Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early return from Saudi Arabia in response to the brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also decided to cut short her foreign engagements. She is returning to India tonight, truncating her official visits to the United States and Peru.
According to senior government sources, Sitharaman has already boarded a flight from the U.S. and is expected to land in New Delhi later this evening.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is set to chair a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) this evening to review the situation. The specific time of the meeting has not been disclosed yet.
In the lead-up to the CCS meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a key discussion with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and other top defence officials. The meeting focused on assessing the current security environment in Jammu and Kashmir and deliberating India’s possible responses to the terror strike.
The upcoming CCS meeting is expected to decide on a calibrated and firm response to the terrorist attack that left 26 people dead. Reports suggest that the attackers, dressed in Army uniforms, interrogated their victims, asking their names and religious affiliations. According to eyewitnesses, some victims were allegedly asked to recite Islamic verses and were shot when they failed to do so.
Finance Minister Sitharaman had embarked on her overseas tour on April 19, scheduled to visit the United States and Peru from April 20 to 30. Her agenda included attending the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as well as participating in the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings.
During her time in Washington D.C., from April 22 to 25, Sitharaman was expected to attend several key global forums, including the Development Committee Plenary, the IMFC (International Monetary and Financial Committee) Plenary, and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR). She also had bilateral meetings lined up with officials from multiple countries and international institutions.
However, the grave situation back home has prompted her to abandon the remainder of the tour and return immediately, underscoring the seriousness with which the government is treating the terror attack in Kashmir.
Also Read: Will hunt those who plot attacks in shadows: Rajnath
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