LIVE! Jammu grenade attacker arrested: DGP

17:11  Jammu grenade attacker arrested: DGP:  

The person who threw the grenade at Jammu bus stand earlier today has been arrested, says Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh.

A teenager was killed and 32 others were injured in the grenade attack at the crowded general bus stand area in the heart of Jammu, officials said.

This is the third grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu bus stand since May last year, viewed by security agencies as an attempt to disturb communal harmony and peace in the city.

More details awaited.  — ANI/PTI

17:00  Jaish terrorist from Pak killed in Kupwara encounter:  

A Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist from Pakistan was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Kralgund area of Handwara in the north Kashmir district late Wednesday night following information about the presence of some terrorists in the area, a police official said.

He said the cordon was maintained during the night and contact was established with them in the morning after the forces zeroed in on the location.

There was an exchange of fire between the two sides, in which one terrorist was killed, the official said.

He said the slain terrorist was identified as a Pakistani national, known as Anwar, who was affiliated to the JeM.

Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of the encounter, he added.  — PTI

IMAGE: Soldiers take position during an encounter in Handwara, Kupwara on Thursday. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

16:37  UN rejects Hafiz Saeed’s plea for removal from list of banned terrorists :  In a significant development, the United Nations has rejected an appeal of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, to remove his name from its list of banned terrorists, government sources said on Thursday. Notably, the decision comes at a time when UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee has received a new request to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Pakistan-based JeM has claimed responsibility for the strike. 

The UN decision to reject the appeal of Saeed, also a co-founder of terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), came after India provided detailed evidence including “highly confidential information” about his activities, sources told PTI, adding that the verdict of the global body was conveyed to his lawyer Haider Rasul Mirza earlier this week. 

Saeed, chief of UN-designated terrorist organisation Jammat–ud-Dawa, was banned on December 10, 2008 by the United Nations Security Council after the horrific Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. 

Saeed had filed an appeal with the UN through Lahore-based law firm Mirza and Mirza in 2017, while he was still under house arrest in Pakistan, for removal of the ban. 

Independent Ombudsperson Daniel Kipfer Fasciati, appointed by the UN to examine all such requests, has informed Saeed’s lawyer that it has been decided following examination of his request that that he will “continue as a listed individual”, sources said. 

The Ombudsperson recommended that after gathering all information, it has been decided to continue with the ban as “there was sufficient information to provide a reasonable and credible basis for continuing the listing,” sources said, adding the recommendation was endorsed by the UN’s Sanctions Committee. 

Saeed’s request was opposed by India as well as other countries that had originally listed him – US, UK and France, sources said. Significantly, Pakistan did not oppose the appeal despite claims by the new Imran Khan-led government there that it was taking action against the banned terrorists and their organisations in what they call a ‘Naya Pakistan’ (new Pakistan).  — PTI

16:17  Rahul should be ashamed of seeking air strike proof: Shah:  BJP president Amit Shah Thursday said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should feel ashamed of asking for proof of India’s air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan. People will give Gandhi a reply for (saying) it during the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the BJP leader said.

Addressing the party’s booth-level workers at Bamora near Sagar town in Madhya Pradesh, Shah said an IAF official at a press conference asserted that the IAF had hit terror targets. Even after this conclusive statement, Gandhi is insulting thousands of martyrs of India by asking for evidence of the air strike, Shah said. 

The IAF conducted air strike last month on a camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan, in retaliation to the terror outfit’s attack at Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. 

Shah lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his work and untiring attitude. “Earlier “only two countries” were known for avenging attack on their forces. Modiji has now ensured India’s name is also counted among such countries,” he said. In the last 25 years, Modi has not taken a single vacation, Shah said. 

He targeted Gandhi for “going on vacations frequently.” The country has got a prime minister who works for 18 out of 24 hours a day and is very dedicated towards the nation, the BJP chief said. “What the Modi government has done in 55 months of rule, the Congress was unable to do in 55 years with Gandhi family’s four generations ruling the country,” he said. — PTI

15:42  1 dead in grenade blast in Jammu bus stand :   One person injured in grenade explosion at Jammu bus-stand succumbs to injuries. Suspected terrorists Thursday carried out a grenade attack in the crowded general bus stand area in the heart of Jammu city, injuring 28 persons, three among them critically, officials said. This is the third grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu bus stand since May last year, viewed by security agencies as an attempt to disturb communal harmony and peace in the city. 

