GUWAHATI: The Union government convened back-to-back meetings of two key decision-making bodies on Wednesday, April 30, to deliberate on India’s course of action following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack had left 26 people dead, mostly tourists, and is one of the deadliest civilian strikes in recent years.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi first chaired the second meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which was followed by a high-level session of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) — often referred to as the 'super cabinet'. These meetings came a day after the prime minister hosted a separate strategy session at his residence in New Delhi, attended by senior Union ministers.
The CCS was briefed on the cross-border origins of the Pahalgam attack. The terror group identified was The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. In the session, the cabinet reiterated India’s condemnation of the attack and reviewed steps including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.
The subsequent CCPA meeting, which was the first since the 2019 Pulwama attack, signified the political leadership’s intent to formulate a consolidated national response. The committee, which includes senior ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, and Piyush Goyal, discussed political and diplomatic strategies in light of mounting tensions with Pakistan.
According to reports, Modi had earlier granted the Indian Armed Forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the attack. Meanwhile, the Opposition, including leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, had earlier written to the prime minister urging a special session of Parliament to express a unified stand against terrorism. This request was reportedly part of the CCPA discussions.
No official statements have been issued yet regarding possible military or diplomatic responses.