New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in New Delhi following the brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, including two foreign nationals. The meeting, aimed at discussing India’s response, comes amid widespread outrage and grief over the deadliest assault in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack.
The CCS meet is being attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Home Minister Shah, who was in Srinagar earlier in the day, flew back to the capital to participate in the urgent discussions.
According to security officials, heavily armed terrorists opened fire at Baisaran, a scenic tourist meadow near Pahalgam, on Monday evening. Witnesses revealed that the attackers asked tourists about their religion before executing the male victims at point-blank range. Tourists from 14 Indian states were among the dead, in addition to two foreigners.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a terror outfit believed to be a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack, raising concerns of cross-border involvement and triggering calls for a forceful retaliation.
In a stern statement issued earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “I assure people that the Government of India will take every step that is necessary and appropriate. We will not only get those who carried out this act but also those who conspired from behind the scenes.”
Prime Minister Modi, who cut short his diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi this morning, strongly condemned the attack. In an emotional post on X (formerly Twitter), he said, “Those behind this heinous act will not be spared… their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable.”
The Pahalgam massacre has evoked chilling reminders of previous high-profile terror incidents in Uri and Pulwama, both of which had prompted retaliatory strikes by India across the Line of Control. The outcome of today’s CCS meeting is expected to set the course for India’s next steps in the fight against terrorism.
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