“So far 28 persons were brought with splinter injuries. Three are critical, of whom two are being operated,” Principal, Government Medical College hospital, Sunanda Raina told PTI.  

Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha said preliminary investigation suggested that someone lobbed the grenade in the bus stand area around noon, causing the explosion. The scene of the blast along B C Road was sealed off by police and a massive hunt has been launched to nab the grenade thrower, Sinha, who immediately rushed to the scene to take stock of the situation, told reporters.  

A parked bus of the state road transport corporation suffered extensive damage in the blast which caused panic among the people.  

“Whenever there is heightened state of alert, we strengthen checking and frisking but there is always a possibility of someone slipping through and this one seems to be a case like that,” the IGP said.  

“Obviously the intention is always to disturb the communal harmony and peace,” he said and requested the people to maintain calm. The IGP said the police is collecting the evidence and “we are sure to hunt him down (the attacker).” Immediately after the explosion, people ran to safety and later as the situation returned to normal evacuated the injured to the hospital. 

Image: Some of the injured at the Government Medical College hospital, Jammu. 

14:46  JKLF Chief Yasin Malik booked under PSA, being shifted to Jammu jail:  Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik has been booked under the Public Safety Act, said a party spokesman on Thursday. “Malik sahab has been booked under the draconian law, Public Safety Act. He is being shifted to Kot Balwal jail in Jammu,” he said. JKLF strongly condemns this “arbitrary arrest’ and use of PSA against a political leader, he added.

Malik, who was detained on February 22, was lodged at Kothibagh police station.

Earlier, the National Investigation Agency had also conducted raids at the residence of Malik on February 26. In the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF soldiers on February 14, Jammu and Kashmir government withdrew security cover of several separatists including Malik, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Shah and Saleem Geelani. — ANI

File pic: Yasin Malik

14:33  Rahul Gandhi to address public rally in Tripura on March 20:  Congress president Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Tripura on March 20 to kick off the party’s Lok Sabha poll campaign with a public rally. A senior leader in the party said preparations were afoot to welcome the Gandhi scion.

14:31  Prannoy Roy’s book, The Verdict’ is out :  NDTV executive editor, Nidhi Razdan (holding the book), tweets this picture with her colleagues and the channel’s co-founder Prannoy Roy, (peeking cheekily behind his team), saying, “Its here ! The “launch” of @PrannoyRoyNDTVs book The Verdict. Order here (the Amazon link).” 

The book co-authored with psephologist  Dorab Sopariwalla, talks about the Indian elections. The Amazon description of the book says: “What are the key factors that win or lose elections in India.  What does, or does not, make India’s democracy tick? Is this the end of anti-incumbency? Are opinion polls and exit polls reliable? How pervasive is the ‘fear factor’? Does the Indian woman’s vote matter? Does the selection of candidates impact results? Are elections becoming more democratic or less so? Can electronic voting machines (EVMs) be fiddled with? Can Indian elections be called ‘a jugaad system’?Published on the eve of India’s next general elections, The Verdict will use rigorous psephology, original research and as-yet-undisclosed facts to talk about the entire span of India’s electoral history from the first elections in 1952. Crucially, for 2019, it provides pointers to look out for, to see if the incumbent government will win or lose. Written by Prannoy Roy, renowned for his knack of demystifying electoral politics, and Dorab R. Sopariwala, this book will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in politics and elections in India.”

The book is priced at Rs 419. 

The image tweeted by Nidhi Razdan is the key to the way India’s most respected news channel is run with the boss taking a step back and allowing his team to shine. 

14:19  Gender pay gap still high, women in India earn 19% less than men: Report:  Gender pay gap is still high in India, as women in the country earn 19 per cent less than men, and wage inequalities in favour of men are present in all the relevant sectors, a survey said Thursday. 

According to the latest Monster Salary Index, the current gender pay gap in India stood at 19 per cent where men earned Rs 46.19 more in comparison to women. 

The median gross hourly salary for men in India in 2018 stood at Rs 242.49, while for women it stood at around Rs 196.3. According to the survey, the gender pay gap spans across key industries. 

IT/ITES services showed a sharp pay gap of 26 per cent in favour of men, while in the manufacturing sector, men earn 24 per cent more than women. Surprisingly, even in sectors like healthcare, caring services, and social work, men earn 21 per cent more than women, even as notionally these sectors are more identified with women, the survey said. 

