Traveller and trekker Amit Tyagi writes about the hidden gems of Kashmir. You won't regret including them in your next itinerary.
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 NDMA added that the National Capital Region, and Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Kurukshetra, Karnal in Haryana is likely to be again hit by the unusual weather on Wednesday.
'The West has always opposed a strong nationalist leader in India and Narendra Modi is no exception.' 'The West prefers weak leaders who are amenable to Western pressure and Mr Modi's independent stance is not to the liking of the West,' asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Singh paid tributes to soldiers killed in the Kargil War at a memorial in Dras sector.
Captain M V Pranjal of the Rashtriya Rifles, Captain Shubham Gupta of 9 Para, Havildar Abdul Majid of the Rashtriya Rifles, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht of the Rashtriya Rifles and Commando Sachin Laur of 9 Para made the Supreme Sacrifice for the Motherland in Wednesday's Rajouri encounter.
Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, GOC-in-C, Northern Command visited army units and formations in the valley and reviewed the operational preparedness along the Line of Control and security situation in the hinterland.
Several deaths were reported across the country due to rain-related incidents like lightning strikes and drowning.
"The political stars never quite aligned but a solution similar to the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, with a soft border allowing locals to travel freely from one part of Kashmir to the other, will have to be the outcome of any peaceful solution," he noted.
An Indian woman and her family living in Gaza have left her home and are waiting for safe passage near the coastal strip's southern border with Egypt after Israel ordered some 1.1 million Palestinians on Friday to evacuate northern Gaza and head to the southern part of the besieged territory.
A change in the name of the Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) magazine 'suggests a refocusing' of the terror group from Afghanistan to Kashmir, a United Nations report has said.
The meeting came in the backdrop of recent developments in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday issued an advisory to Amarnath yatris and tourists asking them to curtail their stay in the Valley, citing security concerns after the Indian Army said that Pakistani terrorists are planning to disrupt the pilgrimage.
It was also learnt that Gautam Navlakha, a shareholder in NewsClick, remained involved in anti-Indian and unlawful activities such as actively supporting banned Naxal organisations and having anti-national nexus with Gulam Nabi Fai, an agent of Pakistan's ISI, it stated.
Security forces found two bodies from the Gadole forest area in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on the sixth day of an anti-terror operation on Monday even as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha vowed to avenge the death of three officers and a soldier, who were killed by terrorists in an encounter.
Indian Olympic officials are reportedly seeking legal advice on whether the name represents a political statement.
The analysis revealed abrupt changes in temperatures occurring in late winter across north India.
One policeman was killed and another wounded in a grenade attack in northern Kashmir on Wednesday evening. According to the police, some militants hurled a grenade at a police patrol party at Kralgund near Handwara in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Wednesday evening. Two policemen were injured in the blast."Irfan Ahmad, a head constable, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital while another cop is battling for his life in the hospital," a police officer said.
The Nyoma airfield, which will be one of the world's highest, will sharpen the IAF's capability along the northern border.
The police and the security agencies hunting for a key Lashkar-e-Taiba operative with links in Kashmir, finally caught up with him in Hyderabad.
The Indian Air Force keeps moving its aircraft in both the Union Territories in the Northern sector including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to give them the experience of flying there in their unique terrain.
A top militant commander of frontline Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was killed in a fierce gunfight in the Gurura village of northern Kashmir Bandipore district Monday morning.
An Army trooper was killed and another seriously injured during a search operation in northern Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday morning.Security forces surrounded a forest area in Tangmola, Baramulla, after receiving specific information about the presence of militants inside the forest. During the search, militants fires at security forces, and an Army trooper died on the spot. Another was critically injured and he was rushed to a hospital.
As many as 5,532 complaints were received by the regulator in January, an 80 per cent increase over the number of complaints filed in the previous month.
For India, it is a symbol of will and a successful feat of arms.
With China hardening its stance on the Kashmir issue, India now should be rethinking on appropriate policy options on Tibet, Taiwan or even on Xinjiang, says China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
A top Lashkar-e-Taiyba commander was among the three militants killed in two ongoing fierce encounters in the Zachaldara forest area of northern Kashmir's Kupwara district, according to a police spokesman.He said the Army and the police surrounded the forest areas of Bahnipora and Satkoji in the Kupwara district on Tuesday afternoon.
'When the Executive can do whatever they want, why bother having an election?'
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
This enterprising duo sell tea from the boot of an Audi.
The army chief also complimented the troops on ground for showing maximum restraint even in the face of grave provocation.
It also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "running a nation is not a child's play."
A group of 100-120 men, including 31 militants, have crossed into the state through the Gurez sector in northern Kashmir, the Army said on Saturday. "Thirty-one militants along with 40-45 porters, guides and other helpers had crossed the Line of Control," Brigadier Gurmeet Singh told reporters in Srinagar.He said some of the militants, who have undergone intensive training, were 'drugged' and pushed through the difficult terrain by their handlers.
Speaking at a meeting in Gilgit in the northern areas on Sunday, Khan said: "Pakistan government has changed its Kashmir policy 12 times since 1947."
Colonel Joseph is the highest ranking army official to have been killed in counter-insurgency operations in the last one year. Earlier, another colonel from Maratha Light Infantry was killed while leading his men in busting a militant hideout in Baramulla sector in the state.
Baramulla town in northern Kashmir remained tense on Tuesday after a young protestor was critically wounded in firing by the security forces and normal life was paralysed across the valley in response to a shutdown called by the separatists.Baramulla, 54 kms away from Srinagar, has been simmering since Monday, after two youth were killed and 15 others wounded in the day-long violence in the town.
An Army helicopter crashed in a forested area in Jammu and Kashmir Kishtwar district on Thursday, officials said.
Giving economic aid to Kashmir is like giving TB medicine to a patient suffering from cancer and expecting it to work, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The nearly three month long dry spell had created an acute water and power crisis in the state, as the levels of Jhelum and all other water bodies had been reduced drastically. The power and water supply departments had started cutting down on supplies and were preparing for the worst, in case rains or snowfall failed to break the dry spell.
