Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for “continued alertness” and “clear communication” in his first comments since the recent escalation in hostilities between his country and Pakistan started, CNN reports.

Speaking as he chaired a high-level meeting with Indian government ministers on Thursday, Modi stressed the need for strong internal coordination and resilience in the face of hostilities with India’s neighbor Pakistan.

Earlier, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told a meeting with political leaders that India’s military operation against targets in Pakistan “remains ongoing.”

Relations between India and Pakistan have strained after the April 22 terror attack in the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali. India said it had evidence that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was involved in the attack, which was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba group. New Delhi and Islamabad have imposed mutual restrictions on diplomatic personnel, suspended bilateral agreements, and closed their airspace for each other's flights.