'Will take firm & decisive action against terrorists': PM Modi on Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: India is committed to taking “firm and decisive” action against the terrorists who perpetrated the Pahalgam attack and those who support them, said PM Narendra Modi amid repeated calls by the global community for restraint and de-escalation and as tensions soar with Pakistan. After a bilateral meeting with visiting Angola President João Manuel Lourenço, Modi said both leaders agreed that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity.
Modi delivered his media statement after the meeting in Hindi but switched over to English while talking about the April 22 attack and India’s resolve for decisive action against the perpetrators. The PM had done the same 2 days after the attack while speaking in Madhubani in Bihar where he, in his first response to the tourist massacre, pledged to identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers.
Modi’s remarks on the Pahalgam attack, particularly about action against those who support terrorists, are significant as these suggest India hasn’t given up on the military option for pursuing those who perpetrated the attack and their backers. Lourenço, who currently holds the chairmanship of the African Union, also strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack and expressed solidarity with the Indian people.
As the government weighs punitive measures against Pakistan for its role in the attack, it has come under some serious pressure from friends and partners like the US, EU and Gulf countries to avoid any escalation and resolve the cross-border terrorism issue with Pakistan diplomatically.
Modi was speaking days after US secretary of state Marco Rubio urged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate and work for peace in South Asia. His counterpart S Jaishankar had responded by saying that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Rubio’s comments were followed by remarks by US Vice President JD Vance that India’s response to the attack should not lead to any broader regional conflict. Unlike Rubio though, Vance seemed to throw a noose around Pakistan’s neck by explicitly asking it to work with India “to the extent that they are responsible” and ensure that the terrorists “sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down”. The state department too said Modi had full support of the US on terrorism, in comments apparently meant to assure India that Washington is not tone-deaf to India’s anxieties about Pakistan’s backing of terrorists.
Modi was also speaking a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh cancelled his visit to Moscow for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
“I thanked President Lourenço and the people of Angola for their condolences on the loss of lives in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. India is committed to taking firm and decisive action against the terrorists and those who support them. We thank Angola for their support in our fight against cross-border terrorism,’’ said the PM, while announcing an expansion of the energy partnership with the southwestern African country that is an important supplier of oil and gas to India. Modi also announced a $ 200 million defence credit line for the modernization of Angola’s armed forces.