Rama Krishna Sangem
Narendra Modi led government at the Centre is mulling a surgical strike against terrorists based out of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a short time. This is the message we get from a series of meetings including the Union Cabinet in New Delhi on April 23, Wednesday. There’s almost unanimity of views among the top government functionaries.
When, where and how – of a possible surgical strike are still being worked out, said sources. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) powerful body that takes such decisions meeting at 6 pm on Wednesday. More details will come after the CCS meeting.
The Centre estimates at least 130 trained terrorists are camping across the Line of Control (LoC) inside the Pakistan border. There is a possibility of Indian air force conducting air raids on them like in case of Pulwama terror attack follow up seven years ago.
For this, India will consult or inform the US, Israel, EU and if necessary Russia too. Presence of two foreign tourists, one each from Israel and Italy, among the 28 dead in Pahelgam terror attack gives basis for India’s move to hit back at terrorists.
There’s near unanimity across sections of people – including Supreme Court of India – that the terror must not be tolerated and this too has come in handy for the Modi government to hit back at terrorists.
US president Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance who is in India at the time of terror attack and Russian president Putin are among those who condemned the killing of 28 tourists in Kashmir.
Rajnath talks tough
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed at least 26 lives, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the Indian government “will not stop at those who carried out this attack”.
He said, “Indian Government will take every necessary and appropriate step. We will not stop at those who carried out this attack. Will reach those who, sitting behind the curtains, conspire to carry out such nefarious acts on the soil of India.”
Earlier in the day, the Union Minister chaired a high-level meeting to assess the security landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to PTI sources, the meeting lasted nearly two-and-a half hours and was attended by key national security and defence officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AK Singh. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai were also present.
Discussions focused on various dimensions of the post-attack security environment, with officials declining to provide detailed disclosures. However, it is understood that the Defence Minister instructed the armed forces to bolster their operational preparedness and intensify counter-terrorism efforts.
During the meeting, General Dwivedi is believed to have given a comprehensive briefing on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including current troop deployment and ongoing measures.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack, vowing that those responsible for the “heinous act” would face justice. Multiple high-level discussions have been held since the incident, with national security taking centre stage.
PM Modi returned to Delhi early this morning, cutting short his official visit to Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday evening, Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar to directly oversee security operations. Upon returning to the capital, the Prime Minister convened a separate meeting with NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to further assess the situation.
