Pakistan India LOC tensions post 2019 Pulwama attack

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will brief the parliamentarians next week on “hostile situation at Line of Control” in the aftermath of recent tension between India and Pakistan.

The briefing, to be held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on April 4, will be attended by the members of standing committees of the National Assembly and Senate on defence.

It will be the second briefing by the COAS to the parliamentarians over one month. Earlier, parliamentarians were briefed in an in-camera session held at Parliament House on Feb 27, the day the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian fighter jets. However, Prime Minister Imran Khan did not attend the briefing.

Members of NA, Senate defence committees to attend briefing on April 4

The briefing would be attended by a number of prominent leaders from the opposition parties, including former ministers, as they are members of the two committees.

According to a notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, chairman of the NA committee Amjad Ali Khan would lead the MNAs’ delegation. Members of committee include Tahir Sadiq, Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf, Syed Faizul Hassan, Barjees Tahir, Ijaz Ahmad Shah, Riazul Haq, Mohammad Khan Daha, Aurangzeb Khichi, Alam Dad Laleka, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Ghous Bux Mahar, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Amer Ali Magsi, Jamil Ahmed Khan, Syed Aminul Haque, Salahuddin Ayubi, Rubina Irfan and Ramesh Kumar Vankwani.

Minister of Defence Pervez Khattak has also been invited as he is ex-officio member of both standing committees.

The MNAs have been told to assemble at Gate No 1 of Parliament House at 10am and those who intend to proceed directly to GHQ have been asked to provide registration numbers of their vehicles before the meeting.

A notification issued by the Senate Secretariat says that Chairman of Senate standing committee on defence Azam Swati will lead the members. The members who will be attending the briefing include Rehman Malik, Sherry Rehman, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Khushbakht Shujaat, retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum, Kabeer Ahmed Mohammad Shahi, Javed Abbasi, Talha Mahmood, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Mushtaq Ahmed and Sajjad Hussain Turi.

A few days ago Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that the possibility of a misadventure from India could not be ignored.

Earlier Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that the armed forces needed to remain alert as the Narendra Modi government might make another misadventure before Indian elections.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1472952/army-chief-to-brief-lawmakers-on-loc-situation-at-ghq

 

[MenInG]

An elderly villager died and two women and three young boys were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday in unrelenting ceasefire violations by Indian troops across the restive Line of Control (LoC), officials said.

Ansar Siddique, a police official in Forward Kahuta, the district headquarters of Haveli, told Dawn that Indian troops resorted to shelling in Nezapir sector at about 7am, using small and heavy weapons.

The shelling was largely restricted to military posts on opposite sides “but occasionally the Indian army would also pound civilian settlements”, he said.

Editorial: LoC attacks must cease immediately so the misery and hardship of locals ends

He said a 75-year-old villager, who was grazing his cattle in Akhori village, was killed on the spot after being hit by splinters of a shell. The deceased was identified as Ghulam Muhammad, son of Raja Muhammad.

Elsewhere in the same sector, Muhammad Yusuf, 15, and Muhammad Asif, 10, were injured in Kairni village and Akbar Jan, 55, and Muhammad Shahzad, 11, were injured in the neighbouring Mandhaar village, the official added.

The injured were admitted to a military-run health facility in district headquarters Kahuta where they were said to be out of danger.

An official in Kotli district told Dawn that Goi and Tattapani sectors had been experiencing heavy shelling since last night.

Rubina Kausar, 28, was injured in Goi Batali village after shrapnel from a shell hit her in the right leg, the official said, adding that two houses were partially damaged in Dhanna village of Tattapani sector.

The administration also shifted an examination centre in Tattapani from a boys’ degree college to a boys’ high school as the building of the college was highly vulnerable to Indian shelling.

The Battal sector in the neighbouring Poonch district also witnessed heavy shelling, but no casualties were reported from there.

High tensions
The heavily militarised LoC was relatively calm over the past one week as the last casualties were reported on March 24 from Bhimber and Haveli districts where a 10-year-old boy and a man were injured, respectively.

Tensions have been running high between India and Pakistan in the wake of a suicide attack on an Indian military convoy in Pulwama district of Indian-occupied Kashmir on February 14, which killed more than 40 paramilitary troops.

In what was the most serious military crisis in South Asia since 2008, Indian and Pakistani warplanes engaged in a dogfight on Feb 27, a day after a raid by Indian jet fighters on what New Delhi said was a militant camp in Pakistan. Islamabad denied any militant camp exists in the area and said the Indian bombs exploded on an empty hillside.

Pakistan downed an Indian plane for violating its airspace and captured its pilot after he ejected in AJK.

The tensions de-escalated after Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to release the Indian pilot as a peace gesture, and following concerted diplomatic efforts by countries including the United States, China and the UAE.

Nevertheless, ceasefire violations along the de-factor border have been occurring regularly.

According to Syed Shahid Mohyiddin Qadri, secretary of the State Disaster Management Authority, the latest casualties have pushed the death toll in different areas of AJK in the ongoing year to 11, with six males and five females among the deceased.

The number of injured persons has also swelled to 63 including 39 males and 24 females, he said, adding that most of these casualties had occurred after the Pulwama attack.

Apart from the casualties, Qadri said, Indian shelling has also rendered 118 houses, two educational institutions and a mosque damaged partially and nine houses and two shops damaged completely.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1473250/e...in-cross-loc-shelling-by-indian-troops-in-ajk

 

[Pete Rose]

The army chief should come to parliament, not the other way round.

 

[MenInG]

SLAMABAD: Three soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred and one wounded as Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing early Tuesday morning at Rawalakot Sector's Rakhchakri area, the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.

"Three brave son of soil laid their lives in the line of duty. Indian troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Rakhchakri , Rawalakot Sector along Line of Control( LoC)," ISPR said.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Subedar Mohammad Riaz, a resident of Jhang, Sepoy Shahid Mansib from Abbotabbad, and Lance Havaldar Aziz Azizulla from Noshero Feroz.

Pakistan army responded effectively, the military's media wing added. Reports of casualties on Indian side, it further said.

