A soldier of the special forces of the army was killed in an encounter between security forces and terrorists following a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Thursday, officials said. The firing took place in the Dudu-Basantgarh area during a cordon and search operation that was launched based on information about the presence of terrorists. The deceased soldier has been identified as Havaldar Jhantu Ali Sheikh of 6 Para of the Special Forces. The operation was still underway when the last reports came in from the spot, they added. Four suspects were also picked up for the area for questioning. This is the third encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu in the past over 24 hours.
As we continue our climb, I meet 59-year-old Pushpa Devi from Banaras. I stare at her in wonderment when she tells me this is her 45th visit to the temple. She is equally bewildered to hear this is my first visit!What is it that draws her here each year? 'Bas ek shabd hai. Shraddha. (There is just one word. Faith.)'
The venue, which is due to host Thursday's match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, has one more match left on schedule -- the May 11 game between Punjab and Mumbai Indians.
India's measures announced against Pakistan on April 23 will remain effective, the sources said.
>The Indian Army still uses old British-era names and recruits soldiers based on caste or region, which hurts national unity, argues Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
Security personnel resumed the anti-terrorist operation near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir.
Candlelight marches were held at several places in Kashmir to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. The protests were held in Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sopore, Ganderbal, Handwara, Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora, officials said. The protestors said the marches were to express solidarity with the victims of the attack and send a message of unity.
Officials have also written to the Pakistan side regarding the medicines, an official statement said.
Fada estimates that global supply chain headwinds like scarce availability of rare earth elements for electric vehicle components and geopolitical tensions may affect urban consumer sentiment in June as well.
The intruder, who is in his early 20s, was taken into custody by Army troops soon after he entered into this side from across the LoC.
Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the Pahalgam attack, calling it an "act beyond belief" and "totally unacceptable." He also called for unity and condemned the communal narrative surrounding the incident, urging the government to allow him to visit the injured and offer condolences to the families affected.
Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad at around 4 am that th Pakistan air force's Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) airbases were targeted.
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer has delivered a firm and timely reminder of the league's identity
'We've moved from thousands killed yearly in Jammu and Kashmir to 127 last year.' 'Cross-border terrorism in Kashmir is being solved. We are winning it.'
Pakistan has closed its airspace for all commercial flights at Lahore and Islamabad airports after India carried out military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The country's airspace was closed for all air traffic after India launched a 48-hour closure following the strikes. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has formally conveyed its concerns to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regarding the serious risks posed to civil aviation safety by India's reckless and provocative actions.
India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect, accusing Pakistan of breaching the pact by refusing to negotiate modifications and engaging in sustained cross-border terrorism. The decision follows a recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan has rejected India's move, calling it an "act of war."
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has announced the formation of a special CoBRA battalion for counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. This decision comes 17 years after the jungle warfare unit was established to combat Naxal insurgency. The new battalion, directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will be deployed in forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Jammu region, where recent terrorist incidents have occurred. CoBRA units are known for their specialized jungle warfare and guerilla tactics training, and the new battalion will be equipped with modern weaponry, communication, and surveillance equipment.
The Border Security Force on Friday said it has killed seven terrorists who were trying to infiltrate from across the India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu, and also destroyed a Rangers post.
India's robust air defence system effectively thwarted Pakistani attempts to target Indian installations.
'The Pakistani State has to realise that the pigeons have come home to roost.'
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a Rs 5 lakh ex gratia from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the family of Sukhwinder Kaur. He expressed deep sorrow over Kaur's death.
Pakistan has expressed condolences over the deaths of tourists in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 people. The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan is concerned at the loss of tourists' lives and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is the deadliest in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi, part of the all-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Baijayant Panda, said that terrorist groups wrongly use religion to justify killing innocent people.
Two terrorists, including a top commander of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, were killed in an ongoing operation in a snow-bound area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. The operation began on Wednesday following a brief encounter and continues. A separate operation to track down three other terrorists has also been underway in Udhampur district since Wednesday.
The squad announcement also marks the return of East Bengal's dependable central defender Anwar Ali, who had been sidelined since February due to a hamstring injury. He last featured in competitive action against Bengaluru FC in the ISL.
Shehbaz made the comments during a visit to the Kamra air base in the country's Punjab province where he interacted with officers and soldiers involved in the recent military confrontation with India.
Darakhshan Andrabi, chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, handed over a job appointment letter to Nazakat Ahmad, whose brother Syed Adil Hussain Shah was killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran area on April 22, 2025.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for de-escalation between India and Pakistan, expressing deep concern over rising tensions following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Guterres reiterated his condemnation of the attack and urged both sides to avoid a confrontation, which he described as catastrophic. The Secretary-General has also offered his good offices to support de-escalation efforts. The President of the UN General Assembly, Philemon Yang, has also expressed concern over the escalating violence and called for a resolution through diplomatic means. Meanwhile, Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack and reiterated its commitment to fighting terrorism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi on Tuesday night following a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Modi, who held bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, skipped an official dinner hosted on Tuesday to address the crisis. He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night. The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group, prompted an urgent internal meeting at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah, attended by Modi, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and other senior officials.
India has asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will remain in "abeyance" until Islamabad "credibly and irrevocably" abjures support to cross-border terrorism. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that any bilateral talks with Islamabad will only be on vacation of illegally occupied territories of Kashmir by Pakistan. He also said that India is open to discussing the handing over of terrorists whose list was provided to Pakistan some years ago. India on April 23 announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Days after the Pahalgam terror attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have deported 59 Pakistani nationals, including the mother of Shaurya Chakra awardee Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh. The Pakistani nationals were living in the valley for decades and were transported to Punjab for repatriation. However, the mother of the deceased soldier was later allowed to stay back. The deportation comes after the Indian government announced a slew of measures against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the downgrading of diplomatic relations.
The MEA said that Pakistan had been stonewalling India's requests for a government-to-government negotiation over the treaty due to changes in the ground situation since it was signed.
While the BJP went back to the drawing board to recraft its political and governance outreach and regained momentum by notching up surprisingly big wins in a string of assembly polls, the burst of fresh optimism in the main opposition Congress and other INDIA bloc parties fizzled out.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he "helped settle" the tensions between India and Pakistan and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America would do a "lot of trade" with them if they stopped the conflict.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a judicial probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
"China is an absolutely impossible factor to ignore in what has been our confrontation with Pakistan," Tharoor said.
The attack has "footprints and tracks" similar to previous attacks claimed by The Resistance Front, the ministry said in a presentation, adding the terror organisation is just another name of designated terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
Former Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has decided to skip the book release function of former R&AW chief A S Dulat's book, "The Chief Minister and The Spy", citing the political storm over certain parts of the book concerning National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. Thakur stated that the controversy and its political overtones would be an embarrassment for him, given his long association with the Abdullah family and his desire to remain apolitical. He also noted that Farooq Abdullah has publicly "disowned, if not denounced" the statements attributed to him in the book. The book release function was scheduled for Friday, April 18, 2020.
The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said.
IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was abruptly halted midway due to escalating security concerns on Thursday.
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