Modi grants Indian military ‘full freedom’ to respond to Kashmir attack

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the armed forces “full operational freedom” to decide how and when to respond to the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Bdnews24.com, citing NDTV, reported on Tuesday that Modi described the response as “the nation's resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism” and expressed “complete faith and confidence” in the Indian military.

The Indian broadcaster said the prime minister held a high-level meeting at his residence on Tuesday with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the three armed forces.

The 90-minute meeting was followed by visits from Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to the prime minister’s residence.

According to NDTV, Modi’s message effectively greenlights a military response to the attack, the deadliest since Pulwama in 2019, for which India had previously conducted airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balakot.

The recent Pahalgam assault has been linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned Pakistan-based militant group, while its proxy organisation, The Resistance Front, has claimed responsibility.

Indian security agencies said available evidence once again pointed to Pakistan’s involvement.

Diplomats from the US, Russia, China, Japan, and several European countries have reportedly been briefed.

India has already begun applying diplomatic pressure. NDTV said Delhi has revoked all visas for Pakistani nationals except for Pakistani Hindus and those with long-term residency approvals.

Medical visas have also been cancelled. Nearly 1,000 Pakistani citizens reportedly left India after the order came into effect, causing long queues at border crossings such as Attari-Wagah.

State governments were instructed to enforce the order directly by Home Minister Amit.

As part of broader retaliatory measures, India also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a key agreement signed in 1960 that provides Pakistan with nearly 85 per cent of its water supply.

The move was met with outrage in Islamabad, which called it “an act of war”.

In response, Pakistan cancelled visas for Indian nationals and placed multiple bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, on hold.

A top Pakistani defence official Khawaja Muhammad Asif warned the country’s media that the coming days were “crucial”, further increasing tensions.

Broadcasts of his comments on Geo News were subsequently banned on Indian platforms.

In his public comments, Prime Minister Modi vowed that India would not allow “terrorism’s evil agenda” to succeed. “The time has come to raze whatever is left of the terror haven. The will of 140 crores will break the back of the masters of terror,” he said.

He also warned that India would hold accountable not just the attackers, but those who plotted the killings.