New Delhi, May 5: In a high-stakes meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in South Block, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna arrived on Monday to participate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the selection process for the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The current CBI chief, Praveen Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, is set to retire this month. As per procedure, the appointment of the next CBI Director is decided by a three-member committee comprising the Prime Minister, who heads the panel, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The meeting is considered crucial for the future direction of the country’s premier investigating agency.

While the primary agenda of the meeting was the selection of the new CBI chief, sources indicate that Rahul Gandhi is also expected to be briefed on the government’s internal deliberations regarding the response to the recent Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.

Congress leader Gandhi’s presence at the PMO, reportedly alongside Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and senior military officials, was also being seen as an important development as it came at a time when tensions with Pakistan are on the rise. Earlier, the Defence Secretary had also separately met the PM and reportedly discussed with him the military preparedness.

Adding to the urgency, IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, met Prime Minister Modi on Sunday at the PM’s official residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. The 45-minute closed-door meeting focused on strategic and operational options available to India’s air force. This was the second such high-level engagement between the PM and military leadership in just 24 hours.

On Saturday, PM Modi had met Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, as part of a broader review of India’s defence preparedness and maritime security posture.

Sources indicate that the government is considering multiple calibrated responses and has tasked the armed forces with readiness across all domains.

--IANS

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