Pahalgam Fallout
PM Modi holds top cabinet meetings amid India's wait for Pahalgam terror attack revenge
New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held two top cabinet meetings a day after giving full freedom to the armed forces to avenge the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 tourists, all men and mostly Hindus, at Baisaran Valley in Jammu and Kashmir's popular tourist spot Pahalgam.
Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs- also known as Super Cabinet- that comprises top ministers of the Union Cabinet.
The 'Super Cabinet' meeting has assumed significance as it last met in 2019 after the Army conducted Balakot airstrike which was a response to the Pulwama terror attack.
Prior to this, Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security that comprises the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister, Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
This was the second time when Modi presided over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security since the Pahalgam terror attack.
A cabinet briefing will be held at 4 pm at the National Media Centre in New Delhi.
Modi gives full freedom to Indian military
Modi has given the armed forces 'complete freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing' of India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack which was targeted at Hindus.
Modi took the decision on Tuesday at a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that it is 'our national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism' and that he has 'complete faith and confidence' in the Indian military.
After the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, India conducted precision air strikes on terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan. The camps were run by banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed with the help from the Pak Army.
Pahalgam attack and its repercussions
On April 22, 2025, the terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision) before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.
The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.
In an immediate response, India suspended the landmark Indus River water-sharing treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah road border, which acts as a lifeline of Indo-Pak trade and people-to-people ties, besides expelling diplomats, downsizing high commissions, and issuing a 48-hour deadline to Pakistani visa holders present in India to leave.
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