Tensions have been high between India and Pakistan in the wake of an alleged suicide attack on an Indian army convoy in Pulwama district of Indian occupied Kashmir on February 14.


No F-16 was hit by IAF, JF-17 downed Indian aircraft: ISPR

A day earlier, the Pakistan Army rejected Indian claims that a Pakistani F-16 was shot down in an air battle on February 27. “Reference repeated Indian claims about shooting down of Pakistani F-16 by India and use of F16 in air battle on 27 February. The event of 27 Feb is part of history now. No Pakistani F16 was hit by Indian air force,” said ISPR.

ISPR added that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) were carried out by JF-17 from within Pakistan airspace. “Later when 2 Indian jets crossed LOC they were shot down by PAF. Whether it was F16 or JF17 which shot down 2 Indian aircrafts is immaterial,” added the statement.

“Even if F-16 have been used as at that point in time complete PAF was airborne including F16s, the fact remains that Pakistan Airforce shot down two Indian jets in self-defence. India can assume any type of their choice even F-16."

https://www.geo.tv/latest/232864-th...ndia-resorts-to-unprovoked-firing-at-loc-ispr

 

[Sachin136]

Over 10 Pakistani soldiers killed across Line of Control in Indian Army's 'jaw-breaking' retaliation

Day after a BSF officer was killed in mortar shelling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, over 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed across Line of Control, latest media reports said on Tuesday. While a report in Hindi daily Jagran put the number of Pakistani soldiers killed at 7, another report said that over dozen Pakistani troopers were killed in last 48 hours. In a rare confession, Islamabad admitted that the Pakistani soldiers were indeed manning the LoC forward posts.

Pakistan foreign ministry’s spokesperson Md Faisal took to Twitter and said, “Indian troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Rakhchakri, Rawalakot Sector along Line of Control ( LOC). Subedar Muhammad Riaz, Lance Havaldar Aziz Ullah and Sepoy Shahid Mansib embraced Shahadat, while one soldier got injured. Pakistan army responded effectively.”

The border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 42 CRPF personnel were killed and dozens of others injured.

Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire over 110 times along the Line of Control (LoC) this year. The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations, numbering 2,936 by Pakistani troops, in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

Pakistan continues to violate the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the pact during flag meetings between the two sides.

Yesterday, there were reports that the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage jets pushed backed a large-sized UAV and a package of four Pakistani F-16 jets flying close to the Indian border in Khemkaran sector in Punjab at 3 am on Monday. After the Indian response, the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory, according to news agency ANI. This incident came days after the Indian Army on March 8 shot down an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), also known as drone, in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar sector around 7.30 pm. This was the fourth time Pakistani drone destroyed by India along the IB since February 26 air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot inside Pakistani territory.

https://www.newsnation.in/india-new...-jaw-breaking-retaliation-article-219151.html

 

[Pakpak]

More Indian fake news, ISPR confirmed 3 dead along with a few injured.

India has become a parody of Chemical Ali.

 

[natkhat-shahzada]

Day after a BSF officer was killed in mortar shelling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, over 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed across Line of Control, latest media reports said on Tuesday. While a report in Hindi daily Jagran put the number of Pakistani soldiers killed at 7, another report said that over dozen Pakistani troopers were killed in last 48 hours. In a rare confession, Islamabad admitted that the Pakistani soldiers were indeed manning the LoC forward posts.

Pakistan foreign ministry’s spokesperson Md Faisal took to Twitter and said, “Indian troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Rakhchakri, Rawalakot Sector along Line of Control ( LOC). Subedar Muhammad Riaz, Lance Havaldar Aziz Ullah and Sepoy Shahid Mansib embraced Shahadat, while one soldier got injured. Pakistan army responded effectively.”

The border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 42 CRPF personnel were killed and dozens of others injured.

Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire over 110 times along the Line of Control (LoC) this year. The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations, numbering 2,936 by Pakistani troops, in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

Pakistan continues to violate the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the pact during flag meetings between the two sides.

Yesterday, there were reports that the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage jets pushed backed a large-sized UAV and a package of four Pakistani F-16 jets flying close to the Indian border in Khemkaran sector in Punjab at 3 am on Monday. After the Indian response, the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory, according to news agency ANI. This incident came days after the Indian Army on March 8 shot down an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), also known as drone, in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar sector around 7.30 pm. This was the fourth time Pakistani drone destroyed by India along the IB since February 26 air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot inside Pakistani territory.

https://www.newsnation.in/india-new...-jaw-breaking-retaliation-article-219151.html

CSVs in 2018 as per site maintained by Indian experts:

http://indopakconflictmonitor.org/yearwise_cfv.php?year=2018

News about this 'neutral' site:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/165158...bsite-monitor-ceasefire-violations-along-loc/

 

[troodon]

Not until Indian elections are over, sense will not prevail.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's army Tuesday claimed it had killed seven Indian soldiers in a fresh clash along the disputed Kashmir border, a claim rejected by New Delhi.

In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani army's media wing, accused Indian border guards of rising cease-fire violations during the last 48-72 hours along the Line of Control (LoC), a de facto border that divides the disputed Himalayan valley between the two countries.

"Pakistan’s Army is responding befittingly, which has caused heavy damage on the Indian side. The exchange of fire has damaged many Indian posts, [and] killed 7 Indian soldiers while 19 [were] injured," the statement claimed.

Three Pakistani soldiers were also killed in the clash, the ISPR said.

Lt. Col. Devender Anand, Indian Defense Ministry spokesman, however, said that an Indian border officer and two civilians, including a 5-year-old girl, were killed on Monday in the clash, which occurred after a break of only a couple of weeks.

At least 18 others, including four armed forces personnel, were also wounded, Anand told reporters.

“At about 7:45 am [on Monday, 0215GMT], Pakistan’s army initiated unprovoked cease-fire violation by shelling with mortars and firing of small arms along the LoC in the Shahpur and Kerni areas of the Poonch district. Indian troops retaliated effectively,” he said.

