Pahalgam Terrorist Attack: PM Modi strengthens India's stance, gives armed forces complete operational freedom

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a meeting which was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan and three service chiefs. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present at the meeting. The meeting took place days after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on April 23, following the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed. Government sources said the Prime Minister affirmed that it is India’s national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism.  

The sources said PM Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian Armed Forces. They said that PM Modi stated that the Indian Armed Forces have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response.  

The meeting, chaired by PM Modi on Tuesday, was attended by Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg PM on Monday. The meeting came a day after Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan briefed the Defence Minister on some decisions in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The government has said that the terrorists responsible for the attack and the conspirators behind it will face severe punishment.   

The government had convened an all-party meeting after the Pahalgam terror attack. Opposition parties have expressed their full support for any action taken by the government against the perpetrators of the terror attack. In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and its steady progress towards economic growth and development.  

The government has announced a series of measures, including putting the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, to send a strong message to Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)