11:27 Pak fighter jets violate Indian air space in J-K, drop bombs:
Pakistani jets violated Indian air space in J-K’s Poonch and Rajouri sectors and drop bombs on the way out, say officials. Pakistani fighter jets violated Indian air space in the Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district but were pushed back by Indian aircraft, a top official said. “The jets entered into Indian air space over Nowshera sector this morning,” the official said. They were immediately pushed back by Indian jets on air patrol.
Representational image
11:22 IAF MiG crashes in Budgam, fate of pilots not known : Just in: An IAF MiG crashes in Garend Kalan village central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The jet crashed in an open field at 10.05 am, the officials said. The jet broke into two and caught fire immediately. Officials said one body was seen near the crash site. The identity of the deceased could not be confirmed immediately, they said, adding the fate of the pilots was not known. Details awaited.
Image: The site of the MiG crash at Budgam. Pic: Umar Ganie
11:01 All countries need to show ‘zero tolerance’ towards terrorism: Sushma : Terrorists attacks like Pulwama are a grim reminder for the need of all countries to show ‘zero tolerance’ towards terrorism, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday, a day after India conducted pre-emptive air strikes deep inside Pakistan hitting Jaish-e-Mohammad training camps.
The operation was carried out in light of Pakistan’s refusal to acknowledge and act against terror groups operating from its soil and credible information that JeMwas planning attacks in India, she said.
Swaraj said that India does not wish to see a further escalation of the situation and will continue to act with responsibility and restraint.
She was addressing the 16th Foreign Ministers meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC) in Wuzhen. The conclave is being attended Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Noting that JeM carried out the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF men were killed and several others injured, Swaraj said, “Such dastardly terrorist attacks are a grim reminder for the need of all the countries to show zero tolerance to terrorism and take decisive action against it.”
She said, “In the light of continuing refusal by Pakistan to acknowledge and act against terror groups based on its territory, and based on credible information that JeM is planning other attacks in various parts of India, the government of India decided to take pre-emptive action.” — ANI
Image: External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at Wuzhen
10:46 Pakistan violates ceasefire in in Uri : Pakistan on Wednesday violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri sector in Baramulla district, officials said. The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively to the cross border firing. More details of the incident are awaited.
Pakistan ceasefire violations have been reported in a number of places along the LoC after the ghastly Pulwama attack orchestrated by Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed on a CRPF convoy on February 14.
Two JeM terrorists were gunned down by security forces on Wednesday during an encounter in Memander area of Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Pakistan on Tuesday violated ceasefire as they resorted to heavy shelling at around 12 to 15 places along the Line of Control (LoC), leaving five Indian Army personnel injured.
The shelling began hours after the Indian Air Force carried out multiple air strikes, targetting terror launch pads in Pakistan’s Balakot and eliminating a large number of terrorists, including top commanders of the terror group which attacked the CRPF convoy in Pulwama.
As per the Indian Army, retaliatory firing resulted in severe destruction and a number of casualties to Pakistan Army personnel.
Pakistani troops were seen firing mortars and missiles from civilian houses, using villagers as human shields. However, the Indian Army targeted Pakistani posts away from civilian localities, the Army said.
Among the five Army soldiers who suffered injuries, two of them were evacuated to Military Hospital for medical treatment. Their condition is said to be stable. — ANI
10:36 What will Pakistan’s response be?: “Having spent four years in Pakistan and been able to assess the thought process of their military up close, I am of the opinion that a reprisal is inevitable. The Pak military lives in a high ego, make believe world (even believing a nuclear war is fightable!) and I know they WILL respond soon enough,” says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd). Read the column here.
Image: Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Line of Control, February 22, 2019. Photograph: www.ispr.gov.pk
10:14 Day after air strike, Jaish terrorists killed in encounter in Shopian : Two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were gunned down by security forces on Wednesday during an encounter in the Memander area of Shopain district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The encounter, which broke out between the security forces and terrorists in the early hours of Wednesday in Sophian, has ended and security forces have begun the combing operations in the area.
The encounter comes a day after India carried out air strikes at a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Tuesday said Indian Air Force has eliminated a large number of terrorists, including top commanders, during multiple air strikes in the terror launch pads.
