New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened an emergency meeting Wednesday to review the situation in the island nation.
The meeting will take place Wednesday night, the prime minister's media adviser Deepak Sandhu told IANS.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan are likely to attend the meeting.
The meeting will assess implications of the likely exodus of Tamil civilians to India and reports of at least 95,000 civilians felling the war zone as the Sri Lankan troops continued what they call their 'final assault' on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-held territory in the narrow coastal strip in Mullaitivu district.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, whose DMK party is a key member of the Manmohan Singh government, has called for a shutdown in the state Thursday to protest against 'civilian atrocities'.
Smaller parties have warned of bloodshed in Tamil Nadu if LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran came to harm in the military onslaught.
India has urged Colombo to extend all facilities to the UN and countries seeking to help in the evacuation of civilians from the war zone in the island nation.
Mukherjee Wednesday urged Sri Lanka to ensure that relief material India has sent to the country is distributed through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Mukherjee is expected to fly to Delhi from Kolkata where he was campaigning for his Congress party ahead of elections.
Sri Lanka plans to send President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother Basil Rajapaksa as a special envoy to brief India about the situation in the strife-hit island.
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