Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading an important meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to discuss the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which has claimed 26 lives. The meeting will chart the course of India's response to the terror attack. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already warned that there will be a strong and quick retaliation.

Union Minister Amit Shah, who was in Srinagar earlier today, has now reached the venue after landing in Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar are also present at the meeting. Like yesterday, Mr. Doval gave a detailed update to the Prime Minister about the current situation on the ground. Last evening, a tragic incident occurred at the Baisaran meadow, a popular tourist spot near Pahalgam in Kashmir. Terrorists opened fire there. They reportedly asked the tourists about their religion before shooting the men in the head. Twenty-six people, including tourists from 14 Indian states and two foreign countries, lost their lives in the deadliest attack in the Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

According to sources, 7 terrorists are believed to have opened fire on tourists at the Baisaran valley meadow in Pahalgam. Out of them, four to five are suspected to be from Pakistan. Based on eyewitness accounts and intelligence reports, at least two of the attackers may be local militants, though their identities have not been confirmed yet. “The Urdu that they (the foreign terrorists) spoke is spoken in certain parts of Pakistan… At least two local militants are suspected to be accompanying them, but so far we don’t know which part of Kashmir they came from,” an officer from the security establishment told The Indian Express.

“These terrorists operate in small groups and do not come out of the jungles even in minus 10 degrees. They don’t use any gadgets, so there is no possibility to gather technical intelligence. Besides, they keep on moving. For example, if there is input about the presence of a group of terrorists on the ridges of Sonnarg, by the time we respond, they have already shifted to another area. Within a few days, they could be in the upper reaches of Pahalgam or even Bandipore. It is all connected through the jungles,” the officer said.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a terrorist group believed to be linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has taken responsibility for the attack, which has deeply shocked the nation. Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave a strong warning in response to the incident. 

Without naming Pakistan, he said, "I assure people that the Government of India will take every step that is necessary and appropriate. And we will not only get those who have carried out this incident, we will also reach out to those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to commit such nefarious acts on the soil of India". PM Modi, who returned to Delhi this morning after shortening his visit to Saudi Arabia, has strongly condemned the attack and promised to punish those responsible.  In an emotional post on X last evening, Mr Modi said, "Those behind this heinous act will not be spared... their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakeable..."

Earlier, after two major terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama, India responded strongly by carrying out a surgical strike and air strikes on terrorist camps across the Line of Control. The foreign minister and Prime Minister Modi have made repeated references to India's response. "If you come and do something here, you may be across the LoC, you may be across the international boundary- we will still come and get you there," Jaishankar stated, citing the government's explicit declaration.