NEW DELHI: People involved in the cowardly terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam will get a "strong response" in the "near future" and India cannot be "intimidated" by any such terrorist acts, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, in the first clear indication of India's possible response to the incident.
He also said that India will not only hunt down those who perpetrated the attack but will also trace the people who conspired to carry out the nefarious act on Indian soil while "sitting behind the scenes."
The defence minister's remarks while delivering the annual Arjan Singh Memorial lecture came a day after 26 people were killed by terrorists in Pahalgam in an attack that triggered widespread outrage within India and abroad.
Hours before the address, Singh reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a nearly two-and-half-hour meeting that was attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
"Yesterday, in Pahalgam, our country lost many innocent citizens in a cowardly attack by terrorists targeting religion. This extremely inhuman act has plunged all of us into deep grief and pain," the defence minister said.
"From this platform, I assure the countrymen that in view of the incident, the government of India will take every step that is necessary and appropriate," he said.
"And we will not only trace those who perpetrated this incident. We will also reach out to those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to carry out the nefarious act on the soil of India," Singh said.
He said, "India is such an old civilization and such a big country that it cannot be intimidated by any such terrorist activities."
"The people responsible for such acts will get a strong response in the near future," he asserted.
Singh described the attack in Pahalgam as "extremely inhuman" that has "left all of us in deep grief and pain."
"First of all, I express my deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones. In this sad time, I pray to God for the peace of the departed souls.
"I would like to reiterate India's firm resolve that we have a zero tolerance policy against terrorism. Every citizen of India is united against this cowardly act," he said.
The high-level meeting chaired by Singh discussed all possible aspects of the situation that emerged in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror attack, sources said, declining to share further details.
It is learnt that Singh directed the armed forces to enhance their combat readiness and increase intensity of anti-terror operations.
In the meeting, Army Chief Gen Dwivedi presented a detailed overview of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir including deployment of his forces.
Strongly condemning the terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said those behind the "heinous act" will be brought to justice.
Several meetings on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir have taken place since the terror attack.
Modi returned to New Delhi this morning after cutting short his two-day trip to Saudi Arabia.
Home Minister Amit Shah rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday evening to spearhead the security measures.
Shortly after landing in Delhi, Modi held a meeting with NSA Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years, 26 people — including two foreign nationals — were killed when suspected terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists at the scenic Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon.
Intelligence agencies have identified Saifullah Kasuri, also known by the alias Khalid, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as the mastermind behind the massacre.
According to intelligence sources, five to six militants were involved in the attack, including several who had recently infiltrated the Valley from across the Line of Control (LoC).
Security forces have since launched a massive manhunt in and around the Pahalgam region, with aerial surveillance and ground operations underway to track down the perpetrators.
Security agencies have released sketches of three terrorists involved in heinous attack.