The two longtime rivals have been locked in diplomatic and military tensions following a suicide attack on an army convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir in February that killed at least 40 Indian troops.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of colluding with militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, which reportedly claimed responsibility for the brazen attack. Pakistan denied the charge.

Tensions mounted further after Indian jets intruded into Pakistan's airspace and bombed a suspected militant hideout near the border in February. The next day,

Pakistan’s air force claimed downing two jets and captured a pilot, who was later released.

The two South Asian nations have fought three wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir -- since they were partitioned in 1947.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistans-army-claims-it-killed-7-indian-soldiers/1440926#

 

[shaaik]

These numbers are always exaggerated from both sides. Doesn't matter what the number is though , these are human lives which are lost at the end of the day. RIP to all soldiers.

 

[saeed5646]

More Indian fake news, ISPR confirmed 3 dead along with a few injured.

India has become a parody of Chemical Ali.

they are desperate for any little thing come out of pakistan .the last thing ispr will do is hide casualty .what these indians don,t know pakistan solider pride them self in getting shaheed for there country ,

 

[Pakpak]

they are desperate for any little thing come out of pakistan .the last thing ispr will do is hide casualty .what these indians don,t know pakistan solider pride them self in getting shaheed for there country ,

The OP is a fake news bot, every few days he will make threads which are more ridiculous than the last one

 

[Ronaldo7]

Source: India
Meaning: It's False

 

[MenInG]

RAWALPINDI: Six Pakistani civilians, including a woman and children, were injured in unprovoked firing by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Indian Army troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Chirikot sector along LOC targeting civil population, the ISPR said in a statement.

The injured civilians included a man, woman and four children, who were evacuated to hospital.

The wounded Pakistani civilians were identified as:

Shabnam W/O Raqeeb Hussain Shah, age 35 years, resident of village Serian

Kashan S/O Raqeeb Hussain Shah, age 13 years, resident of village Serian

Faizan S/O Raqeeb Hussain Shah, age 6 years, resident of village Serian

Nisah D/O Shafique, age 14 years, resident of village Serian

Asifa D/O Shafique, age 10 years, resident of village Serian

Shahid Hussain S/O Muhammad Hussain, age 28 years, resident of village Chafar

Pakistan Army effectively retaliated to cross-border Indian firing and targeted Indian posts undertaking the fire, the ISPR stated further.

It said there have been reports of the killing of 5 Indian troops and injuries to many in retaliatory fire by Pakistani forces.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/233295-woman-children-among-six-injured-in-indian-firing-across-loc

 

[PakLFC]

...and 4 Indian soldiers were killed by the Naxals some days back.

 

[MenInG]

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised three questioned as he paid tributes to the martyrs of Pulwama attack.

“Today as we remember our 40 CRPF martyrs in the #PulwamaAttack , let us ask: 1. Who benefitted the most from the attack? 2. What is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack? 3. Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?” Gandhi said on Twitter on Friday.

Gandhi had initially expressed solidarity with the government and the security forces after the attack in February last year. “The entire Opposition stands united with the security forces and the government,” Gandhi had said in the aftermath of the attack.

But in subsequent months, as Lok Sabha election drew near, he stepped campaign against the prime minister and the BJP-led NDA government’s policy to deal with terrorism.

India is marking the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack, the deadliest in decades on security forces in the region, by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) on February 14, 2019.

At least 40 CRPF jawans were killed after the convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2,500 personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar, in the attack.

Following the dastardly attack, India launched extensive diplomatic efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist, which finally became a reality on May 1 last year when China lifted its technical hold on a proposal introduced by the US, the UK, and France in the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council.

Around 12 days after the terror attack, in the wee hours of February 26, Indian Air Force (IAF) jets bombed the JeM camp in Balakot, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The decision to carry out air strikes was taken within 24 hours of the Pulwama attack, with the government giving the Air Force two weeks to select terror targets and launch air strikes against them, three people familiar with the planning of the mission said, asking not to be named. The Balakot strikes are a classified operation.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ns-for-govt/story-ZOZGfWNgMQ64QwaNQu01jK.html

 

[Hornbill]

Pulwama terror attack: Even after a year, NIA unable to trace source of explosives

Many loose ends hamper probe; NIA could not file a charge sheet as none of the key suspects are alive.

A year after the Pulwama terror attack where 40 CRPF personnel were killed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not been able to trace the source of high grade explosives used by the car-borne suicide bomber.

Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist, rammed a car into a CRPF bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Pulwama on February 14, 2019.

A senior government official said the explosives could not have been purchased off the shelf as it was “warfare ammunition generally found in military stores.” A forensic report said that around 25 kg of plastic explosives were used.
An NIA official said the explosives packed in the car were “ammonium nitrate, nitro-glycerine and RDX”.


The investigation has hit hurdles and the NIA could not file a chargesheet as all key suspects are dead.

Two main suspects-Mudasir Ahmed Khan and Sajjad Bhat, were killed in an encounter with security forces last year in March and June respectively.

Jaish video

After the attack, Jaish released a video claiming credit for the attack. They identified the attacker as Dar, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama who joined the outfit in 2018. In the video, Dar is seen carrying a sophisticated weapon and sitting in the backdrop of a black and white flag. He says that “by the time the video was released, he would be in heaven”.

The vehicle was first sold in 2011 and resold several times before Bhat purchased it on February 4, 10 days before the attack. Mudasir Ahmed Khan, the other suspect, had arranged the explosives, the NIA said.

A senior government official said the “engine block” of the vehicle could not be recovered as it blew apart and could have been swept away after falling in a river near the site of the explosion.

“There are many unanswered questions as all the perpetrators who could have helped in piecing together the investigation were killed in encounters. The car used in the attack had changed hands several times. The last person to own the vehicle- Sajjad Bhat went on to join Jaish hours before he could be caught. He was later killed in an encounter,” the official said.

Another official said it was difficult to establish the conspiracy as the technical evidence gathered in the case could not be corroborated as none of the suspects are alive. “We do not know the financial trail, how was the car arranged. Adil Ahmad Dar, who was driving the car, was on a suicide mission. Where did he procure the explosives from, it could not be established,” said the official.

