The Pakistan Army continued shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in four sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, officials said on Thursday. The intensity of cross-border firing was less than Wednesday, when Pakistan Army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting the forward villages in J-K following missile strikes by India as part of 'Operation Sindoor'.
For Ali, who hails from Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, the uniform is more than a job -- it's a calling. He has dedicated nearly half his life in the police force, serving its various wings with distinction and earning multiple commendations for his courage and unwavering commitment to duty.
A cloudburst in a remote village in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in four fatalities and six injuries. Rescue operations are underway, and the district administration is monitoring the situation.
Hundreds of residents along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir were evacuated to safer zones after Pakistani shelling following Indian airstrikes on terror targets in Pakistan. The shelling killed 12 people, including four children and two women, and injured over 50. The evacuations come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. The government has provided temporary shelter for those evacuated.
The armies of India and Pakistan on Thursday held a brigade commander-level flag meeting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district to discuss issues related to border management.
The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four Army jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21.
Pakistan troops have violated the ceasefire agreement for the 11th consecutive night, firing on Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The firing began in Kupwara and Baramulla districts and spread to other sectors, including Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor. The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately. The ceasefire violation comes despite a recent phone call between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan on April 29. This marks the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries, following a terror attack in Pahalgam in April.
The real heroes of Operation Sindoor were not the armed forces or political leadership, but the ordinary citizens of India who refused to fall into the trap of communal provocation, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday asked border villages residents, who were evacuated to safer places in view of cross border shelling by Pakistan, not to rush back to homes as they are yet to sanitise and clear these areas of any unexplored shells.
Security agencies have released sketches of three men suspected of being involved in the terror attack near Pahalgam in south Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The suspects, identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha, were also involved in terror related incidents in Poonch. The sketches were prepared with the help of survivors. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
While two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, the death toll climbed to four on Thursday after the recovery of two more bodies from the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site in Kangra district.
Army troops could not open fire on the terrorists due to the presence of Pakistani posts nearby, they said. Drone footage of the area showed a blood trail, indicating that the terrorists had suffered injuries due to the fall.
A joint operation was launched by the Army and police in the Sindhara top area of the Surankote belt on Monday night which led to a firefight, they said.
Low-level lightweight radars; very short-range air defence systems (launchers and missiles); remotely piloted aerial vehicles; loitering munitions, including vertical take-off and landing systems; different kinds of drones; bullet-proof vests; ballistic helmets; quick-reaction fighting vehicles -- heavy and medium; and night sights for rifles (aiming devices that are visible in low light).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured justice to the families of three civilians who were found dead last week after being allegedly picked up by the Army following an ambush on two of Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.
Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and took stock of the ongoing operation, the officials said, adding he asked the troops to be relentless in their pursuit.
Written in Urdu, the posters sought the help of the people in tracing the terrorists, saying "those who killed the innocents do not have a place in our country".
The Indian Army responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation.
India and Pakistan on Friday held a flag meeting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district in an effort to ease tension after several recent incidents of cross-border firing and an IED attack, official sources said.
The casualties were reported hours before India and Pakistan agreed to end hostilities, which soared after the Indian Armed Forces hit terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this week in response to the Pahalgam attack.
A search operation to track down the fleeing terrorists continues near the scene of the ambush, while mobile internet services remained suspended in the twin districts for the second day on Sunday, they said.
Raj Kumar Thapa, additional district development commissioner, Rajouri, and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in Rajouri town, the officials said.
Official sources said mobile Internet services were suspended both in Poonch and Rajouri districts as a precautionary measure to check rumour-mongering and prevent miscreants from creating any law and order problem.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday announced compensation and jobs to the kin of the three civilians who were found dead in Poonch district as a massive search operation was underway to track down terrorists behind the recent ambush on two Army vehicles that left five soldiers dead.
Villagers living near the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu are on high alert following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, preparing underground bunkers and accelerating crop harvesting. The incident has heightened security concerns despite a renewed ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan in 2021. Residents are demanding swift action against the perpetrators and their handlers.
The delayed timing of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's admission has more to do with deflecting the thrust of the Opposition attack on the prime minister and Union home minister during the monsoon session of Parliament, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
With respect and gratitude we honour the memory of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Operation Sindoor.
Suspected drones were observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, while armed forces downed a 'surveillance drone' in Punjab's Jalandhar district.
The officials said dozens of unexploded explosives were destroyed by the experts along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts and along the International Border in Jammu and Samba which witnessed intense cross-border shelling and drone attacks from May 7 to May 10.
A brief exchange of fire took place along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Indian Army soldiers retaliated to fire from a forested area across the LoC, and the exchange lasted for a short period. No damage was reported on the Indian side. The incident comes after several cross-border incidents last week, including an IED explosion that killed two army personnel. The ceasefire violation along the borders in J&K has become infrequent since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.
Emotional scenes were witnessed across the country as the last rites of those killed in shelling by Pakistan during the recent military conflict with India were performed on Sunday.
Another soldier was seriously injured in the incident and was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajouri, they said.
People in several districts of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat spent an anxious night as authorities enforced blackouts amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan.
Security forces on Friday launched a massive cordon and search operation in the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a day after five army personnel were killed and two others injured in a terrorist attack.
An Army personnel died of a bullet injury from his own service rifle near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a police official said on Wednesday.
The recent ambush of an Army truck in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch bears a "striking resemblance" to a terrorist attack on a police vehicle in neighbouring Rajouri district 22 years ago, security officials have said, expressing serious concerns.
The sources said two group of seven to eight terrorists, are believed to have engineered the attack.
Fourteen people were detained for questioning, officials said, adding that some of them have been let off.
The Indian Army used Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) to target Pakistani Army forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC), inflicting heavy casualties during a ceasefire violation on the intervening night of May 7-8.
China and Pakistan are in a tight strategic alliance. India must deal with them one at a time, but be prepared in case they decide to collude, points out Shekhar Gupta.
