Two Army officers and five soldiers lost their lives in a major terrorist attack on Tuesday at an army base near Jammu in the town of Nagrota, just 20 kilometres from the border with Pakistan.
On Tuesday, an army jawan was killed when Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire.
The Taliban is showing its strong discontent as the high hopes given to it by the Pakistani military have been dashed, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
While the elderly woman was killed in heavy shelling by Pakistan in Poonch district of the Jammu region, two civilians were injured in Tangdhar sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, they said.
Leading Pakistani newspapers on Monday ran front-page stories on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP's rout in the key Bihar polls, in which Pakistan figured as a major issue during campaigning that saw party president making the controversial "firecrackers would go off" remark.
According to the cable, Sattar reacted positively to the idea of involving Kashmiris.
This year saw no improvement in bilateral ties as India accused Pakistan of cross-border infiltration and re-activation of terror-launching pads near the LoC.
Contending that the ceasefire agreement was more important for Pakistan as it is desperately trying to come out of the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the sincerity of Islamabad could have been gauged if they had dismantled the terror infrastructure.
The sharp increase in firing between Indian and Pakistani posts on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir raises the question: is the decade-old ceasefire of 2003 dead? If one side or both are staging cross-border raids and fire is being exchanged daily, it might seem that the ceasefire has irretrievably broken down, even if New Delhi and Islamabad have not acknowledged that, says Ajai Shukla
Apprehending attack by Pakistan's Border Action Team on forward posts and patrol parties in the run up to Republic Day, Army has sounded an alert along the boundary with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ceasefire violations by Pakistan Rangers continued on Thursday with 60 Indian border outposts and over 80 villages coming under mortar shelling and firing in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts along the International Border.
'We are alive only because of these border bunkers,' say residents.
'I owe India an apology, as when she suffered the Mumbai Terror attack on November 26, 2008, when Jews and Americans were singled out for death by Pakistan based Terrorists, I joined in arguing for restraint. I was wrong'
The Army, in its statement, has vowed to give a befitting reply to Pakistan "in the same language".
Noting that Pakistan's Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif appears to be sincere in his effort to improve relationship with India, a former top American diplomat has said he might not be able to do much unless he brings on board the powerful military.
In the fifth incident of ceasefire violence within a week, a Border Security Force jawan was on Saturday injured after Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian posts along the Indo-Pak border in Arnia sector of Jammu district. "There was cross-border heavy firing on Indian posts of Pindi and Pital along the International Border in Arnia sector of Jammu district around 4.30 pm today," said Deputy Inspector General, BSF, J S Oberoi.
Pakistan has got the message that the Modi regime in New Delhi has brought in a new language of dialogue with Islamabad, sources well informed about the preparation for the Kathmandu meeting tell Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
BSF troops guarding over 180 km of IB with Pakistan have strengthened their observation posts and 'listening posts' to keep a close watch against any intrusion by drones.
The sources said intelligence-based targeted strikes are being conducted by the Indian Army to neutralise mostly Pakistani and foreign terrorists, and the collateral damage has been very negligible in these operations.
New Delhi's decision not to call for a flag meeting underlines its conviction that the military cost will soon become too high for Pakistan.
Exercising self-defence is a nation's primary right when a situation demands 'immediate and proportionate action' and applies also to attacks by non-state actors, India told a United Nations meeting, highlighting several proxy cross-border and state-supported terrorist attacks like the 26/11 Mumbai assault the country was subjected to from its neighbour.
In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistan troops opened unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the international border in Jammu district on Friday morning.
Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag on Wednesday visited the Nagrota-based 16 Corps headquarters and was briefed about Tuesday's terror attack in which seven officers and jawans were killed, even as combing operation to flush out any remaining militant continued.
At least 2-3 Pakistani armymen are believed to have been killed on Tuesday in the retaliatory firing by Indian troops in the Noushera sector of Rajouri district while seven women, including six members of a family, were injured in R S Pura sector of Jammu district in cross-border shelling.
Over 40,000 villagers decided to leave their home along the India-Pakistan border
'Women have 100 per cent inclusion in the health sector. They are also teaching in the education sector. They are working in each and every one of those sectors where they are required'
Taking a tough stance over continued firing, ceasefire violations and infiltration bids from across the International Border, Border Security Force on Wednesday warned Pakistan Rangers of 'counter-action.'
'Pakistan has robust incentive to turn heat on LoC.'
Against the backdrop of growing tensions over cross-border attacks by rebels, Pakistan on Monday accused about 60 Afghan soldiers of crossing into the country and triggering clashes that killed two tribesman.
Stepping up its attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan has written to the UN chief on the security situation along the LoC and the International Border with India and sought the world body's intervention in resolving the issue.
A realistic assessment will tell us that not much has changed between India and Pakistan; the relationship remains as fraught as before with little prospect of reconciliation, notes Ajai Shukla.
Major Rohit Suri and Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar were honoured at a military investiture ceremony.
Pakistan and United States find themselves at odds with each other again with Islamabad rejecting the American probe into the deadly North Atlantic Treaty Organisation cross border strike that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and Washington standing by it "100 per cent".
Pakistani Rangers using 81 mm and 82 mm mortars have targeted 30 Border Outposts of the Border Security Force in Hiranagar, Kathua and Ramgarh sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
The army also stated that allocation of Rs 21,338 crore for modernisation is insufficient.
'As India and Pakistan observe the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, the one lesson that ought to have been learned by Pakistan is how vulnerable its heartland is to a sudden attack. The only alternative to this inherent geographic weakness is to have a policy of peace with India. In an extreme scenario, India can destroy Pakistani strategic targets by just artillery shelling, crossing of the border is not even necessary,' Colonel Anil A Athale (retd)
Dismissing the remarks by the Pakistani military on the November 26 deadly NATO cross border strike, the United States on Monday said it stands by its own investigation that it was not an unprovoked firing by the US-led forces.
Three Pakistani soldiers were killed and another three injured when North Aatlantic Treaty Organisation helicopters shelled a Pakistani outpost in the restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan on Thursday, in the fourth cross-border attack into Pakistan in less than a week.
Suspected Bangladeshi nationals attacked a border outpost in Meghalaya, assaulted 2 BSF jawans and snatched their weapons on Wednesday night. Another group from the neighbouring country barged into the house of a Meghalaya resident and looted money.
