Quick Take
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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister M Eknath Shinde has said that PM Narendra Modi will avenge the Pahalgam massacre. India has taken strong diplomatic actions, reaffirming its commitment to combat terrorism. A military response is expected.
Mumbai:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “avenge the killings of innocent tourists by Pakistanis,” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said today. “Our countrymen have full faith that this will be the last attack and now PM Modi will eliminate Pakistan,” he added, as emotions ran high in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre in which terrorists linked to Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba gunned down 26 people last month.
Amid massive public outrage over the attack, India has taken a series of non-military measures – including freezing the Indus Water Treaty, closing the Attari border, revoking visas of Pakistani nationals, and shutting the airspace for all Pakistan-owned and operated airlines.
Expectations of a military response has been sharpened after two rounds of meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Security and a crucial meeting between PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
After the meeting, PM Modi authorised the armed forces to respond decisively to the April 22 attack, indicating that a military response has been greenlighted.
Sources said the Prime Minister has “re-affirmed that it is our national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism” and that he has “complete faith and confidence” in the military.
Read: PM’s Free Hand To Forces
“PM Modi has held a meeting with the top officials of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force…. There have been a lot of attacks, but no such reply has been given in the past. But PM Modi avenged the Pulwama attack, did the surgical strike also,” Mr Shinde said today.
Following two major terror strikes, India has responded with a strong military action.
After the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama in 2019, India had conducted precision air strikes on terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan. In September 2016, ten days after the attack on Uri, India had held surgical strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control.
This time, India has had staunch support from most nations in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. More than 60 nations condemned the massacre of innocent tourists and underscored the need to stamp out terrorism.
Today, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent out a strong message of solidarity during a telephonic conversation with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He “reiterated full support of the US government in India’s fight against terrorism” and said the US supports India’s right to defend itself.
Since India put the Indus Water Treaty on hold, Pakistan has been repeatedly violating ceasefire along the Line of Control. The ceasefire violation continued yesterday for the seventh consecutive night in Kupwara, Uri and the Akhnoor sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
