New Delhi

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack “to the end of the Earth”, political parties across the spectrum presented a united front on Thursday, pledging full support to the central government in its fight against terrorism.

An all-party meeting, convened by the Modi government a day after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met under the Prime Minister’s leadership, saw leaders from both ruling and Opposition parties unequivocally condemn the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, where 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen were killed. The incident, one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, targeted tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. It has triggered a nationwide outcry and prompted swift retaliatory and diplomatic actions by the Government of India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha JP Nadda.

Opposition leaders present included Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, NCP’s Supriya Sule and Praful Patel, DMK’s T Siva, RJD’s Prem Chand Gupta and leaders from the Biju Janata Dal, the YSRCP, the Shiv Sena and the Samajwadi Party.

Singh briefed leaders on the Pahalgam incident and the government's immediate response as decided in the CCS meeting. According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju, the Defence Minister reiterated the Centre’s stance of "zero tolerance" toward terrorism. Intelligence Bureau and Ministry of Home Affairs officials also presented a detailed account of the attack and discussed steps being taken to prevent future incidents.

While the defence minister initiated the discussion at the meeting, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka gave all leaders a 20-minute briefing on the attack and how it happened. Later, he answered the questions of several leaders and Home Minister Amit Shah joined him in answering the queries.

“All political parties shared their views and there was a consensus that the country should stand united and speak with one voice against terrorism,” Rijiju said. “The prime minister’s strong message from Bihar was also discussed, where he made it clear that India has always taken decisive action against terrorism and will continue to do so.”

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi stated, “Everyone condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The Opposition has given full support to the government in taking any action.”

Kharge acknowledged that while the government had acted swiftly, he emphasised the need for the prime minister to attend such meetings in the future. “His decision on the issue will remain final,” he stated.

TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, “All political parties assured the government of support for any decisions made in the country's interest.” He demanded that the prime minister convene a meeting of all party chiefs at the earliest.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh emphasised the need for accountability: “The entire nation is angry and wants the government to give a befitting reply. Their camps must be destroyed and action should be taken against Pakistan. We also demanded that accountability be fixed regarding the security lapse.”

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Bandhyopadhyay said the issue of possible security lapses was also discussed but the Opposition assured that it was with the government in the fight against terrorism. "The nation must be totally united in this fight to eliminate terrorism," he said.

Sources revealed that Amit Shah acknowledged shortcomings in intelligence and security preparedness. Officials outlined remedial measures being implemented to plug those gaps. The meeting began with a two-minute silence to honour the victims of the attack.

Rijiju concluded by emphasising the national unity displayed: “All political parties are standing with the government in this fight against terrorism. We must not see this through a political lens but through the lens of national interest.”

We stand united as a nation & fight against terrorism. The All Party Meeting resolved to support the actions taken by the govt and appeal to everyone to maintain harmony amongst all communities. pic.twitter.com/9ICdzcIAaH

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) April 24, 2025

The government did not spell out any kind of action against terrorism during the meeting and the opposition also did not seek any such details.

Earlier during the day, PM Modi declared in Bihar's Madhubani that India will "identify, track, and punish" every terrorist and their "backers" involved in the Pahalgam carnage and pursue the killers to the "ends of the earth".

Modi vowed that terrorism will not go "unpunished" and that every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism, he said.

The all-party meeting was held a day after the government announced a host of measures targeting Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack.

The decision to call the all-party meeting was taken on Wednesday, with Rajnath Singh and Shah reaching out to various parties.

It has been a convention to call an all-party meeting following an incident with serious repercussions related to national security, as was seen after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 or during the India-China standoff in 2020.

Targeting Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, India on Wednesday downgraded diplomatic ties with it and announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by PM Modi.