Financial services, banking and insurance is the only industry where men earn just 2 per cent more, it added. According to the report, gender pay gap widens with the years of experience. In the initial years, the gender pay gap is moderate but rises significantly as the tenure increases. 

For those with over 10 years of experience, the gender pay gap in favour of men reaches the peak, with men earning 15 per cent more than women. In 2018, the gap has narrowed only by one per cent from 20 per cent in 2017. — PTI

13:29  Attempt to use Official Secrets Act against media reprehensible: Editors Guild:  
The Editors Guild of India on Thursday “unequivocally’ condemned the Attorney General’s remarks before the Supreme Court pertaining to the documents based on which the media had reported on the Rafale deal, saying any attempt to use the Official Secrets Act against the media is as “reprehensible” as asking journalists to disclose their sources. 

The Guild, in a statement, also denounced “threats’ against the media in the matter and urged the government to refrain from initiating any action that might undermine the media’s freedom and independence. 

“The Editors Guild of India unequivocally condemns the Attorney General’s comments before the Supreme Court pertaining to documents based on which the media, including The Hindu, had reported on the Rafale deal,’ the statement said. 

Attorney General K K Venugopal on Wednesday sought dismissal of a petition for a review of the apex court’s earlier judgment on allegations over the Rafale deal on the ground that the fresh petition had relied on documents that were “stolen’ from the defence ministry and that investigations were going on to find out if it was a crime and violative of the Official Secrets Act, it said. 

“Although the Attorney General later clarified that the investigation and contemplated action would not be initiated against journalists or lawyers who used these documents, the Guild is perturbed over such threats,’ the statement said. These will intimidate the media in general and curb its freedom to report and comment on the Rafale deal in particular, the Guild said. 

“Any attempt to use the Official Secrets Act against the media is as reprehensible as asking the journalists to disclose their sources,” it said. 

“The Guild denounces these threats and urges the government to refrain from initiating any action that might undermine the media’s freedom and independence,’ the statement said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favourtism. The government has denied the charges. — PTI

13:22  18 injured in grenade attack in Jammu bus stand:  Update: At least 18 people were injured Thursday in a grenade attack by suspected terrorists at the crowded general bus stand in the heart of the city, a senior police officer said. This is the third grenade attack by terrorists in the bus stand area of the city since May last year. 

The scene of the blast along the BC Road was sealed off by police and a massive hunt has been launched to nab the grenade thrower, Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha said. Sinha, who immediately rushed to the scene to take stock of the situation, said preliminary investigation suggests that someone lobbed the grenade, causing injuries to 18 people who were evacuated to the Government Medical College hospital. 

Windscreens of a parked state road transport corporation bus were damaged in the blast, a police official said, adding condition of one of the injured was stated to be “critical”. — PTI

Image: MK Sinha, IGP Jammu: It was a grenade explosion, it has caused injuries to approximately 18 people, all shifted to hospital. Pic: ANI

12:28  Grenade attack at bus stand in Jammu, several injured :  Just in: There’s been a grenade attack at the main bus stand in Jammu leaving a several people injured, police said. The injured have been admitted to hospital and believed to be out of danger. The area has been cordoned off by security personnel. Eyewitnesses say there was a loud noise, similar to a tyre being burst, and at least 10 to 12 people were injured. Police officials said not more eight people were injured. Details awaited. 

Image: Police at the site of the terror attack at the bus stand in Jammu. Pic: ANI

11:58  Encounter breaks out in J&K’s Kupwara:  Well, the uneasy calm we just mentioned in Kashmir has been broken. 

An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Thursday. The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Kralgund area of Handwara in north Kashmir district late Wednesday night following information about the presence of militants in there, a police official said. 

He said the cordon was maintained during the night and the forces zeroed in on the location of the militants in the morning. There was a brief exchange of fire between the two sides, the official said. He said a search operation is going on in the area. Further details are awaited.  — PTI

11:51  Def min calls off scheduled visit to Jammu, uneasy calm in Kashmir:  An uneasy calm prevailed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir with no report of ceasefire violation by Pakistan over the past 20 hours, officials said on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called off her scheduled visit to Jammu province on Thursday to review the situation along the borders in the wake of intense shelling over the past nine days besides inaugurating two vital bridges in Samba and Akhnoor sectors, they said.

