Parliamentary defence panel briefed on surgical strikes

New Delhi, Oct 14 The parliamentary standing committee on defence was briefed on Friday about the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army by Vice Chief of Army Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, sources said.

The Vice Chief of Army briefed the panel for around half an hour, said a member, adding that the information provided was all that is already in public domain.

The members did not ask any questions after the briefing, the source added.

The briefing came after complaints from the Congress on Thursday night that the agenda of the meeting was changed at the last moment and brifing on surgical strike was cancelled.

The source said the issue was also raised at the beginning of the meeting by Congress members, but committee chairman Maj. Gen. B.C. Khanduri (retd) said it might have been a "miscommunication".

When members said they had written to him on the issue as well, the chairman said he did not receive the letter, and it appeared to have reached media before him.

A surgical strike was conducted by the Indian Army in the night between September 28 and 29 on terror launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan-administered Kashmir that further escalated the tensions between the two countries.

The strike came following a terrorist attack at an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers.

IANS