MHA holds high-level meeting post-Pahalgam terror attack
In response to the recent terror attack near Pahalgam, the Ministry of Home Affairs held a high-level meeting with top security and intelligence officials. The attack, which resulted in 26 civilian deaths, has prompted India to suspend the Indus Water Treaty and close the Attari checkpost. The National Investigation Agency is assisting in the investigation, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah promising strict action against the perpetrators.
New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): A high-level meeting was conducted at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday morning amid ongoing developments concerning the terror attack near Pahalgam town in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Tapan Deka, and the Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) Ravi Sinha were present in the meeting - a significant meet after the deadly attack carried out two days ago targeting a group of tourists in Baisaran meadow, which is located around five kilometres from Pahalgam town in Kashmir's Anantnag district.
While the agenda of the meeting has not been officially disclosed, the presence of top security and intelligence officials suggests discussions on key national security or internal affairs issues.
The meeting among these officials indicates planning on specific internal security measures just a day after some decisions were taken in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Amid the ongoing developments following the terror attack - which marks the worst attack on civilians in the restive region in the last two decades - India on Wednesday suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties and shutting down the Attari checkpost as it hit back at Islamabad over the brazen attack that killed over 26 civilians.
The move followed as investigators identified five terrorists who carried out attacks on civilians, including three Pakistani nationals. The authorities also released three sketches of these Pakistani terrorists - Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha. The other two Valley-based operatives were identified as Adil Guri and Ahsan.
It is also learnt that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will soon be handed over the case by the Ministry of Home Affairs, considering the gravity of the case. The official decision in this matter is yet to be taken.
Meanwhile, the NIA is assisting Jammu and Kashmir Police in the investigation and its one team led by a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer visited Baisaran on Wednesday a day after terrorists gunned down a group of tourists in the picturesque meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam, where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, lost their lives and over three dozen were injured.
The NIA's assistance to J&K Police underscores a key role in the overall investigation, as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba's proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack. The NIA team is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who arrived in Srinagar a few hours after the deadly attack, has vowed strict action and assured that the perpetrators "will not be spared".
Meanwhile, security has been intensified across the Kashmir region. As per officials, gunshots were heard in the area, following which security forces rushed there.
The incident occurred at around 3 pm on Tuesday when terrorists came down from the mountain in Baisaran valley and started firing at the tourists who frequent the place, which is often dubbed 'mini Switzerland' because of its long, lush green meadows.
Authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons.
The attack comes at a time when Kashmir is experiencing a significant uptick in tourist arrivals after years of militancy. Notably, the 38-day Amarnath Yatra is set to commence on July 3. (ANI)