Pahalgam Terror Attack Fallout: Security Tops Agenda As PM Modi Chairs Series Of High-Level Meetings | (Photo Courtesy: ANI)
New Delhi: In a dramatic escalation of backroom consultations following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and the Air Force and Navy Chief as well as the National Security Adviser Ajith Doval held an unscheduled late evening meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, reports said.
The meeting followed a parallel high-level huddle at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence to chart India’s next steps following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The Shah-led meeting, attended by Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and senior cabinet colleagues, comes amid growing pressure within the government to redefine its Pakistan policy both on water-sharing and cross-border security.
PM Modi Chairs CCS For 2nd Time
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi chaired the second high-level session of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) within a week, underscoring the gravity of the evolving security scenario. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present for the deliberations.
In a separate briefing with military brass, Modi met Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. Sources revealed the PM has granted the armed forces full operational autonomy to decide the timing, nature, and scale of any retaliatory action. Later in the evening, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs convened to build political consensus across the NDA.
The meeting was attended by key ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, BJP president JP Nadda, and NDA allies, including TDP leader Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha. The sudden burst of political and military manoeuvring bears a stark resemblance to the events following the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which triggered the Balakot airstrikes.
In a move widely seen as linked to the emerging crisis, Modi has decided to skip the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9—a sharp departure from past diplomatic tradition and a signal that India’s attention is firmly fixed on the regional security situation. With Pakistani ministers publicly expressing apprehensions over a possible Indian strike, speculation continues to swirl about New Delhi’s next move.
While no official announcement has been made, the mood in South Block suggests a firm, calibrated response is being crafted. According to sources, India has warned Pakistan against the unprovoked firing along the Line of Control.
