Being a 'fauji' kid, Sofiya Qureshi grew up listening to tales of valour and sacrifice of the army shared by her grandfather, who was a soldier.
Pakistan has closed its airspace for all commercial flights at Lahore and Islamabad airports after India carried out military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The country's airspace was closed for all air traffic after India launched a 48-hour closure following the strikes. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has formally conveyed its concerns to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regarding the serious risks posed to civil aviation safety by India's reckless and provocative actions.
'Looking at how quickly the hostilities were escalating, the nuclear threshold did not seem that far.'
A villager was killed and three others were injured in shelling by Pakistan in forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts early Friday morning, prompting Army troops to retaliate. The shelling also caused significant damage to property, with many houses and hundreds of vehicles affected. The firing and shelling were directed at areas in Rajouri, Poonch, and Jammu districts, apart from Kashmir's Kupwara and Baramulla districts, overnight.
Metal debris was found scattered in three villages of Amritsar district, with some locals claiming them to be parts of missiles. Police are investigating the objects, while the Indian government claims to have foiled Pakistan military's attempts to attack 15 places in northern and western India using missiles and drones. Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after India launched missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 killing of 26 people by terrorists in Kashmir's Pahalgam.
India strongly rejected Pakistan's 'unwarranted aspersions' over United Nations processes and attempts to deflect attention from atrocities committed against children in the country and rampant cross-border terrorism, asserting that the world has not forgotten the Pahalgam attacks.
India has accused Pakistan of breaching an understanding reached earlier on Saturday to stop military actions. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said there have been repeated violations of the understanding since the evening, and that the Indian armed forces are giving an appropriate response.
Asserting that India will not tolerate any 'nuclear blackmail', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said operations against Pakistan have only been kept in abeyance and the future will depend on their behaviour.
'With a military-led strategy to counter terrorism emanating from Pakistan, India has clearly signalled that it would respond decisively to future terrorist threats.'
Calm prevailed in Punjab, especially in the border areas of the state, on Sunday morning, following an understanding between India and Pakistan to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea.
With respect and gratitude we honour the memory of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Operation Sindoor.
Almost five years later, the three services have still not fully understood that joint/theatre commands are not a discussion point; they are the prime minister's diktat on a military reform measure that is in line with what armed forces around the world have implemented, points out Ajai Shukla.
The Indian Army used Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) to target Pakistani Army forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC), inflicting heavy casualties during a ceasefire violation on the intervening night of May 7-8.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The meeting comes a day after the Chief of Air Staff met with Prime Minister Modi to discuss the security situation. Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi gave the armed forces "complete operational freedom" to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
'It brings precarious peace because the red lines have shifted. 'The next Pahalgam attack would mean a full scale war.'
At least 30 terrorists were killed on Tuesday when Pakistani fighter jets carried out air strikes on militant hideouts in Shawal valley, a mountainous area in North Waziristan sharing boundary with South Waziristan, and other areas of the restive northwest tribal region.
The casualties were reported hours before India and Pakistan agreed to end hostilities, which soared after the Indian Armed Forces hit terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this week in response to the Pahalgam attack.
Suspected drones were observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, while armed forces downed a 'surveillance drone' in Punjab's Jalandhar district.
John Spencer, the chair of Urban Warfare Studies at US-based think-tank Modern War Institute, said India showcased its ability to strike any target in Pakistan "at will" and drew and enforced a "new red line" for cross-border terrorism under the operation that was launched early on May 7.
Squadron Leader Kanwal Deep Mehra's daredevilry during the 1971 War brought down a Pakistani F-86 Sabre. But he had to bail out of his plane, was badly injured. Then a fierce band of armed guerillas evacuated him to safety at great risk to their lives.
India's indigenously developed 'Akashteer' air defense system performed exceedingly well during 'Operation Sindoor,' according to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat. The fully automated system, deployed against terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, integrates various radar systems, sensors, and communication technologies. Kamat expressed confidence in the system's success drawing international interest, highlighting India's progress toward self-reliance in the defense sector. He also addressed the future of warfare, emphasizing the need for a blend of traditional and emerging technologies, and outlined the development timeline for the indigenous 5.5-generation stealth fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
How to conduct the mock exercise with active public participation of people was discussed threadbare at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. Top civil and police officers of the country participated in the meeting, official sources said.
National security advisor Ajit Doval on Friday suggested that various central armed police forces of the country should have "jointness" and interoperability among themselves like the ongoing plan for the defence forces.
'We should not just react when a terror attack happens on our soil.' 'Our approach should be continuous and a launch pad should be destroyed the moment it comes up.'
'Unlike the surgical strikes and the Balakot air strikes across the LoC, we have gone further inside Pakistan and raised the bar of escalation.'
Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Shahid Latif, the mastermind of the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, and his brother were gunned down by unidentified assailants outside a mosque in Pakistan's Sialkot district on Wednesday, officials said.
India has closed its airspace to flights operated by Pakistani airlines in a retaliatory move following the Pahalgam terror attack. The ban will be in effect until May 23 and applies to all aircraft registered in Pakistan, as well as planes operated, owned or leased by Pakistani airlines and operators. This comes a week after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers. The move is part of various measures taken by the Indian government against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
It is considered one of the most crucial appointments within the Indian Army, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Defence.
'He is intrigued by the intractability of Kashmir issue. With his interest in dealmaking and peacebrokering, he sees it as an exciting challenge to tackle.'
'...rectification has to happen then and there, and that takes additional time.'
The landmine exploded when the troops were patrolling in a forward area in Digwar sector this afternoon, the officials said.
Reliance on technical intelligence has not been fruitful as terrorists use online activity to mislead authorities. Officials feel that there is an urgent need for heightened surveillance to counter foreign terrorists, especially in the Jammu region.
Hours after, however, firing from the Pakistani side was reported in Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Drones were also seen in the Pir Panjal area.
Five Pakistani soldiers and at least 27 militants, including some foreigners, were killed On Sunday in clashes and air strikes in the restive northwestern tribal belt, where the military has launched a major offensive against the Taliban.
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the US has called on both countries "not to escalate" the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow. The US State Department said Washington is reaching out to both India and Pakistan "regarding the Kashmir situation" and telling them "not to escalate the situation."
Defence attaches of several major countries who are part of many international groupings, as also of several Islamic countries attended the briefing, sources said.
'Every decision India makes along the LoC, it must also consider implications along the LAC.'
Major Padmapani Acharya was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his courage in the Kargil War.
'It is important India to stay focussed on its primary national objectives: Combating terrorism; not losing sight of other security and strategic concerns (on the Sino-Indian front for instance); ensuring a strong economy and registering growth which includes improving the lot of common people; and finally making certain that the social fabric remains intact and harmony among people is not jeopardised, at least any further,' asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Amid a storm surrounding his collaboration with Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has taken to social media with a cryptic message.
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