In a significant strategic signal following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed the armed forces full operational independence to determine the mode, target, and timing of India’s military response, sources confirmed. This green light came during a high-level national security huddle involving Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
According to insider accounts, the Prime Minister firmly reiterated India's unwavering resolve to eliminate terrorism, expressing total trust in the capabilities and judgment of the military leadership.
Soon after the critical meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah was seen arriving at the PM's residence, signaling intensified deliberations. The move is being interpreted as an implicit clearance for a calibrated military strike in retaliation for the Pahalgam massacre — the deadliest attack on Indian soil since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
The 2019 Pulwama tragedy had led to precision strikes by the Indian Air Force on terrorist camps in Balakot, Pakistan, operated by the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed with backing from Pakistan’s military. Similarly, initial intelligence assessments suggest Pakistani complicity in the recent Pahalgam attack, where 26 individuals, predominantly civilians, were killed.
Indian intelligence agencies have presented credible evidence of Pakistani involvement to diplomats from the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, and key European nations. This international briefing aims to build global consensus and support for India's forthcoming response.
The government is now preparing for a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by the Prime Minister and composed of key ministers including those handling Road Transport, Health, Agriculture, and Railways, alongside the core five-member Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which includes the PM, Defence Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Following the CCS and CCPA, the Economic Affairs Committee will also convene — a sequence of high-level consultations pointing to the scale and seriousness of India's multifront strategy against state-sponsored terrorism.
In the immediate diplomatic fallout, India canceled all visas issued to Pakistani nationals except for long-term and Hindu migrants. The move stranded many at key border crossings, including the Attari-Wagah checkpoint. Nearly 1,000 Pakistani citizens have already exited India since the revocation order took effect.
Simultaneously, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty — a pivotal 1960 agreement under which Pakistan receives nearly 85% of the shared river waters. Islamabad labeled this a hostile act and retaliated by canceling Indian visas and putting several bilateral pacts, including the Simla Agreement, on hold.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, in remarks to Geo News (now banned on Indian platforms), hinted at looming conflict, calling the next few days "critical."
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives in an ambush blamed on The Resistance Front — a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy. All five attackers remain at large, prompting a massive manhunt across Jammu & Kashmir.
PM Modi, who was abroad during the attack and returned swiftly — deliberately avoiding Pakistani airspace — made it unequivocally clear: terrorism will not prevail. In a globally broadcast English statement, he issued a stern warning to the perpetrators: India will pursue and punish them, wherever they are.