The Pakistani establishment now believes that the 'time of war' with India is over and the recent telephonic contacts at the highest military level have led to reduction in tensions generated in the wake of troop build up following the Mumbai terror attacks.
India on Wednesday described as inhuman the way the dead bodies of two Indian soldiers were treated by Pakistan regular troops after their "highly provocative" attack in its territory in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan on Friday said it has briefed the envoys of the P5 -- the US, China, Russia, the UK and France -- over "unprovoked firing" by India on the LoC and asked the countries to play their role in ensuring the maintenance of peace and security in the region.
'There is a lot of support for the work we do,' says Arnab Goswami.
Amid intense US pressure to deliver on the war on terror, the chief of Pakistan's powerful Inter Services Intelligence has been shunted out of Islamabad and replaced by Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, considered close to the reform-minded Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
General Taj has been closely associated with Musharraf, having been his military secretary at the time of the 1999 coup.
There will be no let-up in troop deployment or Army operations along the Pakistan borders to fight terrorism and infiltration, military officials said on Thursday after a ceasefire agreement was announced between the two armies which they called a step towards regional peace.
Even as Union ministers allay misgivings over Agnipath, figures show a meagre 2.4 per cent of the ex-servicemen who applied for a government job could get one as the Centre and the states have been unable to recruit against the reserved quotas. Public sector undertakings (PSUs), ministries, and officials of Sainik Boards have blamed it on the lack of skill among ex-servicemen. They say veterans' inability to qualify in selection exams is one of reasons for this. Also, non-recognition of qualifications obtained from the military are reasons why their recruitment has remained significantly low, pushing them towards low-skill jobs.
Voicing his deep concern, the UN chief said that the "hospitals in the south of Gaza are already at capacity and will not be able to accept thousands of new patients from the north."
Amid escalation of cross-border firing in Jammu and Kashmir, top military officials of India and Pakistan on Tuesday discussed the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and International Border but failed to address the issue.
The Congress on Monday alleged that a Chinese national played a 'dubious role' in the Adani Group's activities and asked the government if it was not concerned that the conglomerate may be involving that person in important defence contracts.
It is unlikely Brigadier Raja Rizwan was working for RA&W, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
The Director General of Military Operations, Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, conveyed a very tough message to his Pakistani counterpart on Wednesday when they spoke for the second time in 48 hours, reports RS Chauhan
'A fragile Sri Lanka will have a serious impact on the security of India.'
'Hinduism meshed with his sense that the world was paradoxical and puzzling.'
While the neighbours held several rounds of talks on the Siachen issue at the defence secretary-level, the matter has never been taken up at the DGMO-level, the officials said.
With the Indian armed forces facing a shortage of over 13,000 officers, the 30-lakh-strong National Cadet Corps seems to be the best bet to fill up vacant seats in the military academies.Finding success in motivating its cadets to join the armed forces, the NCC has been efficiently filling up the quota reserved for cadets with 'C' Certificates in the academies of the army, navy and air force.
Appealing with "folded hands" for an end to the three-month-long cycle of violence in Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged the warring Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks, even as the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of peace in the northeastern state.
'He could indeed survive [the no confidence vote] even as he faces his biggest political test.'
Three other senior officers are facing trial in the case.
All Pakistani moves towards peace will be seen as tactical compromises, to be abandoned when the situation changes, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
It was further decided that the next Sector Commander level meeting will be held on June 21 2018.
In a surprise military shake-up, the Pakistan Army on Wednesday announced that the powerful spy agency ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has been appointed as Peshawar Corps Commander -- a crucial position in view of the Taliban's takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.
Condemning the terrorists who seek to infiltrate across the Line of Control, the United States on Thursday called on all parties to reduce tensions along the LoC by returning to the 2003 ceasefire commitments.
Boxing Olympian Abrar Hussain Shah, who belonged to the minority Shia Hazara community, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Quetta on Thursday, police said. Shah, the Deputy Director General of the Pakistan Sports Board, was attacked by the gunmen near Ayub Stadium in Quetta.
The decision to deploy air defence weapons was made as the country re-evaluates its strategy for safeguarding its western borders from air raids, the Pakistan Army's Director General of Military Operations, Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed, told the federal cabinet and the Senate's Standing Committee on Defence during briefings on Thursday.
He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and Assam governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.
Rabri Devi is contesting from Raghopur.
The sources said intelligence-based targeted strikes are being conducted by the Indian Army to neutralise mostly Pakistani and foreign terrorists, and the collateral damage has been very negligible in these operations.
'I am grateful that this film has happened, it makes me so proud of the country and of the Indian Army.' Brandy Batliwala, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw's eldest grandchild, on the man behind the hero.
About informing Haq three weeks prior to the Bahawalpur incident, Hamid Gul said that a report from ISI was submitted to him that Haq should restrict his movements.
In the Army headquarters, the wings handling military operations, military intelligence, operational logistics and strategic movement will carry out their functions with bare minimum staff strength till April 19, according to the order. Within the command headquarters, wings handling manpower, logistics and operations will only function with skeletal staff.
A panel within the ministry is likely to re-look into the issue that has been left pending for so many years, ministry sources said on Friday.
Situated at a height of 15,200 feet above sea level, the pass sits on the top of a craggily formed Himalayan range that separates the Tibetan plateau from the Indian sub-continent.
Lieutenant General J F R Jacob, Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command during the 1971 war, revealed how, armed with only a draft surrender document and an aide, he made the Pakistani army led by Lieutenant General A A K Niazi surrender.
'After General Raheel Sharif took on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, some sections of the military establishment may have felt unease as to whether the crackdown could be extended against friendlier 'non-State' actors like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.'
Reports suggest concentration of a large number of terrorists in launch pads across the border and they are desperate to infiltrate into India before the onset of winter.
Bharti group-backed OneWeb and New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, have entered into an agreement that will help ensure OneWeb completes its satellite launch programme. The first launch with New Space India is expected in 2022 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launches will add to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications firm OneWeb's total in-orbit constellation of 428 satellites -- 66 per cent of the planned total fleet -- to build a global network that will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
General Bipin Rawat was given the guideline by the prime minister to achieve the integration of the three forces by the 75th year of India's Independence. This should be carried forward with utmost speed.
