The Union government is expected to convene an all-party meeting on April 24 in the aftermath of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday, which lasted for over two hours. He had cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Delhi earlier in the day in response to the incident.

“In the wake of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, chaired a meeting of the CCS at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The high-level CCS meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other senior officials.

The attack, which took place at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, is being described as one of the deadliest in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to punish those responsible. “The perpetrators will soon face a loud and clear response,” he said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also called for a separate all-party meeting on April 24. As per the invitation letter issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the meeting will be held at 3 PM at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday visited the Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag to meet the injured victims of the attack. He also visited Baisaran meadow, the site of the attack, where he conducted an aerial survey before landing at the location to assess the situation firsthand.

— ANI