A week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years, Modi on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with army and security chiefs, during which he told the armed forces that they had the “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack,” said the government source, who was not authorised to speak to the media.
The government released video images of a stern-faced Modi meeting with army chiefs, as well as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Also on Tuesday, India’s army said it had repeatedly traded gunfire with Pakistani troops across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto Kashmir border, a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts.
Pakistan’s military did not confirm the shooting, but state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday it had shot down an Indian drone, calling it a violation of its airspace.
It did not say when the incident happened, and there was no comment from New Delhi.
India said the “Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control” overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the fifth night in a row.
The Indian army said its troops had “responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation.” There were no reports of casualties.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.
Islamabad has rejected the charge, and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, and diplomatic barbs, as well as expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.
Last week Modi vowed to pursue those who carried out the attack in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam in Kashmir, and those who had supported it.
“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” he said on Thursday.
“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”
Analysts have warned that they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.
Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. (AFP)
