PM Modi chairs key meet ahead of DGMO talks today
PM Modi chaired a security meeting after India-Pakistan ceasefire, emphasizing vigilance and strong retaliation against any aggression.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting of key ministers and top defence officials to review the security situation, a day after India and Pakistan agreed to stop all military actions against each other, bringing to an end four days of fierce fighting.
The meeting, the latest in a series of security huddles, was attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan and the three service chiefs. It came ahead of the second round of scheduled talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan on Tuesday. People aware of the matter have said that India will engage with Pakistan only at the level of DGMOs.
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On Sunday, India reiterated that there would be no let-up in vigilance, and any aggression from Pakistan would be met with a befitting response. People aware of the matter said the PM told the three service chiefs to strongly retaliate to any offensive from Pakistan by using proportionate force.
The meeting came following a day of dramatic twists and ferocious fighting that saw India’s forces strike eight military sites in Pakistan with air-launched precision weapons in response to attacks on Indian military infrastructure and civilian areas. The scrap represented the worst face-off between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades and stoked fears of a full-blown war before US President Donald Trump made the surprise declaration of a ceasefire on social media. Minutes later, foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced the pause in fighting.
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Later on Sunday, senior BJP leaders, including Rajanth Singh, Union home minister Amit Shah, power minister Manohar Lal Khattar, environment minister Bhupender Yadav and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, took part in a meeting held at party president JP Nadda’s residence — marking the first such meeting of the party ‘s top brass since India initiated Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“The meeting was called to draw up a communication strategy for the party and to take stock of the situation on the ground. Before the ceasefire was announced, the party had planned to take out Tiranga Yatras across the country and organise special prayers in temples, gurdwaras and other places of worship,” said a party functionary aware of the details.
A second functionary said the party’s response to various issues including the opposition’s demand for a special session of Parliament and questions about the ceasefire will also need to be calibrated. So far senior party leaders have refrained from commenting on the ceasefire and the subsequent sporadic violations. On their social media pages, they have opted to reposting the government’s position as stated in the daily briefings by ministry of defence and ministry of external affairs officials.
The latest standoff between India and Pakistan was triggered on April 22 after a group of heavily armed terrorists emerged from the woods and targeted a group of tourists. Twenty-six people, 25 of them tourists, and 24 Hindu, were killed in the attack that was reminiscent of the heyday of terrorism in the 1990s and 2000s and the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes. On May 7, India launched hit terror as part of Operation Sindoor. The operation was given its name by Modi, officials said. It is a reference to the red vermillion that many Hindu women wear in their hair to signify their married status. During the Pahalgam terror attack, the husbands of several women were killed in front of them, including a young Indian Navy officer.