An NIA official said DNA samples were extracted from the 'meagre fragments of the car" and were matched with Dar's father to establish and confirm the suicide bomber's identity.

The official added that only “burnt residues” could be found at the attack site. “Had we recovered samples from a bomb that had not exploded, then tracing the source would have been easier on the basis of its composition and usage pattern. In Pulwama, all we could get was charred remains,” the official said.

A fifth suspect-Qari Mufti Yasser was killed in an encounter on January 25 this year. The fourth suspect- Kamran was killed on March 29 last year. Dar's video was released by Jaish spokesperson Mohd. Hassan and the IP address from which the claim was made was traced to Pakistan, the official said.

Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the investigating agency has 90 days to file a charge sheet in court but it can be extended if the suspects are dead or additional time is required.

In June, Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the Pulwama attack was not an “intelligence failure” and “the investigation by the NIA so far has resulted in identifying the conspirators, suicide attacker and the vehicle provider.”

https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...race-source-of-explosives/article30813393.ece

 

[cric_man]

Pulwama terror attack: Even after a year, NIA unable to trace source of explosives

Many loose ends hamper probe; NIA could not file a charge sheet as none of the key suspects are alive.

A year after the Pulwama terror attack where 40 CRPF personnel were killed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not been able to trace the source of high grade explosives used by the car-borne suicide bomber.

Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist, rammed a car into a CRPF bus on the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Pulwama on February 14, 2019.

A senior government official said the explosives could not have been purchased off the shelf as it was “warfare ammunition generally found in military stores.” A forensic report said that around 25 kg of plastic explosives were used.
An NIA official said the explosives packed in the car were “ammonium nitrate, nitro-glycerine and RDX”.


The investigation has hit hurdles and the NIA could not file a chargesheet as all key suspects are dead.

Two main suspects-Mudasir Ahmed Khan and Sajjad Bhat, were killed in an encounter with security forces last year in March and June respectively.

Jaish video

After the attack, Jaish released a video claiming credit for the attack. They identified the attacker as Dar, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama who joined the outfit in 2018. In the video, Dar is seen carrying a sophisticated weapon and sitting in the backdrop of a black and white flag. He says that “by the time the video was released, he would be in heaven”.

The vehicle was first sold in 2011 and resold several times before Bhat purchased it on February 4, 10 days before the attack. Mudasir Ahmed Khan, the other suspect, had arranged the explosives, the NIA said.

A senior government official said the “engine block” of the vehicle could not be recovered as it blew apart and could have been swept away after falling in a river near the site of the explosion.

“There are many unanswered questions as all the perpetrators who could have helped in piecing together the investigation were killed in encounters. The car used in the attack had changed hands several times. The last person to own the vehicle- Sajjad Bhat went on to join Jaish hours before he could be caught. He was later killed in an encounter,” the official said.

Another official said it was difficult to establish the conspiracy as the technical evidence gathered in the case could not be corroborated as none of the suspects are alive. “We do not know the financial trail, how was the car arranged. Adil Ahmad Dar, who was driving the car, was on a suicide mission. Where did he procure the explosives from, it could not be established,” said the official.

An NIA official said DNA samples were extracted from the 'meagre fragments of the car" and were matched with Dar's father to establish and confirm the suicide bomber's identity.

The official added that only “burnt residues” could be found at the attack site. “Had we recovered samples from a bomb that had not exploded, then tracing the source would have been easier on the basis of its composition and usage pattern. In Pulwama, all we could get was charred remains,” the official said.

A fifth suspect-Qari Mufti Yasser was killed in an encounter on January 25 this year. The fourth suspect- Kamran was killed on March 29 last year. Dar's video was released by Jaish spokesperson Mohd. Hassan and the IP address from which the claim was made was traced to Pakistan, the official said.

Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the investigating agency has 90 days to file a charge sheet in court but it can be extended if the suspects are dead or additional time is required.

In June, Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the Pulwama attack was not an “intelligence failure” and “the investigation by the NIA so far has resulted in identifying the conspirators, suicide attacker and the vehicle provider.”

https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...race-source-of-explosives/article30813393.ece

This is hilarious. Cannot figure out where the explosive came from or how the vehicle was obtained. Or how come a civilian vehicle ended up in the middle of a military/police convoy but knew Pakistan was responsible 20 mins after the attack.

 

[Napa]

This is hilarious. Cannot figure out where the explosive came from or how the vehicle was obtained. Or how come a civilian vehicle ended up in the middle of a military/police convoy but knew Pakistan was responsible 20 mins after the attack.

Well, eliminating the other suspects Liechtenstein and Timbuktu, leaves only Pakistan.

 

[cric_man]

Well, eliminating the other suspects Liechtenstein and Timbuktu, leaves only Pakistan.

Sure. Even if Modi sneezes, its ISI's doing.

 

[MenInG]

One soldier of the Indian Army has died and nine terrorists, including five infiltrators, have been killed in the last 24 hours in two separate operations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.

Four terrorists were killed in Batapura of south Kashmir’s Kulgam on Saturday and five others were eliminated along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector in Kupwara on Sunday, they said.

“Four terrorists who were involved in the killing of innocent civilians were eliminated at Batapura area of south Kashmir on April 4,” Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the spokesperson of the army, said.

The army said alert troops braving inclement weather and hostile terrain killed the five terrorists in an ongoing anti-infiltration operation in Keran sector.

The five, believed to be part of a group of infiltrators who had recently sneaked into the Valley, were attempting to infiltrate across LoC taking advantage of the bad weather, it said.

“In this operation, one soldier has been martyred and two more are critically injured. Evacuation of the injured is hampered due to heavy snow and rough terrain conditions,” Col Kalia said.

“We are looking for other militants,” he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ashmir-army/story-krTIgEGQ39nI7cLfBtJ5eM.html

 

[MenInG]

Three soldiers of the Indian Army have died and five terrorists killed on Sunday during an anti-infiltration operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, officials said.

Sources said four more soldiers have been injured during the operation to flush out infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of the district, which was launched two days ago.

The army said the operation is still underway.

