Defence Secretary meets PM Modi as India mulls response to Pahalgam attack

In the ongoing one-on-one meetings at the PM’s residence here, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh is currently meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the current situation in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

It is the third high-profile private meeting the PM has had in two days -- after meeting the Navy and the Indian Air Force chiefs.

The discussion, sources say, ranges from India's options on the table following the attack besides India's preparedness vis a vis Pakistan's anticipated retaliation as and when India strikes.

The meeting comes a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said "you will get the response you are seeking". Singh on Sunday told a gathering that it was his duty to stand with the armed forces at this juncture. He also referred to PM Modi's risk-taking capacities.

The PM had earlier met the armed forces chiefs and given them full operational freedom to decide on India's military response and its timing.

The Defence Secretary's meeting with the PM comes on a day when the United Nations Security Council will hold closed consultations on the Indo-Pakistan tensions. Pakistan, a non-permanent UNSC member, had sought the emergency meeting.