Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says India achieved all objectives of Operation Sindoor, emphasizing that escalating the situation to war with Pakistan was not the aim. He highlighted India's fight against cross-border terrorism and the successful exposure of Pakistan's air defense system.
A Pakistani fishing boat was on Friday apprehended by the Border Security Force from the Harami Nala near the disputed Sir Creek area, a BSF official said. "A Pakistani boat with fishermen and fishing equipment was trying to cross the International Maritime Boundary towards the Indian area near Harami Nala close to the Sir Creek area," said a Gujarat-based BSF official.
The Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday rejected a claim by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi that Sir Creek was being 'handed over' to Pakistan, terming it as 'mischievous' and questioned its timing.
India and Pakistan Friday agreed to conduct a joint survey of the Sir Creek area.
Acknowledging that the dialogue process with India had slowed down due to its domestic circumstances, Pakistan has said the two sides may be able to resolve Siachen and Sir Creek issues by early next year.
Pakistan and India are close to concluding an agreement on the Sir Creek maritime boundary dispute, which has been hanging fire for decades, with all issues having been resolved, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said. The joint map and joint survey has been done and there are no more issues to be resolved between the countries, he said.
Sources said that the survey had been necessitated as the old maps exchanged by the two countries had been found to be irrelevent because of change in the topography in the marshy region.
The Creek Crocodile Commandos of the Border Security Force have arrested six Pakistani men trying to infiltrate into Indian territory from the Sir Creek area in Kutch district, BSF sources said on Monday.
Pakistan has complained to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon that the geographical coordinates notified by India of the Sir Creek estuary are "inconsistent" with international law and "impinge" upon Islamabad's territorial limits in the disputed area.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid M Kasuri, told reporters on Sunday that the officials would be directed to expedite their work on Sir Creek.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said that efforts were on to resolve the disputed Sir Creek issue with Pakistan.
Pakistan has asked India to reschedule talks on the Sir Creek border dispute which were to be held in New Delhi next week, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.
India and Pakistan on Tuesday failed to make any headway on their maritime boundary dispute in the Sir Creek region at the 12th round of the talks with both sides reiterating their stated positions and expressing desire to find an amicable solution.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that 300 to 400 drones were deployed across 36 locations, with several being shot down by Indian forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop dialogue with Pakistan at once on the Sir Creek issue and demanded that it should not be handed over to the neighbouring nation.
He also expressed 'optimism and hope' over the Indo-Pak peace process.
The two-day talks will decide on the terms of reference for a joint survey of the disputed boundary.
The two sides exchanged maps outlining their respective claims over the marshy strip as well as maritime boundary in that area.
India is actively considering the Pakistani proposal on the talk schedule for remaining secretary-level meetings in the third round of resumed dialogue with dates on the crucial issue of water and Sir Creek being suggested ahead of the meeting between their prime ministers in New York in September.
The Indian delegation to the talks was led by Surveyor General of India Prithvish Nag and the Pakistan side was\n\nheaded by Rear Admiral Ahsan-ul-Haq Chaudhry.
Sir Creek is perhaps the only issue under the composite dialogue process which both sides consider as 'doable'.
Indian and Pakistani officials held technical-level talks near Islamabad on Friday to work out modalities for conducting a second joint survey of the Sir Creek area.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi locked horns on Friday after the Congress President charged that Central funds were misused by the Gujarat government and the Chief Minister was 'inciting' people by raising concerns over border security through the Sir Creek issue.
India will soon erect a 'floating fence', anchored by submerged metallic meshes, along the disputed Sir Creek border area with Pakistan.
The UN fixed this deadline in 1982, but after a lapse of 26 years, Pakistan and India have failed to settle this issue as a result of which the fishermen of both the countries are in serious trouble as they are being detained frequently and put into jails in violation of the UN laws while their boats and catch are being impounded.
The two sides also held useful discussions on various options to delimit the maritime boundary.
Indian officials in Islamabad on Saturday said that defence officials, including the hydrographers who took part in the joint survey that was completed in January, would meet on May 17-18 to work out a solution.
The Pakistan Army has criticized recent remarks by Indian military officers and political leaders, warning that a future conflict between the two countries could lead to "cataclysmic devastation." The statement follows comments from Indian officials regarding India's ability to cross borders and the potential for military action against Pakistan.
In a video shared by officials, Modi, wearing a BSF uniform, can be seen offering sweets to the personnel on board a patrol vessel.
After Operation Sindoor, the Army and Navy now view the IAF as not a supporting arm, but the spearhead of India's warfighting capability, capable of decisive outcomes across domains, explains Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
"Today there is a government in the country which cannot compromise even on one inch of the country's borders," the prime minister added.
Meanwhile, a precautionary blackout has been enforfced in the multiple areas amid the esclating tensions between India and Pakistan.
The canal has been dug in Pakistani territory and enters India.
Indian Armed Forces brought down a number of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means.
The exercise, which began from Saturday, was being carried out to "thwart any ill designs of anti-national elements" during the Republic Day celebrations, the BSF Gujarat Frontier said in a release.
A Border Security Force officer and a jawan died during patrol due to exposure to 'extreme weather' at the Harami Nallah creek area along the India-Pakistan international front in Gujarat, the force said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the Congress stands 'badly exposed' in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver.