A powerful suicide blast ripped through a mosque in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Friday, killing at least 52 people and injuring over 50 others gathered to celebrate Prophet Muhammad's birthday, authorities said.
Admitting that Kargil intrusion was a result of intelligence failure, former Army chief General (retd) V P Malik on Tuesday said a repeat of 1999-like attack cannot be ruled out as long as the Pakistan Army continues its proxy war against India.
The stern message from Rawat came a day after three soldiers faced heavy stone-pelting at Parray Mohalla of Bandipore in north Kashmir when they were about to launch an operation against terrorists holed up there.
Pakistan's powerful military has expressed serious concern over the prevailing political turmoil in the country with the government of embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif locked in a showdown with protesters.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said the government is mulling a possible ban on Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party following the attacks by his supporters on military installations after the former prime minister's arrest.
In the confrontation in Doklam, where Indian and Chinese soldiers were lined up eyeball-to-eyeball, senior Indian commanders recount they could sense the uncertainty in the Chinese. While Indian soldiers had to be restrained from pushing the Chinese troops back, our chief interpreter heard the Chinese officers threatening to open fire on PLA soldiers who wavered or withdrew, reveals Ajai Shukla.
The army chief said that India needs to broaden its understanding of national security and must examine non-traditional threats like pandemics "de-novo" as they have the potential to inflict severe damage on the country. "We need to act and prepare ourselves accordingly."
Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, who has been replaced as ISI chief, will remain in the forefront of Pakistani initiatives in Afghanistan as also in the peace talks with the Tehrik e Taliban, Pakistan. He will also get a year plus to serve in a corps command, remaining in the race for selection as the next army chief when General Bajwa retires in November 2022, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing.
There has been 'no decline' in support from Pakistan to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and top militant leaders including Hafiz Saeed are operating with impunity from its territory despite international pressure after Mumbai terror attacks, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has said.
Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held a two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf against the backdrop of consultations within the ruling coalition on dissolving parliament ahead of the next general election expected to be held in May.
Two commandos of the special forces were also killed in the rescue operation that was launched after negotiations between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants to end the hostage crisis failed.
Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh on Monday hit out strongly at Pakistan over the killing of two Indian soldiers and continuous ceasefire violation.
He brushed aside Pakistan's threat of use of tactical nuclear weapons, saying such statements will not deter India when it comes to defending our borders.
Describing Pakistan and China as 'two major irritants' for India's security, Army chief Gen V K Singh on Friday said the armed forces should ensure the country has a 'substantial' conventional war capability to fight in a nuclear scenario.
The Indian Army chief, who is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, to review LoC operations, said, "It is very unfortunate that at a time when the whole world and India is fighting the pandemic, our neighbour continues to foment trouble for us."
Indian Army Chief General V K Singh on Thursday said India has no "Cold Start" doctrine as claimed in the secret American documents and dismissed the United States' perception about the Indian Army being "slow and lumbering".
Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh on Monday opposed any dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Jammu and Kashmir, saying any decision to revoke it from any part should be taken only after getting inputs from security agencies and stakeholders.
"Two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed along LoC opposite Naushera sector by Indian Army while retaliating to ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army there yesterday," sources told ANI on Wednesday.
Against the backdrop of much-debated option of surgical strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan post-Mumbai terror attack, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has said that such strikes are "very much feasible" militarily.
Asked if there was any "sportsmanship" on display at the Indo-Pak border, Rawat said, "They should make the first move, they should stop terrorism. If they stop terrorism, we will also be like Neeraj Chopra."
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was on Thursday night given a three-year extension in service, ending months of speculation over his continuance.
He said India will continue to adopt a 'wait and watch' strategy on Pakistan's commitment on ending cross-border terrorism.
The Eastern Army commander said that there were some minor injuries to soldiers on both sides.
In view of the heightening tension with Pakistan, the central government on Tuesday rushed Army chief General Deepak Kapoor to Siachen Glacier and forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir to check the operational preparedness of the troops. He will be there for a day to interact with unit commanders and senior officers before returning to New Delhi after taking stock of the situation.
Pakistan's powerful Army has contradicted Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks accusing America of hatching a conspiracy to topple his government, saying there was no evidence of interference in the country's internal matters, according to a media report.
Bajwa said that this desire for peace must not, in any sense, be construed as a sign of weakness.
Sources in the PML-N told the Press Trust of India in Lahore that Nawaz Sharif decided to withdraw himself from the race for the prime minister's office for his daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, 50.
Pakistan on Thursday described Indian Army chief Gen Bikram Singh's remarks about retaliating against any possible ceasefire violations on the LoC as "provocative and unfortunate".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Agnipath scheme is an example of necessary reforms undertaken by the Army and accused the opposition of playing politics over the recruitment process aimed at keeping the average age in armed forces young.
His statement came in the backdrop of media reports of construction of a ropeway at Torsa Nala near Doklam by the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat and top brass of the force on Sunday paid glowing tributes to the two soldiers who were killed in a militant attack near Qazigund on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
The additional troops deployed on the LoC have been successful in foiling almost all the major attempts of infiltration and terrorists have not been allowed to cross over, sources said.
Army headquarters sources told PTI that General Kapoor, who was in the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan yesterday to witness the BrahMos missile test, took the opportunity to go on an unscheduled visit to the forward areas in Bikaner and Bhatinda regions of the two border states.
Musharraf hints he may remain army chief
The ongoing war of words between a former Pakistani chief of army staff general and a former ISI chief, trading allegations and counter allegations in the supreme court and blaming each other for payment of millions of rupees among anti-Pakistan People's Party politicians to influence the results of the 1990 general elections, has abundantly made it clear how Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence establishment has been manipulating domestic politics for decades now.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and vice-chairman of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was arrested again on Tuesday, moments after being released from a prison in Rawalpindi on the orders of a top court.
Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has rubbished media reports of him organising a secret meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Haqqani network commander Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul last month.