Navy Chief meets PM Modi as India tightens noose around Pakistan

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Amid the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Saturday.

The high-level meeting comes at a time when the government has granted the armed forces complete operational freedom to respond to the attack, widely believed to have been orchestrated from across the border.

The meeting between Admiral Tripathi and PM Modi is being viewed in the context of the government's broader military and strategic deliberations following the Pahalgam terror strike. Sources indicate that discussions likely revolved around maritime security, force readiness, and coordinated tri-services responses as part of the evolving security posture.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a key meeting with the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In this high-level review, the Prime Minister gave the military leadership a clear mandate: the timing, mode, and targets of India's response will be decided by the armed forces themselves. The political leadership has reportedly removed all constraints, signalling a strong and calibrated countermeasure could be underway.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, India suspended the exchange of all types of mail and parcels with Pakistan through both air and surface routes.

The order was issued by the Department of Posts, under the Ministry of Communications. This move came just hours after India imposed a complete ban on direct and indirect imports from Pakistan, prohibited Pakistan-flagged vessels from docking at Indian ports, and barred Indian ships from traveling to ports in Pakistan.

The back-to-back moves are a fallout of the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The Indian government has cited "cross-border linkages" for the attack and pledged strict action against those responsible.

--IANS

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