New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India will give a "loud and clear" response to the perpetrators as well as plotters of the Pahalgam terror attack. As many as 26 people, 25 of whom were tourists, were gunned down by suspected Pakistan-based terrorists in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on Tuesday.
"Yesterday, in Pahalgam, targeting a particular religion, terrorists executed a cowardly act, in which we lost many innocent lives... I want to assure the countrymen that the government will take every necessary step. We will not only reach the perpetrators of this act but also the actors behind the scenes... The accused will soon see a loud and clear response, I want to assure the country," Singh said while speaking at the ‘Arjan Singh Memorial Lecture’ in New Delhi.
He said that India cannot be intimidated by any terrorist activity and assured the people that the government will take every step that is "necessary and appropriate". "Every citizen of India is united against this cowardly act. This extremely inhuman act has left all of us in deep grief and pain," Singh said.
The Defence Minister's comments came after he reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting was attended by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Air Chief Marshal AK Singh.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai also joined the meeting. The meeting discussed all possible aspects of the situation that emerged following the dastardly attack, PTI reported, quoting sources.
Singh directed the armed forces to enhance their combat readiness and increase the intensity of anti-terror operations. In the meeting, Army Chief Gen Dwivedi presented a detailed overview of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including deployment of his forces.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a cabinet committee on security (CCS) meeting at South Block at 6 pm to review the security situation and the Government of India’s future course of action following the Pahalgam attack.
The other members of the CCS include Defence Minister Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. NSA Doval, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan, and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh will also attend the CCS meeting.
Read More
