Wed 30 April 2025:

On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a Cabinet Security Committee meeting in response to escalating tensions with Pakistan, according to state media. This marks the second meeting since an April 22 attack by unidentified gunmen that claimed 26 lives at a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Following the top security huddle, Modi is expected to convene the Cabinet’s political and economic committees as well as a full Cabinet meeting later in the day, state-run Doordarshan TV News reported.

A day earlier, he chaired a high-level meeting attended by many officials, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and three military service chiefs.

Later, in an overnight statement, Pakistan’s information minister said New Delhi may launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours amid rising tensions over the Kashmir attack, which India said had “cross-border” links, blaming its western neighbor.

Islamabad, however, has distanced itself from the attack.

Islamabad as well as New Delhi have reached out to many of their diplomatic allies to explain their position, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to hold phone calls with both his Pakistani and Indian counterparts on Wednesday.

“We are reaching out to both parties and telling (them), of course, them to not escalate the situation,” US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Pakistan warns of possible Indian strike

Pakistan warned Wednesday that India may launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours as tensions between the two nations surged following a deadly attack last week in Indian-administered Kashmir.

In a statement posted on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad has “credible intelligence” that New Delhi is planning to take military action under the “pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement” in the April 22 attack by gunmen in the tourist resort of Pahalgam which killed 26 people.

“Pakistan reiterates that any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively. The international community must remain alive to the reality that the onus of escalatory spiral and its ensuing consequences shall squarely lie with India,” he said.

New Delhi said the attack had “cross-border” links.

Indian Rafales patrolling

Indian fighter jets patrolling above occupied Kashmir were forced to flee after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled its jets, Pakistan state media reported

The tensions between the arch-rivals have intensified in the past few days, with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying Pakistan had reinforced its forces and was ready for any incursion by India, while on the other side, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “operational freedom” to act on the Pahalgam attack.

PTV News and Radio Pakistan, citing security sources, said that four Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were spotted conducting “patrolling overnight” in occupied Kashmir without crossing the Line of Control.

“PAF jets promptly detected the presence of these Indian warplanes,” Radio Pakistan added.

“As a result of PAF’s diligent action, the Indian Rafale jets panicked and were forced to flee,” PTV News reported. The security sources also reaffirmed that the armed forces were “fully prepared and vigilant to give a befitting response to any aggression from India”.

The government and the military have yet to provide details on the incident.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22