“Unfortunately, two more soldiers succumbed to their injuries and others are presently undergoing treatment. Total three soldiers have been martyred,” Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the spokesperson of the army, said.

“Despite prevailing inclement weather conditions, casualties have been evacuated,” Col Kalia said.

The army had said earlier in the day that alert troops braving inclement weather and hostile terrain had killed the five terrorists in the operation in Keran sector.

The five, believed to be part of a group of infiltrators who had recently sneaked into the Valley, were attempting to infiltrate across LoC taking advantage of the bad weather, it said.

The army said it has killed nine terrorists, including the five infiltrators, in the last 24 hours. Four terrorists were killed in Batapura of south Kashmir’s Kulgam on Saturday.

“Four terrorists who were involved in the killing of innocent civilians were eliminated at Batapura area of south Kashmir on April 4,” Col Kalia said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ashmir-army/story-krTIgEGQ39nI7cLfBtJ5eM.html

 

[The Viper]

At least 9 martyred in occupied Kashmir violence amid coronavirus lockdown

SRINAGAR: At least nine Kashmiris were martyred in two incidents in Indian-occupied Kashmir, authorities said Sunday, as a lockdown was enforced to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Three Indian soldiers were also killed.

Occupied Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region in the Himalayas, had already been under a long-running curfew after India on August 5 scrapped its special status as a semi-autonomous state.

Indian army spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia early Sunday confirmed the martyrdom of five Kashmiris in the northern Keran area close to the Line of Control (LoC). Several soldiers were critically injured, he added.

The fighting came within 24 hours of another gun battle in the southern Kulgam area that had left four dead. Police had said all four were from the local area.

Occupied Kashmir has waged a three-decade-long rebellion against Indian rule with tens of thousands of lives — mostly civilians — lost in the conflict. The conditions have become dire after India's August 5 move, following which several local leaders were imprisoned or put under house arrest and a communications and media blackout ensued.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/281138-at...ed-kashmir-violence-amid-coronavirus-lockdown

 

[MenInG]

In a dark day for the army’s Special Forces (SF), five commandos belonging to an elite unit were killed in action along the Line of Control in Kashmir’s Keran sector on Sunday during an intense close-quarter battle with an equal number of terrorist infiltrators who were all eliminated, three officers familiar with the details said on Monday on condition of anonymity.

The bodies of the commandos and the terrorists were found barely two to three metres from each other, said the first officer cited above.

In a statement issued on Monday, the army said all five terrorists were killed in “an intense hand-to-hand battle.”

“The Indian Army launched a daring operation at the LoC and engaged Pakistani-supported infiltrators in a close-quarter battle in heavy snow, neutralising the entire infiltrating batch of five. Four soldiers under the command of a junior commissioned officer from one of the most professional Para SF units were heli-dropped near the LoC after information on the infiltrators was received,” the army said.

Three of the commandos were killed at the encounter site while two succumbed to their injuries while being airlifted to a military hospital.

The army began hunting for this batch of terrorists on April 1 when they infiltrated into Kashmir with ground troops reporting footprints near the LoC fence that was covered under snow, said the first officer cited above.

The army’s search teams made contact with the terrorists and engaged them in firefights four times between April 1 and April 4 before the commandos from 4 Para (SF) were called in to take over the operation and hunt the intruders, he said.

Commandos from 4 Para (SF) carried out key missions during the 2016 surgical strikes against terror pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were India’s first direct military response to the attack on the Uri army base in September 2016 that killed 19 Indian soldiers and was carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists.’.

“Based on visuals from unmanned aerial vehicles, the SF troops were staged forward to the nearest battalion headquarters by air as the location was winter cut off (due to heavy snow),” said the second officer cited above.

At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the five commandos began tailing the infiltrators following their footmarks on the snow. Several hours later, the footprints indicated that the infiltrators had gone towards a nallah and were hiding there.

“The SF men split into two squads and approached their target stealthily to prevent the terrorists from escaping,” said the third officer cited above. And that’s when tragedy struck.

“One of the squads didn’t realise that they were on a cornice. The complete snow block collapsed taking the squad leader and the two scouts down all the way to the nallah where the terrorists were sitting... It led to a close-quarter battle at almost point blank range,” the officer said. The two commandos in the other squad rushed to provide support to their comrades who were locked in an intense close-quarter fight with the terrorists. In the ensuing engagement, the five commandos were successful in killing all the infiltrators but at the cost of their own lives.

“Despite the fall, the commandos killed all the terrorists because of their superior training standards,” the officer said.
The army on Monday identified the fallen commandos as Subedar Sanjeev Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, Havildar Davendra Singh from Uttarakhand, Paratrooper Bal Krishan from Himachal Pradesh, Paratrooper Amit Kumar from Uttarakhand and Paratrooper Chhatrapal Singh from Rajasthan.

Army sources said while the world was fighting the Covid-19 pandemic with all its might, Pakistan was focused on abetting terrorism.

“Pakistan and its army are fomenting terrorism in India to hide its failure to fight Covid-19. The Indian Army is not only fighting Covid with utmost professionalism both in India and in neighbouring countries but it is also concurrently defeating Pakistan’s evil designs along the LoC and in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” the sources said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...hand-battle/story-w3gdmbBaVjXNDHVd7pBKSP.html

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Army shoots down Indian quadcopter spying along LoC: ISPR

An Indian quadcopter on Thursday violated the Pakistani airspace in Sankh Sector along the Line of Control (LoC), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

“In this provocative act, Indian quadcopter intruded 600 meters inside Pakistan’s territory for conducting surveillance,” the military’s media wing said in a statement.

“This blatant act was aggressively responded to by Pakistan Army troops shooting down Indian quadcopter. Such unwarranted acts by Indian Army are clear violation of established norms, existing Air Agreement between two countries and reflect Indian Army’s consistent disregard to Ceasefire Understanding of 2003,” it added.

Last year in March, the army had shot down a quadcopter in Rakhchikri Sector along the LoC when it came 150 meters inside Pakistan, according to the ISPR.

The intrusion had come in the aftermath of the heightened tensions between the two countries, following New Delhi's aggression in Balakot after Pulwama attack.

