Modi, Rajnath Singh Met Three Service Chiefs again, Army Chief Empowered to Call out Territorial Army
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 9: Amidst the escalating tension between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s strong retaliatory measures, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the three service chiefs yet again on Friday to discuss the situation in the borders.
It was Mr Modi’s second meeting with the three service chiefs in the last three days. Later, he also met a group of armed forces veterans and had an extensive interaction with veterans on various issues on the current situation.
In a major development, the central government on Friday empowered the Army Chief to call out “every officer and every enrolled person” of the Territorial Army (TA) to provide for essential guard or to be embodied to support or supplement the regular Army.
On Wednesday, India launched air strikes under Operation Sindoor against targets in Pakistan that it said were “terrorist infrastructure,” in response to a deadly attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam two weeks earlier in which 26 people were killed. In response, Pakistan’s armed forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire western border on the intervening night of May 8-9, which were “effectively repulsed”, the Indian Army said on Friday.
The indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile air defence system has played a crucial role in thwarting Pakistani drone attacks targeting Indian assets on Thursday, according to defence officials. Officials further added that both the Indian Army and Air Force have deployed the missile system along the Pakistan border.
“Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western Border on the intervening night of 08 and 09 May. Pak troops also resorted to numerous ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The drone attacks were effectively repulsed and a befitting reply was given to the CFVs. Indian Army remains committed to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nation. All nefarious designs will be responded with force,” said the Army.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has carried out a comprehensive review of the national security scenario with the top military leadership, a day after Pakistan’s attempts to target Indian military installations were repelled. The Centre has also asked all states to give emergency procurement power to the heads of the civil defence authorities so that they can make the required purchases in case of an emergency situation.
Earlier the defence minister Rajnath Singh also carried out a comprehensive review of the national security scenario with the top military leadership. The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation along the western border and operational preparedness of the Indian armed forces,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson said. After the Pakistani attempts were foiled last night, the defence ministry said India remains “fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi dialled the Rajasthan and Punjab chief ministers and took stock of the border situation in both states. In the wake of the ongoing situation, the Gujarat government has imposed a ban on the use of firecrackers and drones in any event or function.
As the tensions continue to rise, IndiGo announced the cancellation of flight operations to and from some cities across the country including Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bikaner, Dharamshala, Rajkot, Jodhpur, and Kishangarh.
Pakistan launched a barrage of artillery fire, drone, and missile attacks on multiple locations in Jammu, including a key airstrip a day after India destroyed several of the terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The drones had cameras installed in them and were possibly relaying footage to their ground stations. The Indian air defence systems took out almost all the drones that could have caused damage to infrastructure.
India also swarmed Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi with drones, launching multiple retaliatory strikes and forces shot down an F-16 fighter jet in Rajasthan in an effective response to Pakistan’s unprovoked attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Jammu saw a complete blackout on Friday evening as tensions between India and Pakistan continue to flare. A complete blackout was also enforced in Kargil district from 7:30 pm to 5.30 am, on Friday night, said an advisory from District administration Kargil and District Police Kargil.
The administration asked the public to cooperate and avoid any panic. “Public shall switch off light and block windows with curtains. Public shall avoid all unnecessary traffic movement at night. Public to inform police control room or Civil authorities immediately if any drone or unidentified flying object is sighted,” the advisory noted. Some other parts of Jammu and Kashmir including Baramulla, are also witnessing a blackout.
