'If they aim to remain aligned with the public sentiment, as any democratic government should, then they must respond. Why else would the prime minister have cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia? And why would he have instructed the home minister himself to travel to Srinagar to assess the situation firsthand? This suggests that something is indeed being planned. I am quite certain of that, although the exact form it will take remains to be seen.'
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Anand Jain and senior officers of the Army and intelligence agencies visited the ambush spot in the Surankote area. The Army also conducted aerial surveillance using a helicopter, they said.
Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited Dehradun on Monday and reviewed operational preparedness, interacted with troops, and received briefings on security initiatives and infrastructure development in the region. He emphasized the importance of maintaining peak operational efficiency and adaptability in a complex security environment. The visit highlights the Army's proactive approach to ensuring mission readiness and boosting troop morale.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe water crisis this year due to a massive rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concern about the situation and called for a proactive approach towards water management and conservation. The state has witnessed an 80% deficit in rainfall this year, raising the possibility of drought in the valley this summer. Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark, and some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely. The water level in Jhelum and other major streams is alarmingly low.
On Saturday also Pakistani forces had violated ceasefire after which Indian troops had retaliated damaging three posts and causing causalities to Pakistani army.
The soldier, manning a forward post, was killed in the firing from across the border in Shahpur-Kerni area of Poonch sector, an Army official said.
A Defence spokesman said the ultras opened heavy fire on search parties resulting in critical injuries to the JCO and four other personnel.
The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is still on, he said.
The women of this village in Nashik still climb into a well to fetch water for their families.
Firing is going on in the under-construction Mini Secretariat and the operation is on.
Pakistani troops on Friday violated the ceasefire by firing with small arms and mortars on Indian posts along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting Indian troops to retaliate.
The Pakistani army had shelled the brigade headquarters and other Indian military formations in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on October 23.
On Tuesday, an army jawan was killed when Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire.
He was challenged by alert army personnel and tried to run back but troops fired at him resulting in minor injuries.
Indian troops also fired in retaliation and the firing stopped from both sides around 1 pm
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, seeking re-election from Nowshera assembly constituency of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir, is facing a major challenge from his former party colleague Surinder Choudhary.
'The first and most basic responsibility of any government is to protect its people from external threats and internal harm.' 'Budget 2025-2026 has to focus on meeting this responsibility,' asserts R Jagannathan.
However, Defence PRO Col Manish Mehta said there was no ceasefire violation.
The alleged torture of five civilians by Army personnel in Kishtwar has triggered angry reactions from various political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, notably from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has demanded a transparent investigation and court martial for those found guilty.
The troops were patrolling the forward area in Nowshera sector when the explosion occurred, the sources said.
The defence spokesperson said the Pakistan Army also shelled posts with heavy mortars and opened fire with small arms and automatic weapons in the Poonch sector.
Would you spend Rs 2.5 lakhs to make your car look like a helicopter? Ishwar Deen, a sculptor who lives in Ambedkar Nagar's Khajuri Bazar, did.
The bodies of two village defence guards (VDG) killed by terrorists were found near a rivulet on Friday during a massive search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said.
So far, there are no reports of casualties or injuries and a gunbattle is underway.
With 19 border polling stations along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch, a contingency plan has been worked out to deal with cross-border shelling though chances are negligible given the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan that came into effect in February 2021, officials said.
There was no report of any casualty on the Indian side, he said.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
They said police parties fanned out to find them amid reports that they had been abducted and killed by terrorists.
In March, Pakistan violated the truce four times along the LoC in Poonch.
2017 has also seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations at the LoC by Pakistan.
Special Police Officer Naresh Kumar was killed in the encounter between the terrorists and the security forces in the forest area of Mendhar in Poonch district, defence sources said. The Bhati Dhar forest of Mendhar area has been cordoned off by the forces, which are also being assisted by Special Operation Group of police.
This is the 22nd incident of ceasefire violation this month.
A group of militants were trying to cross the border in Banawat forward area in Poonch district around late Wednesday night, PRO, Defence S N Acharya told PTI.
The intelligence agencies have also bolstered their apparatus in the area and are working to take out the terrorist support infrastructure there including overground workers who support terrorists, they said.
The attack, which claimed the lives of seven individuals, including a local doctor and two labourers from Bihar, has raised concerns about the unreported trend of local youths joining terrorist groups in Kashmir during this period.
The latest ceasefire violations -- the tenth and eleventh in less than a week -- has come a day after an Army jawan was killed when Pakistani troops opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district.
In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops on Saturday fired at Indian posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district but there was no loss of life or damage to property.
There is no casualty on Indian side.
"The Pakistani army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons and mortars from 0515 hours in Poonch sector along the LoC," a defence spokesman said.
