The three service chiefs met with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this morning (File Photo)
The Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are today expected to brief the press for the first time amid tension between India and Pakistan.
The three service chiefs met with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this morning, a day after several discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The briefing comes a day after an IAF pilot was taken captive by Pakistan after aerial combat between Indian and Pakistani fighter planes for the first time in 48 years.
A top minister has said that the political leadership will not comment on the stand-off, and this was a conscious decision. "We can't compromise on national security," the minister said.
The military chiefs were also present at another high-level meeting, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the Foreign Secretary, Home secretary, and the chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Details of what was discussed at the meeting are still not known but sources say the stand-off and steps for the immediate release of the pilot were discussed.
Videos from Pakistan showed the pilot blindfolded and wounded, his arms tied behind his back, being interrogated. The videos were taken off official and news accounts as Pakistan faced allegations of violating the Geneva Convention. Later, a video showed the pilot sipping tea, saying that "officers of the Pakistani army have looked after me well".
India said it "strongly objects to Pakistan's vulgar display" of the pilot and said Pakistan "would be well advised to ensure that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody."
Tension between the countries soared as Pakistani jets tried to target Indian military installations, a day after India sent its fighter jets to destroy a massive terror training facility of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that killed over 40 soldiers in a suicide attack in Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14.
The US, Britain and France have moved a fresh proposal at the UN Security Council or UNSC to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist. The proposal is likely to tighten pressure on China, which has repeatedly blocked such moves in the past.