Tensions between Pakistan and India had flared up after the Narendra Modi government, without any proof, had blamed Islamabad for the Pulwama attack.

Earlier in January 2019, the troops had shot another spy quadcopter in Bagh sector along the LoC.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/281818-pakistan-shoots-down-indian-quadcopter-violating-airspace

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Spokesperson for the Foreign Office, Aisha Farooqui holding her weekly briefing on Thursday said that Pakistan is cognizant of nefarious Indian designs, ARY News reported.

The spokesperson said that in the time of global turmoil due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Indian unilateral actions against regional peace and stability are intolerable.

Farooqui said that India is consistently violating international laws and treaties.

Focusing her attiention towards Pakistan’s fight against the menace of COVID-19, Farooqui said that Pakistanis stranded in various parts of the world have been brought back through special flights and the flights will continue till each and every Pakistani is safely back home.

Earlier in the day, An Indian drone was shot down by the Pakistan Armed Forces along the Line of Control (LOC), Sankh sector for airspace and border violation, ISPR reported.

The Indian quad-copter came 600 metres inside Pakistan’s territory for surveillance and was met with a swift retort resulting in the shooting down of the machine.

https://arynews.tv/en/cognizant-of-nefarious-indian-designs/

 

[The Viper]

Dozens arrested in J&K’s Sopore for attending funeral of slain JeM commander

Police have arrested more than a dozen people for joining the funeral of a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander in Sopore area of north Kashmir in violation of government advisories against public gatherings during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The arrests were made after Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a case against those who assembled for the funeral of the JeM commander at Saidpora locality.

Sopore’s superintendent of police Javed Iqbal said more than 12 people were arrested for violating social distancing norms at the funeral. “More people will be arrested,” he said.

The JeM commander, Sajjad Nawab Dar, 23, was killed in a gun battle with security forces in Gulabad area of Sopore on Tuesday.

Soon after his body was handed over to his family, more than 1,000 people, including women, from his village and adjoining areas joined a large funeral procession. Pictures of the gathering went viral on social media and many people questioned why social distancing norms were ignored at the funeral.

A police spokesperson said on Thursday a first information report (FIR) was registered against the people who gathered for the funeral and violated Covid-19-related protocols and government advisories on social distancing.

“The legal heirs had stated in writing they would adhere to social distancing norms when the body was handed over to them after completing medico-legal formalities. The matter is under investigation and defaulters will be dealt with strictly as per the law,” the spokesperson said.

People familiar with developments said police teams conducted raids at several villages last night and arrested some people who participated in the funeral. Police are trying to identify more people who were in the gathering.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...m-commander/story-wbSRkZHEHC81RCBC3G1SRJ.html

 

[The Viper]

As per Indian media:

15 Pak soldiers, 8 terrorists killed in Army’s LoC action, says intel report

The Indian Army’s artillery assault on terror launch pads at Dudhnial facing the Keran sector across the Line of Control (LoC) on April 10 killed eight terrorists and 15 Pakistan Army soldiers, two people in the security establishment told Hindustan Times.

It was a message to Pakistan, one of them said, that nothing goes unpunished.

On the banks of Kishanganga river, Dudhnial was targeted to retaliate to ceasefire violations by Pakistan. It was from this mountain town that the five terrorists neutralised by the Indian Army special forces in the Keran sector on April 5 had been launched.

Out of five terrorists killed, three belonged to Jammu and Kashmir and the other two had trained with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), people familiar with the development said. Efforts to establish their identity are still on.

Pakistan Army has confirmed that Indian Army fired in Sharda, Dudhnial and Shahkot sectors along the LoC, the de facto border. But it had claimed that only four civilians including a 15- year- old girl sustained serious injuries. Islamabad also blamed the Indian Army of 708 ceasefire violations in 2020, that it said, killed two civilians and injured another 42.

The Pakistan Army spokesperson also said the Pakistan Army countered the Indian assault by targeting Indian Army posts along the LoC with matching weapon calibre or simply put artillery guns and heavy mortars.

This, according to Indian intelligence reports, was an effort to camouflage the extent of the casualties on the Pakistani side.

According to these intelligence reports, 15 Pakistan army troopers were killed along with eight terrorists on April 10 when the army hit targets in the Keran sector using long-range ammunition. Some collateral damage, mostly shops where food and logistics supplies were stored, in the Dudhnial area have also been reported.

Pakistan watchers say that Indian Army had no option but to target the launch pads as nearly 160 terrorists of mixed tanzeems—Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish e Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen — were waiting in the area to infiltrate into Kashmir.

The situation is no different in locations south of Pir Panjal in Rajouri and Jammu sector where intelligence reports pointed to the presence of 70 Jaish terrorists waiting for an opportunity to cross into India.

A senior intelligence official told HT that it was not a coincidence that violations of ceasefire are being reported from Balakote and Mendhar sectors, firing mortars along LoC. “The situation along the LoC is very hot right now as we speak,” he said.

Terrorists often sneak into Jammu and Kashmir under cover fire from the Pakistani army.

Intelligence agencies have estimated that there are a total of about 242 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir experts, past experience shows that the moment this number crosses 300, there will be a spike in violence and targeted attacks on security forces and political leaders who speak out against Pakistan.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ntel-report/story-WAUDUY2MEJNLV6jFZ4qyTM.html

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Indian Army troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation late last night along LOC and Working Boundary in Chirikot and Shakargarh Sectors deliberately targeting civilian population. <br>Due to indiscriminate fire of mortars in Chirikot Sector along LOC ... (1/2)</p>— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1249216996518121474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">... 35 years old innocent civilian resident of Serian village got injured in Shakargarh Sector along Working Boundary, 57 years old citizen resident of village Nangal sustained serious injuries. <br>Both Injured have been evacuated and being provided with medical care. (2/2)</p>— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1249217000263606278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Pakpak]

As per Indian media:

15 Pak soldiers, 8 terrorists killed in Army’s LoC action, says intel report

The Indian Army’s artillery assault on terror launch pads at Dudhnial facing the Keran sector across the Line of Control (LoC) on April 10 killed eight terrorists and 15 Pakistan Army soldiers, two people in the security establishment told Hindustan Times.

