Advising security agencies for appropriate deployment in vulnerable areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah stressed that all due procedures should be adopted while conducting counter-terror operations.
Congress rebel Satish Sharma, who defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajeev Sharma by nearly 7,000 votes and relegated his former party's heavyweight Tara Chand to the third position in the Chhamb seat, has found a place in the Omar Abdullah government, representing the Jammu region in the dispensation.
Army troops on Thursday apprehended a Pakistani soldier who had crossed over to the Indian side along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. A 19-year old Pakistani sepoy has been apprehended by the troops in Kerni Forward Area in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir around 6 am on Thursday, army officials said.
A fresh exchange of fire took place on Thursday between terrorists and security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where four Army personnel were killed and two others were injured in an encounter, officials said.
Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a gunfight with security forces on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said.
Indian and Pakistan troops exchanged heavy fire in the Nowgam sector of the Line of Control in north Kashmir Baramulla district on Wednesday after two paramilitary border security force troopers were injured in sniper fire from across the LoC.
Five army personnel were killed and six injured on Monday when terrorists ambushed their vehicle in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.
Local commanders of Pakistan also told Indian counterpart that no ceasefire violation was committed by their side.
The final report against a juvenile who was also apprehended in the case will be submitted to the Juvenile Justice Board in Rajouri, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
Four grenades were recovered on Friday in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir that was later defused by the security forces, officials said.
Six persons were found dead on the spot and five more succumbed to injuries while being evacuated from the scene.
An Army major was killed and Colonel and five troopers injured in a fierce encounter in the forest area in Beri Rakh forest near Mendhar on the Line of Control (LoC) in frontier Poonch district of Jammu region last night.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed anguish over the loss of lives and stressed the need for peace "if we want to save the people of the state".
According to officials, 46 deaths have been recorded in terrorism-related violence since January this year in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and nearby Reasi district.
With tensions rising between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control, Pakistan has decided to suspend the bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot, without giving an official reason. Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Asfaq Pervez Kayani has also reportedly ordered the cancellation of leaves of all army personnel.
On Monday, five Army personnel were killed and five injured when heavily armed terrorists hurled a grenade and opened indiscriminate fire on two army vehicles around 3.30 pm on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountainous road near Badnota village, about 150 km from the district headquarters Kathua.
The firing involving small arms and mortars continued intermittently overnight till 0200 hours on Sunday in Krishnagati (KG) sub-sector in Poonch district after Indian troops detected the movement of a group of "suspected persons" near LoC opposite KG forward belt.
The repatriation orders for the two Indian Police Service officers come in the backdrop of a spate of terror incidents in the Jammu region, along the India-Pakistan border.
In another incident, terrorists fired rockets from a hilltop at the police station in Surankote, Poonch, on Saturday night, police said.
Two Border Security Force jawans were injured in fresh incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Poonch and Kupwara districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
One person has been killed and seven injured after Pakistani troops pounded forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Saujian sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir with heavy shelling and firing, forcing the Army to retaliate.
In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops targeted Indian posts along the Indo-Pak border in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the blast, 11 people were injured, one of them critically, he said. While 7 of the injured are locals, 4 others are outsiders.
Pakistani troops violated the bilateral ceasefire at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday night.
The vehicles came under attack in the Savni area on the Rajouri-Thanamandi-Surankote road around 3.30 pm.
Speaking to media-persons after paying his last tributes to five soldiers, including two Army captains, who lost their lives in the Rajouri firefight, Lt Gen Dwivedi said, "While we lost five of our brave soldiers in the encounter, we also eliminated two dreaded terrorists. Our boys went after the well-trained and equipped foreign terrorists without giving any thought to their personal safety. This (taking out the dreaded terrorists) has dealt a major blow to the terror ecosystem and Pakistan. As per our estimation, 20-25 terrorists could still be operating in the area. We should be able to control the situation in a year's time with the help of locals."
The BJP has emerged the second largest party by winning 29 constituencies in the maiden assembly polls post abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, improving its all-time high tally of 25 seats recorded in 2014 elections.
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire on Saturday by targeting Indian posts along the Line of Control in Poonch district with rocket projectile grenades and heavy machine guns this morning leading to heavy firing exchanges.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire yet again in the Chakan-de-Bagh sector of the Line of Control in Poonch district Monday.
"This fight is against the hatred that the BJP and RSS are spreading throughout the country. They have tried to create conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, and Hindus and Christians just to hold onto power. But they are failing and their strategy is not working," he said.
About 416 Myanmarese soldiers crossed over to India in view of the situation arising out of the fighting between Myanmar's armed ethnic groups and the government forces, and Indian military is 'closely watching' the unfolding developments, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Thursday.
There was no firing or hostile action by any side during the incident which occurred between 9.45 am and 10 am, they said
Militants engaged in an encounter with security forces in Poonch district escaped from the cordon on Thursday morning, the police said
An army major and two jawans were injured in a gun-battle with militants in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir as the operation against ultras in the region entered the fourth day on Friday.
There was no traditional exchange of sweets and pleasantries between the two sides along the International Border, the officials said, attributing it to the tense situation following the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan Rangers that left a Border Security Force jawan dead.
A Pakistani intruder was also killed in the exchange of fire, they added.
In a joint operation, Rashtriya Rifles troops and police shot dead the self-styled commander Abu Umar and another unidentified ultra, police said. Umar, a close associate of self-styled LeT divisional commander Dawood, was injured in another encounter a week ago.
