Pakistani troops on violated the ceasefire again and resorted to firing along LoC in Poonch district in which one woman suffered injuries.
Additional security men have been sent to lay a siege of the area in a bid to prevent terrorist from escaping, police officials said.
'With all outlets of public expression virtually choked for the last five years, suppressed anger and frustration is looking for an opening via the ballot box.' 'There is no escape from the inevitability of the 'Engineer Rashid' factor surfacing in a big enough way to upset everyone's applecart,' alerts Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.
The fierce gunfight was going on in the area with the induction of more troops to neutralise two terrorists trapped at the spot, they said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked that the figures are not high enough to know whether the people are happy or angry with the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Mehbooba Mufti said it is a message that the people have not accepted the Centre's decisions.
"The operation has been called off. The possibility of terrorists having escaped cannot be ruled out," said Defence Spokesman S N Acharya, capping the futile search for the terrorists whom the security forces had engaged in a battle. The encounter, which has been going on since January 1, has claimed the lives of four terrorists and three security personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer.
There was a ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army on a forward post in Mankote-Balnoie sector.
Both candidates have shifted from their traditional constituencies - Sadhotra from Marh and Sharma from Akhnoor - after these two segments were reserved for Scheduled Castes.
125 explosives devices, 7 kg IED recovered from Poonch cave
A self-styled divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed along with his bodyguard as security forces foiled an infiltration attempt and a conspiracy by the proscribed outfit to revive its activities in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district early on Monday, officials said.
Indian troops did not retaliate to the 'deliberate provocation' to avoid civilian casualties across the border.
The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said.
Besides disclosing in their affidavits, candidates have to prominently declare criminal cases they are facing, if any, thrice in newspapers in print as well on television, he said, adding that political parties too have to publish within three days of nomination why a candidate with criminal background was selected. "You (political parties) have to tell the public whether you did not get any (other) candidate and why was it necessary to select them (those with criminal background)," he said.
It is India that has emboldened Pakistan in its belief that it can literally get away with murder. We have ourselves to blame for it. The danger is, since its transgressions go unpunished, Pakistan has been trying to push the boundaries of Indian patience even further, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale.
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.
The first phase of polling, held on September 18, saw an estimated 61.38 per cent voter turnout, while the final phase is set to take place on October 1 in the crucial elections being held after 10 years.
The couple's three daughters were injured in the firing.
Less than a week after five soldiers were killed in an ambush at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmi, Pakistan on Monday violated the bilateral ceasefire in the Poonch sector along the Line of Control, according to a defence spokesperson.
In another case, the bullet-riddled body of an armyman was found at Daraba in Poonch sector with police saying the jawan died under "suspicious circumstances".
Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Umar Khatab was killed and an army jawan wounded in a fierce gun-battle in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday. Khatab was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Bhatti-Dar area at Mendhar early on Sunday morning, said Brigadier General Staff (16 Coprs) S Dua. Acting on specific information that some militants were hiding in Bhatti-Dar area, Rashtriya Rifles troops and the police launched a search-and-cordon operation.
An Army Major was killed and six other personnel including a Colonel injured in Mandhar sector of Poonch in an encounter on Tuesday night with suspected Lashkar-e- Tayiba terrorists.
Hand-in-hand, the well-dressed pair left the airport for their car.
The ultras fired from their positions on the security forces, who retaliated killing 10 militants on the spot.
India and Pakistan will hold a 'brigade commander' level flag meeting along the LoC in Poonch on Saturday to discuss the recent ceasefire violations by the latter.
Violating the ceasefire yet again, Pakistan troops targeted five Indian posts with rockets and heavy machine gun fire along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The change in Anantnag's demographic after delimitation has added layers of political complexities to the constituency with Pahari-Gujjar, Jammu versus Kashmir dimensions.
Pakistani troops on Saturday evening violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control at two places in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district of Jammu region.
An alleged Pakistani intruder was killed on Monday when an improvised explosive device he was carrying exploded during an encounter with security forces along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ceasefire violations by Pakistan continued as intermittent small arm fire was on through Thursday night in Balakota and Sabzian area in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The firing started at 9:30 pm and continued till the morning.
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.
The Bharatiya Janata Party termed Mufti's temple visit a "political gimmick."
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Northern Command, said five of the seven friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA are locked in a standoff since May 2020, have been resolved and talks are underway for the remaining areas.
One militant was killed in an encounter while three others remained holed up in the border area of Mendhar in Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir, after their infiltration bid was foiled by security forces on Wednesday. A joint team of the Army and state police launched combing operations in Chajla area of Mendhar, soon after receiving inputs that a group of four militants had sneaked into the Indian side from across the Line of Control.
Taken by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly gathering themselves, jawans of the 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds to protect their injured colleagues and forced the terrorists to retreat into Kathua's wooded hills, officials said.
Heavy rains lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir over the past couple of days, triggering landslides at many places and raising the level of water bodies.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday sacked six government employees, including five policemen, for their 'deep involvement in anti-national activities', officials said.
The terrorists holed up in the 'natural caves' have resorted to intermittent firing ever since the army operation began on December 31, which has resulted in the death of two army troopers and a special police officer. The army says that it has so far eliminated four terrorists, but their bodies have not been recovered yet.
The exchange of fire, which occurred in the Mendhar sector of the district on Friday night, lasted several hours.
'...or go to jail.' 'The government is getting them silenced.'