It was a message to Pakistan, one of them said, that nothing goes unpunished.

On the banks of Kishanganga river, Dudhnial was targeted to retaliate to ceasefire violations by Pakistan. It was from this mountain town that the five terrorists neutralised by the Indian Army special forces in the Keran sector on April 5 had been launched.

Out of five terrorists killed, three belonged to Jammu and Kashmir and the other two had trained with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), people familiar with the development said. Efforts to establish their identity are still on.

Pakistan Army has confirmed that Indian Army fired in Sharda, Dudhnial and Shahkot sectors along the LoC, the de facto border. But it had claimed that only four civilians including a 15- year- old girl sustained serious injuries. Islamabad also blamed the Indian Army of 708 ceasefire violations in 2020, that it said, killed two civilians and injured another 42.

The Pakistan Army spokesperson also said the Pakistan Army countered the Indian assault by targeting Indian Army posts along the LoC with matching weapon calibre or simply put artillery guns and heavy mortars.

This, according to Indian intelligence reports, was an effort to camouflage the extent of the casualties on the Pakistani side.

According to these intelligence reports, 15 Pakistan army troopers were killed along with eight terrorists on April 10 when the army hit targets in the Keran sector using long-range ammunition. Some collateral damage, mostly shops where food and logistics supplies were stored, in the Dudhnial area have also been reported.

Pakistan watchers say that Indian Army had no option but to target the launch pads as nearly 160 terrorists of mixed tanzeems—Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish e Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen — were waiting in the area to infiltrate into Kashmir.

The situation is no different in locations south of Pir Panjal in Rajouri and Jammu sector where intelligence reports pointed to the presence of 70 Jaish terrorists waiting for an opportunity to cross into India.

A senior intelligence official told HT that it was not a coincidence that violations of ceasefire are being reported from Balakote and Mendhar sectors, firing mortars along LoC. “The situation along the LoC is very hot right now as we speak,” he said.

Terrorists often sneak into Jammu and Kashmir under cover fire from the Pakistani army.

Intelligence agencies have estimated that there are a total of about 242 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir experts, past experience shows that the moment this number crosses 300, there will be a spike in violence and targeted attacks on security forces and political leaders who speak out against Pakistan.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ntel-report/story-WAUDUY2MEJNLV6jFZ4qyTM.html

Sounds like a fantasy read

''
Terrorists often sneak into Jammu and Kashmir under cover fire from the Pakistani army.''

Yeah, across barbed wire on the Pakistani side, then a barbed wire monitored on the Indian side with cameras censors 24/7 and then a ditch along with more wire. Entire nation is so brainwashed its unreal.

 

[MenInG]

At least three civilians have been killed after Pakistan and India exchanged fire across the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the disputed Kashmir region between the two countries, Indian police said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared as both armies targeted civilian areas on Sunday with heavy artillery fire in violation of the 2003 ceasefire accord.

Shri Ram Ambarkar, an Indian police officer, said three civilians, including a woman and a child, were killed when shells fired from the Pakistani army hit homes at two locations along the LoC in the Kupwara area of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Ambarkar said some people were also feared injured as authorities launched a rescue operation.

India and Pakistan both rule parts of Kashmir but claim it in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the Himalayan region.

Repeated violations

Since Friday, Pakistan's military has charged India with repeated violations of the ceasefire along the frontier.

A Pakistani army statement said heavy artillery fire by India "deliberately targeted civilians" on the Pakistani side of the border.

Indian Army troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation late last night along LOC and Working Boundary in Chirikot and Shakargarh Sectors deliberately targeting civilian population.

On Saturday, the Pakistani military said six people, including a child, were wounded when Indian soldiers launched a barrage of rockets and mortars into civilian areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training anti-India fighters and also helping them by providing gunfire as cover for incursions into the Indian side.

Pakistan denies this, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support to the fighters and to Kashmiris who oppose Indian rule.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...istan-trade-fire-kashmir-200412153620705.html

 

[Sirris]

Stupid stuff from both sides.

Social media cheerleaders will cheerlead, while those they pretend to care about will be suffer the most.

 

[Varun]

Pakistan should just deploy a couple of squadrons from its venerable Air Force at the slightest sign of trouble.

Our pussycat Chai sippers riding their Soviet junk will scurry back faster than you can say "MIG".

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">...Injured citizens evacuated to nearby medical facility. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakistanArmy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakistanArmy</a> troops responded effectively to Indian posts which initiated fire. Injured include Ms Nasreen, age 26 yrs, Sandhara village; Ms Rabia, 24 yrs, Momna, 7 yrs, Dera Sher Khan and Munshi, 7 yrs, Bamroch. 2/2</p>— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1270390356081872897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

Villagers say India deliberately hits civilians in Azad Kashmir

Pakistani villagers living along a highly militarised frontier in Azad Kashmir accused India on Wednesday of intentionally targeting civilians, but they vowed never to leave.

"Indian forces have been intentionally targeting us,” said Abdul Aziz, 57, who was wounded on July 3 when shrapnel from an Indian mortar wounded his arm.

"Even our last child will fight to defend Kashmir if India attacks us.”

Indian officials did not immediately comment but in the past they have accused Pakistan of starting the hostilities in violation of a 2003 accord and causing casualties in occupied Kashmir.

Aziz and other villagers spoke with foreign journalists who were escorted by the military to the region to witness the plight of residents living along the frontier. Indian posts could be seen from the area using binoculars.

Aziz, sitting on a chair in the village of Chirikot with a bandage on his right arm, said most of the people who live along the Line of Control (LoC) that separates the region between Pakistan and India have either lost family members or close relatives because of Indian firing in recent decades.

Standing next to him, villager Asad Zubair, 23, said he too was wounded by Indian artillery fire two years ago.

"We are no longer afraid of death. It can come anywhere. We will live and die here,” he said.

