Pahalgam Terror Attack: Govt calls all-party meeting on Thursday, Rajnath Singh to chair

Pahalgam Terror Attack: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government has called an all-party meeting on April 24, in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam hill station, official sources told news agency PTI.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair it, they said.

As many as 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed in the attack that was carried out in Baisaran valley, five kilometres from main market in Pagalgam, in South Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday afternoon. Home Minister Amit Shah and Singh are speaking to leaders of various parties on the issue, the sources said.

Several opposition parties, including the Congress, had demanded that the government should convene a meeting of all parties over the issue.

Singh is expected to brief leaders of different parties on the brutal terror attack targeting tourists that left at least 26 persons dead.

Singh on Wednesday met the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the three Armed Forces, along with other officials, to discuss the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Defence Minister also reviewed the overall situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a PTI report quoting sources said.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, three service chiefs, defence secretary and Army's Director General of Military Operations were present in the meeting, sources said, according to the report.

Modi chairs CCS meeting

On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the biggest terror attack targeting civilians

Tuesday's attack was carried out in the fabled Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on a day when United States Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Pahalgam attack is a chilling reminder of the Chittisinghpura massacre in which 36 Sikhs were killed by terrorists in Chittisinghpura village of Anantnag district on March 20, 2000. The attack was carried out on the eve of the then US president Bill Clinton's state visit to India from March 21 to March 25.

(With PTI inputs)