The terror camp in a thick forest area atop a hill was led by Ustad Gauri, brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar, Gokhale said, making a statement before the media, hours after the air strikes using Mirage 2000 were carried out.
In retaliation, Pakistan reportedly violated ceasefire in a number of places along the LoC. Heavy shelling was also reported in the region.
On February 24, the three Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were killed in an encounter in Kulgam, said the Jammu and Kashmir Police. — ANI
Image: Pakistan violated ceasefire in a number of places along the LoC. Heavy shelling was also reported in the region. Pic: ANI
09:28 In China, Sushma justifies air strike, says Pak refused to act:
India does not wish to see further escalation of the situation and will continue to act with responsibility and restraint, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told China and Russia in Wuzhen on Wednesday after the country targeted terrorist training camp in Pakistan as she asked all nations to show “zero tolerance to terrorism”.
Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan for the February 14 Pulwama terror attack at the Russia, India and China meeting in Wuzhen, she defended India’s airstrikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan, saying that it was pre-emptive action aimed at stopping further attacks by Jaish-e-Muhammed.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country.
Following the incident, India on Tuesday bombed and destroyed JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
“The recent dastardly terrorist attack on our security forces in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir is perpetrated by Jaish-e-Muhammad, a Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation proscribed by the UN and other countries . We lost more than 40 personnel from CRPF,” Swaraj said.
“Such dastardly terrorist attacks are grim reminder for all the countries to show zero tolerance to terrorism and take decisive action against them,” she said at the meeting attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavarov.
She said after the Pulwama terrorist attack, Pakistan instead of taking seriously the call for the international community to act against the JeM and other terror groups denied any knowledge of the attack and out rightly dismissed claims by the JeM.
“In the light of continued refusal of Pakistan to acknowledge and act against terror groups on its territory and based on credible information that the JeM is planning other attacks in various parts of India, Government of India has decided to take pre-emptive action,” she said.
“The target was selected in order to avoid civilian casualties,” she said. — PTI
09:16 IAF air strike a tribute to Pulwama martyrs: Bhagwat:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said Tuesday the IAF air strike on a terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group behind the suicide bombing targeting CRPF personnel in Pulwama, inside Pakistan was a tribute to the martyrs of the Feb 14 assault. He recalled legendary freedom fighter Veer Savarkar’s observation that India needs to become powerful because without power, nobody listens.
He was speaking at the felicitation programme of computer scientist Vijay Bhatkar, who was given the Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Gaurav Puraskar.
“We, as a nation, have the right to take the name of Veer Savarkar, because today we have paid a very appropriate 13th-day tribute to the 40 CRPF jawans martyred in Pulwama,” he said amid slogans of ‘Vande Mataram’.
He was reacting to the pre-dawn air strike by IAF jets on the biggest terrorist camp of Jaish inside Pakistan. The air strike came 12 days after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
Bhagwat said the slogan ‘Vande Mataram’ was not hollow but it has a lot of power.
“The entire world has seen this today,” he said.
“Savarkar’s character and work have been very magnificent. He dedicated his life for the country. Savarkar said we need to become powerful because without power, nobody listens,” the RSS chief said.
“We do not need power to tell the truth. But the world is not like that… They understand only power. Therefore, if we want to show our spirituality, truth and non-violence to the world, then we need to become ‘shastra sampann’ (armed) and ‘shakti sampann’ (powerful),” he said.
“It took us so long to understand this after Independence. This behavioural truth has been very clearly stated by Veer Savarkar,” he said.
“If the Hindu community and our country had followed this motto after Independence, then our history would have been very different. Becoming powerful is very important and the Hindu community should be shakti sampann,” he said.
“It is a truth that Hindustan is a Hindu Rashtra, but if this truth is to be accepted, the Hindu community should have ‘shakti’. Only after this, nobody in the world will dare to stare down Hindus,” Bhagwat said. — PTI
09:07 ‘Power supply around 15 Corps Army headquarters in Srinagar switched off’ :
Power supply of certain areas in the strategically located 15 Corps Cantonment in Srinagar was switched off as a precautionary measure Tuesday night, officials said.
