'I said, fellas, come on, let's make a deal, let's do some trading, let's not trade nuclear missiles, let's trade the things that you make so beautifully, and they both have very powerful leaders, very strong leaders, smart leaders, and it all stopped.'
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.
People along the Line of Control and International Border in the Jammu region continue to live under the shadow of death, with unexploded mortar shells fired by Pakistani troops still embedded in farmlands and residential areas even though hostilities have stopped for nearly a week. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: / Rediff.com Despite the May 10 understanding between India and Pakistan, locals describe the border areas as a 'death trap'. Sixty-two-year-old Balvinder Singh, who returned to his home in Pargwal sector on May 14, recounted a narrow escape. "Two shells exploded in our compound, damaging our house. Three more landed on our farmland. We were terrified and told our family to stay away from the fields until the Army could help," Singh told PTI. Army engineers later came to the village and safely defused the unexploded shells, bringing a temporary sense of relief. "Fear is writ large on the faces of people to these death traps in border hamlets", he said. Scenes of destruction are evident rooftops torn apart, broken houses, windows punctured by shrapnel, and carcasses of cattle lying in pools of blood. The acrid smell of gunpowder still lingers in the air. Sardar Gurmeet Singh faced a similar ordeal. His family could not re-enter their home as a live mortar shell had sunk into the compound in a village close to the International Border. "The army's bomb disposal squad removed it after four days, allowing us to finally enter, back home," he said. Indian Army engineers have launched a sweeping clearance operation across border districts, defusing over 80 unexploded shells in the past five days -- including 6 in Pargwal, 19 in Rajouri, 42 in Poonch, and 12 along the IB. "These shells, mostly 120 mm calibre, have a range of 15 to 30 km and pose a serious threat to both civilian and military targets," an Army officer said. "Many of them were fired by Pakistan during recent hostilities." On May 7, the Indian Army launched Operation Sindoor, conducting precision strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. The subsequent retaliation by Pakistan pushed the region to the brink of war. From 7 to 10 of May, 27 civilians were killed and over 70 injured in Pakistani shelling in the Jammu region. Farid Din Gujjar, a resident near the border, expressed fear about returning to his fields. "Several shells created deep craters in our paddy land. We cannot resume work until all unexploded ordnance is cleared. It's a death trap," he said. Army units, in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police, have evacuated high-risk zones and issued stern warnings to residents not to touch any suspicious objects or unexploded shells. In one major operation, 42 live shells were safely destroyed in the Poonch villages of Jhullas, Salotri, Dharati and Salani. "All safety protocols were followed. The shells posed a serious danger to local lives," an Army spokesperson said, calling the effort a 'continued commitment to protect civilians and restore normalcy'. Poonch saw the vast majority of deaths due to shelling. Security officials said that Pakistan used a mix of mortar shells, armed drones, and missiles during the shelling spree, specifically targeting civilian habitations and border towns in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch. As clearance operations continue, the border residents are slowly returning to their homes, but with caution, fear, and lingering uncertainty about shelling that may yet happen in the future.
Main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the Kashmir issue and differences over the sharing of river waters must be discussed during the February 25 talks between foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.
The minister said India would make efforts to get the territory back from Pakistan.
PoK PM Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan supported the division of the state between Hindu and Muslim majority areas.
"Fearless in unity. Boundless in strength. India's shield is her people. There's no room for terrorism in this world. We're ONE TEAM! Jai Hind," Tendulkar posted
The Indian Army's human rights record is above board, and people of India, army personnel and countries worldwide know the truth, he said.
As the Manmohan Singh government settles down here, prominent leaders of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control will meet in London this weekend to discuss resolution of the Kashmir issue at a seminar.
"We're deeply grateful for the swift coordination and support from the BCCI, local authorities, and the police who made this possible," the RCB statement added.
About 2,500 terrorists are present in launching pads in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the government said on Tuesday.
PSL match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi rescheduled
The venue, which is due to host Thursday's match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, has one more match left on schedule -- the May 11 game between Punjab and Mumbai Indians.
Some Pakistan newsreports say a map being circulated shows J&K and PoK as one entity.
In an unexpected shift of strategy, Pakistan occupied Kashmir's Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has asked the Yusuf Raza Gilani-led Pakistan government not to link the controversial Kashmir issue with the renewed deliberations with India.Haider said that instead of linking the resolution of Kashmir issue with the ongoing negotiations with India, the government should first try to resolve other 'small irritants'.
The Election Commission on Monday said the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir this time was the highest in a Lok Sabha election in the last 35 years with the Kashmir Valley witnessing a 'massive' 30 percentage point jump in poll participation compared to 2019.
The defence minister, however, said the matter is under the domain of the Union home ministry and it will take appropriate decisions.
"So, there was no infiltration of any Afghani Taliban... To that effect, we have been able to control (things)," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday assured the country that the beginning of building a "new and developed Kashmir" that will be free from terrorism has been made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that full statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time.
This has also raised concerns over undetected infiltrations from across the Line of Control and terrorists potentially residing in the outskirts of cities and villages, they said.
it's just a matter of time, the former army chief said in response to a question.
'It is typical of China's strategic deception of making virtue out of necessity,' observes Rup Narayan Das.
Presenting the full text of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on May 12, 2025, in which he dictated India's new doctrines on countering terrorism.
Central agencies had been monitoring certain leads, which said a group of people hailing from Kerala along with Lashker-e-Tayiba's support were trying to enter Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir through North Kashmir.
The proposal, which came from the Jammu and Kashmir government, will do away with cumbersome and time-consuming procedures under which applications for travel get delayed for months together.
A day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised Nehruvian model of development, saying it had held the country back, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday termed Jammu and Kashmir a glaring example of the "failure" of Nehru's political model.
The UK Hindu organizations are urging the European parliament to adopt the report in its entirety, without making any of the 400 and off amendments sought by the Pakistan government.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives and injured many, the government ordered all Pakistani nationals to leave the country and revoked their visas.
This was in response to Prime Minister Vajpayee's statement that Indo-Pak talks should focus on Pak-occupied Kashmir.
The intention is to counter propaganda from Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Ahead of the meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pakistan has assured Pakistan occupied Kashmir leaders that it would not change its stance on the Kashmir issue.\n
The state government on Friday informed the SC that it has not received any applications from people in PoK claiming ancestral property in J&K.
It is learnt that the sympathisers of the Taliban who are targeting India are now active.
'There's something called deterrence by punishment.' 'That means you hit in a manner calculated to raise costs and consequences for Pakistan, so that the next time it attempts a Pahalgam-like attack, it has to think ten times.'
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