imphal," according to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Meanwhile, social network giant Facebook has activated its 'Mark As Safe' feature that allows people in the affected area to mark themselves as out of any danger on the social media platform. Read More.