New Delhi:
Two powerful decision-making committees of the government met today to discuss India’s response to Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism, after terrorists killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Tension is rising between the neighbours.
Here’s your 10-point cheat sheet to this big story
- The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held a second meeting today since the Pahalgam terror attack. The CCS in the first meeting took several steps aimed against Pakistan that included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty.
- After the CCS meeting, another meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) began to discuss the Opposition’s request for a special session of parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack.
- After both the cabinet meetings got over, PM Modi held another meeting with top Union ministers to brief them about the discussions he had.
- Opposition leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had written to PM Modi seeking a session of parliament to present a collective resolve against the terror attack.
- The CCS in its first meeting on April 23 condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in the strongest terms and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
- Officials who briefed the CCS brought out cross-border linkages of the terror attack. The terrorists were against the successful election in Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory, and the region’s steady progress towards economic growth and development, the CCS was told.
- The locals also held massive protests against the terror attack, calling it a strike aimed at isolating the region by chasing away tourists and in turn stopping all economic activity.
- However, many tourists who planned visits before the terror attack happened are not cancelling. While they are disappointed with the closure of many tourist sites, they expressed confidence about their holiday in Jammu and Kashmir and reported no apprehension.
- “I heard about the terror attack on the night of the 22nd… Our flight was on the 23rd at 5.30 AM. At first, our whole family was scared, unsure whether to go or not. But our uncle encouraged us and said, ‘Let’s go,’ so we came… Now we are in Pahalgam, and everything feels safe,” Ahmedabad-resident Keval Patel told news agency ANI.
- PM Modi affirmed that it is India’s resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, sources said. He expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian armed forces.
