Russia, Japan extend ‘full support’ to India in fight against terrorism

Russian Prez Vladimir Putin (L) with PM Narendra Modi. File pic

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a phone conversation that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror strike must be brought to justice as he strongly condemned the horrific attack. Putin also told Modi that Russia fully supports India's fight against terrorism, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"President Putin @KremlinRussia_E called PM @narendramodi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post. "He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism," Jaiswal added.

"He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice," he said. The MEA spokesperson said Modi and Putin reiterated their commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Prime minister Modi conveyed his greetings to the Russian president on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of ‘Victory Day'. Modi also invited Putin for the India-Russia annual summit to be held in India later in the year, which the Russian President accepted.

Japan backs India

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday hosted his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani for wide-ranging talks touching upon the scourge of terrorism and ways to expand bilateral defence ties in the wake of China's military posturing in the Indo-Pacific.

Gen Nakatani, whose visit to India comes amid its heightened tensions with Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, condemned the terrorist attack and expressed solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism. In his opening remarks at the delegation-level talks, Singh said, "I would like to thank the government of Japan for their strong expression of solidarity with India in wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack."

"India shares a Special, Strategic and Global partnership with Japan. During the bilateral meeting we discussed defence cooperation and regional security," Singh said in a social media post. "Both sides condemned terrorism in all forms and emphasised the need for enhanced collaboration and joint efforts to counter cross-border threats."

Singh said Nakatani expressed solidarity with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and offered "full support""to India. It is learnt that the two sides also deliberate on ways to boost India-Japan defence industrial cooperation.

Defence sec meets PM

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Monday met PM Modi against the backdrop of increasing tensions between India and Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. The meeting comes a day after Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met PM Modi and is understood to have discussed the security situation.

Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi had on Saturday apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea. In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass, PM Modi on last Tuesday (May 29) gave the Indian armed forces "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

MHA tells states to conduct drills

The Union Home Ministry has asked several states to conduct civil defence drills on May 7 amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, government sources said on Monday.

The measures to be taken during the drill include operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack", they said. The other measures are provisions of crash blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updation of evacuation plans and their rehearsal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding a series of high-level meetings, including with top defence functionaries, as India weighs its options for countermeasures against the April 22 terror attack. Senior officials of the Delhi police have asked all DCPs to prepare detailed plans for the preparations. They said the DCPs have started holding meetings with senior police officers.

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