Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday granted the Indian Armed Forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam which killed 26 civilians last week, government sources told India Today TV.
The decision came during a high-level meeting convened by the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi.
The 90-minute meeting was attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs — Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.
According to sources, the Prime Minister reiterated that delivering a “crushing blow” to terrorism remained a matter of national resolve.
He also expressed complete confidence in the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces and told senior defence leadership they have “full operational freedom” to determine the mode, targets, and timing of any military response, sources said.
The meeting came a day ahead of the PM-chaired Cabinet Committee on Security, the government’s highest decision-making body on national security matters.
Ranath Singh, on Monday, briefed PM Modi on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir as top defence officials mulled options to punish those behind the April 22 attack, the worst terror strike on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
During his recent “Mann Ki Baat” address, the Prime Minister reiterated that the “perpetrators and conspirators” of the Pahalgam attack will be “served with the harshest response”.
“The whole world stands with 140 crore Indians in our fight against terrorism. I once again assure the affected families that they will get justice, and justice will be done,” PM Modi said.
