The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, engaged in continuous dialogue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, and the three chiefs of armed forces on Saturday on the matter of the progress of the anti-terror operation, 'Operation Sindoor.'
The dialogue was initiated as Pakistan continued to maintain an aggressive stance and refused to de-escalate tensions. The talks centered on assessing the achievement of the operation so far and readiness to repel a possible Pakistan offensive, which has been said to have deployed troops into forward positions, indicating a move to deepen the conflict.
Besides planning the course of action in the future, Prime Minister Modi is said to have spoken on Pakistan's constant breaches of the ceasefire along the LoC and international border. Officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) also reported on terrorists killed in 'Operation Sindoor,' some associated with the 1999 IC-814 hijacking episode to Kandahar.
The Prime Minister's discussions regarding the operation ran alongside a telephonic outreach of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, with a plea to both India and Pakistan to calm down and present the possibilities of constructive diplomacy towards the prevention of further escalation in the support of the United States. The message was equally carried by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
On Friday, Prime Minister Modi had long meetings with military commanders, strategists, and veterans, including former Air Force, Army, and Navy chiefs. These meetings came after a briefing by the Indian Armed Forces, which explained Pakistan's incursion into Indian airspace on Friday night and India's prompt, forceful retaliation.
India retaliated firmly against Pakistan's continuous drone and missile attacks by striking at least eight military installations within Pakistan on Friday night with precision, inflicting heavy damage. The Centre, in a special briefing on 'Operation Sindoor,' unveiled that six Pakistani military camps, one radar installation, and one aviation base were hit in the Indian strikes. The operation, which had already targeted nine terrorist camps in the vicinity of LoC and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was conducted as a retribution for the murderous Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 that claimed 26 lives.
