Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Indian Armed Forces full freedom to take action after a recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians last week, according to government sources. This decision was made during a high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi.

The 90-minute meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, General Upendra Dwivedi, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.

According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that responding strongly to terrorism is a matter of national commitment. He showed full trust in the Indian Armed Forces and told senior defence leaders that they have complete freedom to decide how, when, and where to respond.This meeting was held a day before the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, which is the top decision-making body on national security issues and is also chaired by the Prime Minister.

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Modi on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, as top defence officials discussed ways to take strong action against those behind the April 22 terror attack, the deadliest on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. In his recent Mann Ki Baat address, PM Modi made it clear that the "perpetrators and conspirators" of the Pahalgam attack will face the "harshest response".

He also stated, “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.” India has also launched a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan, blaming it for supporting terrorism.

In response, the government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, shut down the only land border crossing at Attari, and cancelled all visas issued to Pakistani nationals. Following this, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian aircraft and suspended all trade with India.The developments came a day before the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the country’s highest decision-making body on national security, chaired by PM Modi.