Some areas of the cantonment are located on Zaberwan hills and electric supply to this area was stopped in anticipation of a Pakistani retaliation to the pre-dawn strike by IAF jets on the biggest terrorist camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed inside Pakistan, they said.
In the meantime, Pakistan has suspended internet services in the entire occupied Kashmir area, security agencies said. — PTI
08:52 Pak must act against terror, says US after India’s strike on Jaish:
The United States on Wednesday firmly asked Pakistan to take “meaningful action” against terrorist groups operating on its soil and underscored the importance of avoiding escalation at any cost after India targeted terrorist camp in Pakistan.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country.
Following the incident, India on Tuesday bombed and destroyed JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a phone call with the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also called for avoiding military action.
In a separate call with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Pompeo emphasised the close security partnership between the US and India and shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region.
Pompeo is currently in Vietnam to attend the second summit between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the denuclearsation of the Korean peninsula.
“Following Indian counter-terrorism actions on February 26, I spoke with Indian Minister of External Affairs Swaraj to emphasize our close security partnership and shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region,” Pompeo said in a statement.
“I also spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi to underscore the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil,” Pompeo said.
“I expressed to both Ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost. I also encouraged both ministers to prioritise direct communication and avoid further military activity,” said the Secretary of State.
Last week, US National Security Adviser John Bolton told his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval that America supports India’s right to self-defence as both sides vowed to work together to ensure that Pakistan ceases to be a safe heaven for JeM and other terror groups. — PTI
08:21 Sushma raises Pulwama terror attack with China:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday raised the recent Pulwama suicide attack in her crucial bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here, a day after India destroyed a major Jaish-e-Muhammed terror training camp in Pakistan.
“I am visiting China at a time when there is grief and anger in India. It is the worst terrorist attack directed against our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir,” she said in her opening remarks during the meeting held on the side-lines of Russia, India, China Foreign Ministers meeting.
“The attack was carried out by Jaish-e-Muhammed, the Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation,” she said.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based JeM in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country.
Following the incident, India bombed and destroyed JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
Stating that the JeM is banned by the UN and other countries, Swaraj told Wang that “this terrorist attack is the direct result of the impunity and cover provided to the JeM and its leaders by the Pakistani side”.
“After the Pulwama attack the entire UN has spoken with full voice to condemn it,” she said.
Swaraj who arrived in Wizhen early this morning told Wang that this is their first meeting this year and therefore an opportune time for the two sides to take stock of the bilateral relations and look ahead for cooperation.
“This is our first meeting this year. Therefore, an opportune time for us to take stock of our bilateral relations and look ahead for cooperation. The India-China relationship is an important relationship for both of our countries,” she said. — PTI
00:11 Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal on high alert as Pakistan threatens retaliation:
In the aftermath of the Balakot airstrike conducted by the IAF early on Tuesday morning, the bordering states of Punjab, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have been put on high alert.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his country would respond to what he described as “uncalled-for aggression” and asked his compatriots to prepare for “all eventualities”.
“[The] PM has directed that elements of national power including the Armed Forces and the people of Pakistan to remain prepared [sic] for all eventualities,” said a statement posted by Khan.
Six districts in Punjab – Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka – have been put on high alert.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said, “Punjab is on alert and I will be touring bordering areas tomorrow. We are ready for any eventuality. I told the Union home minister that if there is anything that Punjab can do we are there to for the defence of our country.”
The chief minister reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting with the top brass of the police and civil administration and decided to stay in the sensitive border area for onground assessment of the situation.
Apart from Punjab, Gujarat Police has also issued a “high alert” across the state following India’s preemptive strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest terror campaigning Pakistan.
Gujarat’s Director General of Police Shivanand Jha cancelled a conference on crime-related issues scheduled at the Police Bhavan in Gandhinagar and asked all officers to return to their respective headquarters in view of the alert sounded in the state.
The Himachal Pradesh Police issued an alert for all districts in the state.
An alert has been issued to all district SPs in Himachal Pradesh to ensure safety of vital installations and also to keep sharp vigil in their respective districts, Himachal Pradesh Police spokesperson and SP (Law and Order) Khushhal Sharma said.
Source: Rediff