The North News
New Delhi, April 29
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday firmly backed the armed forces in the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, declaring that they have full operational autonomy to respond as they see fit — including the choice of mode, targets, and timing.
Prime Minister convened a high-level security review at his official residence in New Delhi. The meeting wss attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force as the government considers its response to the Pahalgam terror attack that left at least 26 civilians dead, most of them tourists. Prime Minister in his strongest remarks pledged to track down those responsible—and their backers—to the “ends of the earth”.
The timing of Tuesday’s discussion is significant—it comes just a day before the Prime Minister is scheduled to chair a session of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the country’s apex decision-making body on matters of national defence. It will be the second CCS meeting in a week. Sources said the CCS gathering would be followed by a separate meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. That body, also led by Modi, includes several key ministers, among them those handling road transport, health, agriculture, and railways.
