Pahalgam attack: PM Modi to chair crucial CCS meet today, big decisions likely

• NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to chair two top-level cabinet meetings on Wednesday, one with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and another with the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA).
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• The Union Cabinet meeting will be held for the first time since the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
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• The Union Cabinet meeting will likely take place after the second meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), as per the reports.
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• These meetings are then likely to be followed by a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting, said sources.
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• There was no meeting of the Union Cabinet last week, and only the CCS had met on April 23, condemning the terror attack.
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• In the first CCS meet chaired by PM Modi, India took a slew of measures against Pakistan.

Read: Pahalgam terror attack: PM Modi says armed forces have full freedom to decide on targets, timing of response

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• The country announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the shutdown of the Attari border, the cancellation of visas of Pakistani nationals, the blockade of many of its YouTube channels and X handles, and downgrading the diplomatic ties with Pakistan by downsizing the already truncated staff in embassies, thereby forcing them back to their country of origin.
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• The Prime Minister will chair the CCS meeting, the second within a week of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, to concretise India's next move against Pakistan.
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• The CCS is also likely to consider the military options available to New Delhi to avenge the terror strike.
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• The April 23 CCS had reviewed the security situation and directed all Indian forces to maintain the highest level of vigilance.
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• India has resolved to ensure that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are brought to justice and that their sponsors are held accountable.
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• The other cabinet meeting, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), is also crucial. It was last convened following the 2019 terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, to assess the security environment and devise appropriate countermeasures. During that meeting, a decision was made to revoke Pakistan's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. Following this, the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting terrorist camps in Balakot on February 26, 2019.
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• The CCPA reviews and decides on important political and economic matters of the country and meets on crucial occasions.
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• On Tuesday, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan convened a high-level meeting to review the internal security situation and assess the evolving threat perception. Heads of key paramilitary forces were present at the meeting, which focused on tightening border security, enhancing counter-terror capabilities, and coordinating intelligence sharing across forces, given heightened tensions following the April 22 attack.
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• The Pahalgam attack has triggered a series of swift and significant policy decisions from the Central government.
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• On April 22, a group of terrorists attacked unsuspecting tourists in the green meadows of Pahalgam's Baisaran valley in Kashmir, killing 26 civilians. Among the tourists was a Nepali national. One local resident was also killed in the firing. Hindu men were selectively targeted and shot dead.