New Delhi: In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were gunned down, the government has called an all-party meeting on Thursday (April 23) at 6 pm, The Wire has learnt.

The terror attack, the worst since the Pulwama attack in 2019, has evoked a strong response from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with top ministers including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh promising “strong action” and that those responsible will not be “spared”.

The all-party meeting comes after the cabinet committee on security held an over-two-hour long meeting on Wednesday chaired by Modi. The meeting was attended by Shah, Singh, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar along with top officials.

Following the meeting, a slew of measures were announced against Pakistan, including pausing the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling Pakistani military attaches and downgrading ties.

Earlier on Wednesday, Singh said that the government has a “zero-tolerance policy” to terror while condemning the “cowardly” attack in which people “were targeted on the basis of their faith”.

Singh said that the government will give a “strong response” and reach not only those who have committed this act but also those who operated “behind the scenes”.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. Every citizen of India is united against this cowardly act,” said Singh.

“I want to assure the people of this country that after this incident, the Indian government will take every measure that is necessary and important. We will not only reach those who perpetrated this incident, we will also reach those who, sitting behind the scenes, have conspired to carry out such nefarious acts on the soil of India.

“India is such an old civilisation and such a big country that it cannot be intimidated by any terrorist activities. The people responsible for such acts will get a strong response in the near future.”

Singh’s statement came hours after Shah visited Pahalgam and met families of the victims. After paying his respects to those who lost their lives, Shah in a statement said that the country will “not bend to terror”.

“The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared,” he said.

Shah used the same language the day before, prior to his arrival in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Those involved in this dastardly act of terror will not be spared, and we will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” he said.

In his first response following the attack, Modi, who had cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the attack, had written on X that those responsible for this attack “will not be spared”.

“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected,” he wrote on X.

“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice … they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”