The region's top Pakistani military commander, Major General Amer Ahsan Nawaz, briefed journalists about Indian cease-fire violations in Azad Kashmir.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1570514/villagers-say-india-deliberately-hits-civilians-in-azad-kashmir

 

[MenInG]

Three Indian soldiers have been killed by Pakistani shelling across the disputed border in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian army said.

Indian army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said Pakistan opened fire without provocation in the Nowgam sector early on Thursday, killing two Indian soldiers and wounding four.

Another Indian soldier was killed in overnight firing by Pakistani troops in the Poonch sector, he said.

“Our troops responded strongly to the enemy fire,” said Kalia.

Pakistan accused Indian forces of violating a ceasefire in the region and injuring one civilian.

Shelling frequently erupts along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing the Kashmir region that both nuclear-armed countries claim in full but govern in part.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday it had summoned a senior Indian diplomat in Islamabad to protest against ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the LoC a day earlier, in which a 65-year-old civilian in the Jandrot sector was wounded.

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri accused New Delhi of escalating tension along the LoC “to divert world attention from its human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir”.

The statement said India had committed 2,404 ceasefire violations this year, resulting in 19 deaths and injuries to 192 civilians.

India says Pakistani troops often open fire to help armed fighters sneak across the LoC to join a decades-long armed revolt.

Pakistan says it gives only moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people fighting for self-determination.

Tensions between the two countries soared in February 2019 when a suicide bombing killed 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India retaliated with air raids inside Pakistani territory.

Pakistan shot down one of the planes in Kashmir and captured a pilot who was later released.

India said the attacks targeted Pakistan-based fighters responsible for the suicide bombing.

Relations have been further strained since August last year, when India revoked the Muslim-majority region’s decades-old semi-autonomous status and divided the region in two federally governed territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, touching off anger on both sides of the frontier.

The violence comes amid heightened tensions between India and China along their disputed border in Ladakh region, where the two Asia giants are locked in a months-long bitter standoff.

In recent months, the two countries have amassed tens of thousands of additional troops in the already militarised region. In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash on a high ridge between soldiers using clubs, stones and their fists.

 

[sweep_shot]

Wow! 3 Indian troops died. Things are heating up again.

 

[Abdullah719]

15 killed, 30 wounded in Kashmir clashes between Indian, Pakistani troops

Pakistani and Indian troops clashed in disputed Kashmir, leaving at least 15 people dead, including 10 civilians, and wounding more than 30 on both sides, officials said Friday. The fighting came amid increasing tensions between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors.

In a statement, the Pakistani military and government officials blamed India for initiating the fighting by firing rockets and mortar shells overnight and on Friday that killed four Pakistani civilians and one soldier, and wounded 27, including women and children.

Indian officials said six civilians, three soldiers and a border guard were killed on their side, according to Reuters.

The fatalities were some of the highest reported in recent years. Sardar Masood Khan, the leader of the Pakistani-administered Kashmir, urged the United Nations and international community to take notice, saying he feared a wider conflict.

“If such Indian hostilities are not stopped, then it will also be difficult to stop a war between Pakistan and India,” he said.

Earlier, Pakistan’s military described it as the latest unprovoked cease-fire violation by India and said Pakistani troops responded by targeting Indian posts. Raja Shahid Mahmood, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, said several homes were damaged.

“People are running for safety in panic and India is deliberately targeting the civilian population,” he told The Associated Press (AP). Villagers were hiding in community bunkers as the exchange of fire had intensified, he said.

Mohammad Shabir, a shop owner in the border village of Chakothi, said officials shut the main bazaar after rockets targeted the village.

In Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, the Indian army said three of its soldiers were killed and three others were wounded. According to police officer Mohammed Ashraf, three Indian civilians, including one woman, were also killed by Pakistani shelling. He said one wounded civilian was in critical condition in the hospital and two houses were damaged.

Col. Rajesh Kalia, an Indian Army spokesperson, blamed Pakistan for starting the clashes in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.

The latest development comes a day after Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat to protest what it called India’s violation of a 2003 cease-fire agreement. Two civilians were wounded Thursday on the Pakistani side of the border in that exchange.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry in a statement again summoned an Indian diplomat on Friday in protest, saying India’s cease-fire violations have killed at least 21 people since January.

Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Tensions soared in February 2019, when Pakistan shot down an Indian warplane in Kashmir and captured a pilot in response to an airstrike by Indian aircraft targeting militants inside Pakistan. India said the strikes targeted Pakistan-based militants responsible for a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/as...shmir-clashes-between-indian-pakistani-troops

 

[MenInG]

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar rejected Indian media reports on Tuesday regarding a delay in the appointment of Sardar Masood Khan as the envoy to the US, saying the “agreement [of Masood] is being processed in the US system”.

Referring to Indian media claims, the spokesperson said, “This is a part of the wider Indian disinformation campaign to malign Pakistan and those who represent Pakistan, by using fake news to make scandalous claims and baseless allegations.”

Speaking about Masood, who also served as the former president of Azad Jammu Kashmir, Iftikhar noted that Ambassador Masood Khan “is a highly accomplished diplomat with 40 years of experience in both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy”.

After his retirement, Masood became the AJK president and has been advancing Pakistan’s case for the longstanding Kashmir dispute with India. Masood has vast experience in multilateral diplomacy and has been a frequent negotiator for Pakistan.

He has served in various diplomatic positions at the Pakistan missions in Beijing, The Hague, and Washington DC. Masood during his service served as the ambassador to China as well as a permanent representative to the United Nations. He also remained a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

His appointment came at a time when relations between Pakistan and the US are facing an uncertain future. Since the US exit from Afghanistan, there is no clarity about the kind of relationship the US wants to maintain with Pakistan.

Although Pakistan has been seeking broad-based ties with the US covering all aspects, the US has so far given little indication if it is ready to enhance the scope of ties beyond security and Afghanistan.

It is perhaps because of this reason that President Joe Biden has not yet spoken to Prime minister Imran Khan despite being in office for nine months.

There has been some movement on the ties in recent months after the Biden administration named a full-time ambassador to Pakistan. The US has not had a full-time ambassador since August 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234144...ports-on-masoods-appointment-as-us-ambassador