IAF chief meets PM Modi; 'What you desire will happen', vows Rajnath amid India-Pak tensions after terror attack

The meeting came less than 24 hours after Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.

New Delhi: What you desire will certainly happen, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, as diplomatic tensions with Pakistan continue to spiral over the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Rajnath’s remark came after Air Chief Marshal A K Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Saturday, Modi had met Chief of Naval Staff Admiral D K Tripathi, in what is being seen as part of India’s defence preparedness.

The Centre is also said to be preparing to cut the flow of water at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, after it undertook a similar move at the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River.

“I want to assure you that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, what you desire will certainly happen,” the senior BJP leader said, without elaborating, at an event in New Delhi.

His assertion came as India is mulling retaliatory measures against Pakistan.

“As the defence minister, it is my responsibility to work with my soldiers and ensure the protection of the country’s borders. And it is my responsibility to give a befitting reply, by working with the armed forces, to those who cast an evil eye on our country,” Rajnath said.

Amid escalating tensions, Pakistan banned the use of its ports by Indian flag carriers, hours after New Delhi imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on import of goods and entry of Pakistani ships into its ports, against Islamabad.

India on Saturday imposed a ban on the import of goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan and also the entry of Pakistani ships into its ports.

Hydroelectric moves

India cut the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and the Centre is preparing to take similar action at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, sources said.

The Baglihar Dam over Chenab river, located in Jammu’s Ramban district, and the Kishanganga Dam in north Kashmir provide India with the ability to regulate the timing and quantity of water releases to Pakistan.

with PTI inputs