Pakistan violates ceasefire, India revamps NSAB amid escalating tension

Indian government has revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and appointed former R&AW chief Alok Joshi as its chairman

Tension between India and Pakistan continued to escalate as both the nations exchanged fire across the Line of Control , during the intervening night of April 29-30, amid calls for restraint from the US.

  The Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where terrorists killed 26 tourists on April 22.

  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also set to speak with the foreign ministers of both the countries to encourage restraint and prevent further escalation.

  The Air Force also conducted training sorties over the country, including Jammu and Kashmir. The  central government also revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and appointed former R&AW chief Alok Joshi as its chairman. The new members appointed to the NSAB are former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt Gen AK Singh and Rear Admiral (retd) Monty Khanna, people familiar with the matter said.

 

  Former diplomat B Venkatesh Varma and retired IPS officer Rajiv Ranjan Verma have also been appointed to the NSAB as its members, they said. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker met Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

  According to PTI estimates, Indian airlines may face ₹77 crore weekly additional expenses for international flights operated from north Indian cities due to the closure of airspace by Pakistan, resulting in increased fuel consumption and longer flight durations. 

 

Later in the evening, at a press conference in the national capital, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack must pay the price for what they have done and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must act strongly.

 

“The prime minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong. The prime minister must not dilly dally and needs to act. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary,” Gandhi said.

 

The Congress MP also met the family of a victim of the Pahalgam attack in Kanpur.

 

On the exchange of fire at the LOC, the Indian Army said in a statement on Wednesday that the Pakistan Army initiated the firing of small arms across the LoC, opposite Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor sectors in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.