Rajnath Singh meets NSA, 3 defence chiefs as Pahalgam attack prompts security huddle

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday chaired a key meet with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Army Chief General Upendra Dwiwedi and Navy chief Dinesh Tripathi over the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

The meeting discussed all issues related to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.

The issue is expected to be discussed in further detail in the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting likely to be held today, the sources said.

The defence minister was briefed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwiwedi and Navy chief Dinesh Tripathi on the security situation in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir and surrounding areas following the terror attack in the region, sources in the ANI report mentioned.

According to the above-mentioned sources, top officers have rushed to the affected areas, with local security forces on alert, and additional troops are being inducted in the area to carry out the search and destroy operations to nab the terrorists responsible for the attack.

“More troops have been inducted in the areas near the attack site to carry out search and destroy operations,” the source told ANI.

Earlier on Tuesday, the defence minister expressed “deep anguish” over the attack, calling it a cowardly and reprehensible attack on innocent civilians.

“Deeply anguished by the news of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam (Jammu & Kashmir). This dastardly attack on innocent civilians is an act of cowardice and highly reprehensible. My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families,” Minister Singh said in a post on X.

One naval officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, was killed in the terror attack that took place on Tuesday afternoon in Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, known as ‘mini Switzerland’.

Sketches of suspect in the deadly terrorist attack were released by the security agencies on Wednesday, April 23, amid a massive manhunt to nab the perpetrators of the deadliest terror strike targetting civilians in years in the valley.

The suspects have been identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha, officials cited in a PTI news agency report said, adding that they also had code names — Moosa, Yunus and Asif — and were involved in terror related incidents in Poonch.