The drums of war are beating across the subcontinent. In a decisive response to the militant attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has granted full operational freedom to the army, navy and air force to respond at their discretion.
The announcement came on Tuesday (29 April) following an emergency high-level meeting at Modi’s official residence.
Present at the meeting were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, along with the three service chiefs: Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amarpreet Singh.
Almost simultaneously, a parallel closed-door meeting was held at the Union Home Ministry with top bureaucrats and security officials.
Top Indian officials had earlier vowed a strong response to the Pahalgam attack, which Indian intelligence attributes to cross-border terrorism.
Modi reiterated that the defence forces would deliver a “stern reply” to those responsible for the carnage, believed to be Pakistani militants.
According to highly placed sources in Delhi’s South Block, the military has been given carte blanche to determine the mode, timing, and targets of any retaliatory strikes, including potential strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).
In the wake of the Pahalgam tragedy, Indian authorities have shuttered 48 of Jammu and Kashmir’s 87 tourist sites due to heightened security concerns.
Renowned destinations such as Doodhpathri, Kokernag, Sinthan Top, Bangus Valley, Achabal, Margan Top, and Tosamaidan are now off-limits.
Even the iconic Mughal Gardens of South Kashmir have been sealed.
Meanwhile, tensions along the Kashmir border escalated as Pakistani forces claimed to have shot down an Indian quadcopter drone near the LoC in the Bhimber district of Azad Kashmir.
Pakistani military sources described the drone’s downing as a testament to their vigilance and operational readiness, accusing India of attempting to violate its airspace for surveillance.
Adding fuel to the fire, India has restricted access to the social media account of Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
Citing his alleged support for terrorism, Indian authorities took action a day after the Pahalgam attack.
Previously, India had requested the platform restrict access to Pakistan’s official X handle, a request which was denied citing freedom of expression.
In another digital crackdown, India had earlier blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base exceeding 63 million.
The channels were accused of spreading “incendiary and communally sensitive content.”
As tensions surge, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres voiced grave concern over the deteriorating situation. He spoke separately with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging both nations to de-escalate and warning of potentially “catastrophic consequences” should conflict erupt.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that Guterres offered the organisation’s assistance in de-escalating the situation, expressing deep alarm at the mounting hostilities.
