'Will give a befitting reply…': Rajnath Singh on Pahalgam terror attack

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today assured the nation that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack will receive a befitting response, which will be evident in the near future. Speaking at Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, Singh said, “I assure the nation from this platform that the Government of India will take all necessary and appropriate steps in the wake of this incident.”

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Without naming Pakistan, the minister made it clear that India would target not only those who carried out the attack but also those who conspired behind it. “We will not stop at those who carried out this attack. We will reach those who, sitting behind the curtains, conspire to carry out such nefarious acts on Indian soil,” he said.

Singh emphasised that India is an ancient civilisation and a vast country that cannot be intimidated by any terrorist activity. “The response to such acts will be evident in the coming days, and those responsible will face it from us in a robust manner,” he added.

Earlier today, Rajnath Singh met with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, the three military chiefs, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss the fallout of Tuesday’s terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and review the security situation in the union territory.

The Defence Minister was briefed on the security situation in Pahalgam and across Jammu and Kashmir by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. Later, Singh will participate in a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the highest decision-making body on national security.

Prime Minister Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi this morning, has condemned the attack and vowed to bring the guilty to book. Twenty-six persons, including a newlywed Indian Naval officer, tourists, and civilians, were killed in the afternoon attack by three terrorists on Tuesday. Two of the three terrorists are believed to be foreigners, and all have links to The Resistance Front, a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Initial sketches of the terrorists have been released, and a massive manhunt, involving police, military, and paramilitary personnel, is underway to capture them.