PM to hold key meet on security today
DH NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, Apr 29
As tension continues to escalate between India and Pakistan following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a crucial meeting with the top defence establishment at his residence.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the chiefs of three services were present at the meeting. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was also part of the meeting.
According to government sources, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response.
While expressing complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the armed forces, the prime minister affirmed that it is the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism.
“They have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response,” he was quoted as saying by sources.
India has been weighing its countermeasures ever since the attack in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, lost their lives in the scenic valley in Anantnag.
Security forces have launched a search operations at multiple places in Jammu and Kashmir for the terrorists who sprayed bullets indiscriminately at the tourists, in one of the deadliest attack in the region in decades.
India has alleged cross-border links to the attack with Prime Minister Modi vowing to pursue the terrorists behind the attack and their patrons—a clear reference to Pakistan—to the “ends of earth” and inflict the harshest punishment on them.
New Delhi’s tough assertions have pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbours on the brink of a regional war, with the political leadership in Islamabad also raising war rhetoric and provocations.
On April 23, a day after the attack, India announced a slew of punitive actions against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty.
A series of meetings under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled for tomorrow as the country reviews its security preparedness in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 dead in Jammu and Kashmir last week.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) – the country’s highest decision-making body on national security – will hold a meeting around 11 am. It will mark the second round of discussions at the highest level since the Pahalgam attack. Security preparations are likely to be discussed at this meeting.
After the meeting of CCS, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) will also meet under the chairmanship of PM Modi.
Besides the Prime Minister, the CCPA comprises Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Health Minister JP Nadda, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and other senior ministers.
The Cabinet’s Economic Affairs Committee will meet thereafter, followed by a cabinet meeting.
At its last meeting on Thursday, two days after the Pahalgam massacre, the CCS had reviewed the overall security situation of the country and put the forces on alert, vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
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Taking strict action against Pakistan after their role emerged in the Pahalgam attack, it had decided to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, a crucial water-sharing agreement with Islamabad. It also suspended SAARC visas, shut down the Wagah-Attari border, and downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan.
The government had also asked all Pakistanis living in India to return to their homeland by Sunday, giving a breather till Tuesday to those holding medical visas. In response, Pakistan had suspended all bilateral pacts with India, including the Simla agreement.
