India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday called Pakistan a "terrorist state", saying it needs to be isolated, after a militant attack on an Army base in Kashmir led to the death of 17 Indian soldiers. Four militants struck at a time when an infantry battalion was moving out of the base near the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, suggesting they had prior knowledge about military movements and were well trained. This belief, coupled with what could be among the worst peacetime casualty counts for the military in Kashmir has inspired calls for quick retribution.
This is markedly different language from that used in the aftermath of the Pathankot attack in January, which to some extent was a similar incident. In that case, allegedly cross-border militants attacked an Air Force B



