Personnel of the Special Operation Group of J&K Police after an encounter with millitants at Shoura in Srinagar (Press Trust of India)
"Terrorists tried to attack Indian democracy, but brave jawans sacrificed their lives to protect the country's security," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday - a day after serial terror attacks claimed 13 lives in Kashmir.
Here are the latest developments in this story:
PM Modi, who will be visiting the state on Monday, has also condemned the attacks as "desperate attempts" to derail the atmosphere of hope created by the high turnout in the first two phases of the elections.
One of his rallies will be in Srinagar, which is going to polls on December 14 - the fourth of the five-phase elections in the state.
Massive security has been out in place at Srinagar's Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium, where the rally will be held. The stadium is the one from where former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had addressed a rally in 2003 and where West Indies played the first international match in Kashmir.
"I pay my tributes to Jharkhand's brave son Sankalp Kumar Shukla and other brave jawans who scarified their lives," the PM said at an election rally in Hazaribagh. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag also paid tribute to the martyrs in Srinagar today.
Thirteen people - a civilian, nine soldiers and three policemen - died in the four attacks. One of the sites was Srinagar, where two terrorists had lobbed grenades inside a police station.
Two attacks took place at Tral and Uri. The suicide attack on an army camp in Uri had claimed the lives of seven jawans and an officer. Six terrorists were also killed.
The state had witnessed over 71% turnout in the first two phases of the elections when separatists had not tried to enforce their boycott call. But infiltration and terror strikes started ahead of the second phase of the polls, held on December 2. Three attacks had taken place, one of which cost 10 lives.
Friday's attacks also came as alleged 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed held a massive rally in Lahore. Mujaheedin had "every right to go to Kashmir" to free their brethren, Saeed said. Jammu and Kashmir police have said the timing of the rally and the attacks cannot entirely be a coincidence.(Read: India's Reaction to Saeed's rally)
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has blamed Pakistan for sheltering terrorists who cross the border to target India. "I think Pakistan should try to stop these incidents, if they can't they should speak to India about it," he said. (Read more...)
Uri and Tral vote in the third phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Assembly segments in Srinagar will vote in the fourth phase on December 14. Results will be announced on December 23.
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