Modi meets top defense officials ahead of India-Pakistan military-level talks
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently chairing a key meeting at his residence. Present at the meeting are Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs: General Upendra Dwivedi, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, IB Director Tapan Deka, and R&AW chief Ravi Sinha are also present, among others.
Ceasefire talks
Meeting follows India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement
The meeting comes two days after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Following the ceasefire, the military operations chiefs of both countries are also set to meet Monday to discuss further steps for de-escalation of tensions. The latest escalation was triggered by a terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 dead. Later, India struck nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7.
Escalation overview
Timeline of recent India-Pakistan military escalations
The operations, dubbed Operation Sindoor, killed over 100 terrorists, including "high-level targets." In revenge, the Pakistani Army fired drones and missiles at western parts of India, which Indian armed forces intercepted successfully. After four days of heavy cross-border drone and missile strikes, India and Pakistan agreed to cease military actions effective immediately.
Airport reopening
Ceasefire agreement leads to reopening of airports
The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump claimed that the talks between the two sides were "mediated" by the US. In view of the ceasefire, authorities decided to reopen 32 airports that were shut for civil flight operations due to last week's armed conflict. In a press release, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the 32 airports, which were temporarily closed for civil aircraft operations, are now available for civil aircraft operations with immediate effect.