Rajnath briefs PM on Army’s preparedness

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on security preparedness following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The development comes a day after Rajnath had met Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan to discuss the implementation of key decisions taken up by the Military of Defence to counter Pakistan in the aftermath of the April 22 attack in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. This was one of the most ghastly terror attacks in Kashmir in decades.

The minister was with the PM for about 45 minutes even as the government is yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Citing “cross-border linkages” to the attack, the government has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike.

Meanwhile, the Army said it responded “swiftly and effectively” to unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. This was the fourth time in as many days that Pakistan violated the ceasefire.

“On the night of April 27-28, Pakistani army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts,” the Army said in a statement. ‘Small arms’ in military parlance mean rifles and mortars.

In another development, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting called out a message being circulated on social media falsely claiming that confidential documents related to the Army’s preparedness had been leaked.

Indian military action imminent, says Pak minister

Islamabad: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Monday that a military incursion by India was imminent in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam last week.

“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now,” said Asif. He said Pakistan’s military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack. Asif said Pakistan was on high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”. — Reuters