PM Modi says 'armed forces have full freedom to decide on mode, targets, timing of India's response'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, as he chaired a meeting with the top defence establishment. During the high-level meeting, which was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the chiefs of three services, Modi affirmed that it is the national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, government sources said. Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the armed forces. "They have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response," a source quoted Modi as saying. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was also part of the meeting, which was held amid India weighing its options for countermeasures following the Pahalgam terror attack which left at least 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead. Modi has vowed to pursue the terrorists behind the attack and their patrons, a clear reference to Pakistan which has a history of sponsoring terror strikes in India, to the "ends of earth" and inflict the harshest punishment on them "beyond their imagination". Terrorists had gunned down tourists, who were from different parts of the country, in the popular destination of Pahalgam in Kashmir exactly a week ago on April 22. This most brutal attack on civilians in a long spell of time in the region has sparked a wave of outrage across the country and a demand for retaliatory action against the perpetrators and their handlers. The prime minister's tough assertions coupled with his government's avowed muscular stand on the issues of national security have heightened expectations of a stringent counteraction from India. In the past, the Modi government carried out surgical strikes inside Pakistan after the terror attack on army soldiers in Uri in 2016 and the Balakot air strike after the killings of CRPF personnel in Pulwama. Following the terror strike in Pahalgam, India has taken a series of measures targeting Pakistan, including putting in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty with the neighbouring country. Earlier in the day, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan had chaired a high-level meeting which was attended by chiefs of three paramilitary forces and senior officers of two other security organisations, sources said. There was no official word on its agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a meeting which was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan. Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh also attended the meeting. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had met PM Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg 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, in which 26 people were killed. The government has said that the terrorists responsible for the terror 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. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met a day after the Pahalgam 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.

PM Modi to chair second CCS meet tomorrow to decide next move against Pakistan
Looking to concretise India's next move against Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday, the second within a week of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Amid a national outcry over the killing of 26 people by "Pakistan-backed" terrorists and Islamabad’s violation of the ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, the CCS is also likely to consider the military options available to New Delhi to avenge the terror strike. The meeting is scheduled at a time when Pakistan has denied any role in the Pahalgam incident and warned of a strong response to India's measures, which included the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Earlier on April 23, PM Modi chaired a CCS meeting and discussed the implications of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. During that meeting, the government decided to take a series of diplomatic measures to hold Pakistan accountable for its role in cross-border terrorism. The meeting also noted that the attack occurred against the backdrop of successful elections in Jammu and Kashmir and the region's ongoing progress toward economic development and stability. Recognising the seriousness of the April 22 terror attack and its cross-border linkages, the CCS took measures like suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty; closure of Attari Integrated Check Post in Punjab; cancellation of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals; declaration of Pakistani diplomats as persona non grata and reduction in diplomatic staff. The CCS also reviewed the security situation and directed all Indian forces to maintain the highest level of vigilance. India has resolved to ensure that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are brought to justice and that their sponsors are held accountable. India's diplomatic actions signal a shift toward the total isolation of Pakistan until it ceases its support for terrorism. The measures reflect the government's resolve to push back against Pakistan's continued involvement in fomenting violence on Indian soil, and to send a clear message to the international community that terrorism will not be tolerated.