Guwahati: The Union government on Thursday held an all-party meeting to discuss the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians lost their lives.
During the meeting, the Union Government has promised more stringent action against the perpetrators, sources stated.
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According to the sources, the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, and Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar from the government’s side attended the meeting.
Sources confirmed that during the meeting, the opposition members pledged their support to the government in taking action against terrorism, but they also questioned Prime Minister Modi’s absence from the meeting.
Further, they pointed out the lapses that led to the attack and expressed concerns over the hate campaign after the incident.
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Following the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressed the media person stating that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, briefed leaders about the steps taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in response to the attack.
He stated that the officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Union Home Ministry also presented a detailed account of the incident, citing where the lapses occurred and how the attack unfolded.
Rijiju noted that over the past few years, the region had seen a return to normalcy, with businesses operating and tourism flourishing. However, the recent attack has shaken that stability.
He stated that all political parties presented their views and made it clear that the country needs to stand and speak in one voice against terror.
Rijiju acknowledged that the officials from the IB and the home ministry also briefed party leaders about “where lapses occurred”.
He stated that the officials assured that the authority has taken up measures to ensure such an incident does not happen again.
During the meeting, all parties unanimously expressed solidarity with the government in its fight against terrorism, citing that the whole country is with the government, Rijiju added.
Notably, after the terror attack, the Central government announced several diplomatic measures, such as closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, and reducing the number of officers in the High Commissions on both sides.
Moreover, India also halted the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960 in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.