IAF Chief Calls On Prime Minister Narendra Modi After Navy Chief’s Visit

New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi on Sunday. This meeting comes a day after a similar visit by Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was present during the meeting.
According to sources, the IAF chief briefed the PM on the level of preparedness of the force. After the terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, Modi had met Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, and all three services chiefs. After the meeting, the PM had announced that the armed forces have been granted operational freedom to choose when and where to strike as a retaliation to the terror attack that killed 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country.
“It is clear that the IAF chief placed his independent assessment about the present situation before the Prime Minister. That is what the Navy chief also did on Saturday. These assessments are crucial before the country decides on what steps to take,” an official said.
Both the IAF and the Indian Navy have been holding drills after the Pahalgam attack. While the IAF has been holding exercises in central India with its frontline Su-30MKI and Rafale aircraft, the Navy has carried out missile launches in the Arabian Sea. Among the ships that participated in the drills was India’s latest indigenous destroyer INS Surat.
The meetings are crucial as Pakistan has warned of a full-spectrum strike against India in the case of a war. The latest to issue this threat was Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali. A full-spectrum strike in this case means the use of both conventional and nuclear weapons.
Pakistan is not a signatory to the ‘No First Strike’ treaty. India, on the other hand, is a signatory and can use nuclear weapons only if someone uses it first. The Indian Army, IAF and Indian Navy are all nuclear capable.