Rajnath warns of befitting reply to perpetrators of terror attack

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack “will face a strong and befitting response in the near future”.

Speaking at the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh memorial lecture in New Delhi, he emphasised India’s firm resolve of zero tolerance against terrorism, stating that the government led by PM Narendra Modi would take every necessary and appropriate step.

Without directly naming Pakistan, Singh hinted at holding the neighbouring country accountable, saying, “We will not stop at those who carried out this attack. Will reach those who, sitting behind the curtains, conspire to carry out such nefarious acts on Indian soil.”

He said India, as an ancient civilisation and a vast nation, could not be intimidated by terrorism. “The response to such acts will be evident in the coming days and those responsible will face it from us in a robust manner,” he added. Expressing grief over the loss of innocent lives, Singh said, “Our country has lost many innocent citizens in a cowardly attack by terrorists targeting religion. This extremely inhuman act has left us in deep pain. In this hour of grief, I pray for peace to the departed souls.”

Earlier in the day, Singh held discussions with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, the three military chiefs, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to assess the fallout of yesterday’s attack and review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi briefed him on the security scenario in Pahalgam and across the region.

Initial investigations indicate that two of the three attackers were foreigners, with all having links to “The Resistance Front”, a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The authorities have released initial sketches of the terrorists and a massive manhunt involving the police, military and paramilitary forces is underway to capture them.

Nation