Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired back-to-back meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) to decide India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
• The Indian armed forces have been given complete operational freedom to determine the mode, targets, and timing of military action, with options including strikes on militant camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) continues its probe, identifying Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Farooq Ahmad as a key figure behind the attack, with evidence linking the attack to cross-border networks.
• India has already implemented diplomatic and economic sanctions on Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari-Wagah border, and revoking visas for Pakistani nationals.
• Pakistan denies involvement in the attack, warns of consequences for any Indian military action, and is preparing international legal action over India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.