A defence spokesman said there was no report of ceasefire violation by Pakistan anywhere along the LoC in Jammu province, especially in the worst-hit Rajouri and Poonch districts since Wednesday afternoon. 

Pakistan had used artillery guns and long-range mortars to target civilian areas in the two districts, prompting strong and effective retaliation by the Army. 

The cross-border skirmishes between the two sides had caused panic among the border residents. “The Army remains on high alert all along the LoC and the International Border and is keeping a close watch on the situation,” the spokesman said. 

There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan after India’s preemptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot on February 26 following the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. 

Four civilians, including three members of a family, were killed and several others injured as Pakistan targeted over 80 villages in over 100 incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC in the state last week. 

On Wednesday, the Indian Army issued a stern warning to Pakistan against targeting civilians along the LoC, saying any further provocation or misadventure by it will have “dire consequences”. 

The warning came after Pakistan targeted forward posts in Nowshera sector of Rajouri with 155 mm artillery guns which was retaliated by the Indian Army with Bofors guns. The spokesman said the visit of the defence minister to Samba and Akhnoor sectors for inauguration of Bein bridge and Dhok bridge has been called off.

11:20  1 arrested for thrashing Kashmiri street vendor in Lucknow:  
Lucknow police have arrested one person for thrashing two Kashmiri dry fruit vendors in the city yesterday. A video of the incident which occurred in the Daliganj area of Lucknow that surfaced online and has been shared widely shows some men dressed in saffron kurtas beating a vendor with a stick. After receiving a few blows the man manages to free himself from the attackers. Another vendor is seen collecting his things while being slapped and hit by one of the men. 

11:14  Pak used Jaish to carry out attacks in India during my tenure: Musharraf:  Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammad is a terror organisation and claimed that Pakistani intelligence had used the outfit to carry out suicide attacks in India during his tenure.

In a telephonic interview with Pakistani journalist Nadeem Malik of Hum News on March 5, Musharraf welcomed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s move of taking action against JeM and blamed the terror outfit for carrying out a suicide attack on him at Jhanda Chichi in Rawalpindi in 2003 when he was Pakistan’s president.

“I have always said that JeM is a terror organisation and they tried to assassinate me in a suicide attack at Jhanda Chichi in Rawalpindi in 2003. The suicide bomber pressed a button a few seconds late and I had crossed the bridge by that time. Action should be taken against them (JeM). I am happy that the government is taking a tough stand against them,” said Musharraf, who served as Pakistan’s president from 2001 to 2008.

Facing mounting international pressure, the Pakistan government on Tuesday said that 44 activists of various outfits, including Azhar’s brother Mufti Abdur Rauf and son Hamza Azhar, have been taken into “preventive detention” as part of a crackdown on terror groups.

Asked why he himself had not taken any action against the Masood Azhar-led outfit when he was in power, Musharraf acknowledged that he should have done so while claiming that “those were different times.”

“Our intelligence was involved in a tit-for-tat between India and Pakistan. They were carrying out bomb blasts in Pakistan and we were getting it done there (in India). This was going on and amidst this, no action was taken against JeM. I also did not insist on taking action,” he said.

Musharraf’s statement is contradictory to what the Pakistan Army had said, claiming that JeM “does not exist” in the country.”Jaish-e-Mohammad does not exist in Pakistan. It has been proscribed by the United Nations and Pakistan,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Pakistani Army’s spokesperson, told CNN on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that the Imran Khan-led government had contacted the Jaish leadership after the Pulwama terror attack and it had denied responsibility. He had also admitted that Azhar was in Pakistan and is “very unwell.”

“He (Azhar) is in Pakistan. According to my information, he is very unwell. He’s unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house because he is really unwell. So, that’s the information I have, Qureshi told CNN in an interview.There has been intense global pressure against Pakistan to stop supporting terrorists and terror outfits after India mounted a diplomatic campaign in this regard. — PTI

10:49  118-year-old woman gets a pacemaker :  In Punjab, Kartar Kaur Sangha, believed to be 118 years old (or so the family claims) was operated upon successfully and a pacemaker was implanted, at a hospital in Ludhiana. Dr Ravninder Singh says, “I saw her brother’s (born in 1903) record and her daughter is 90. I found 2-3 records corroborating her age. To operate at this age was a challenge, but she is doing fine. We have applied to the Guinness Book of World Records and the Limca Book of Records.”

10:39  I have an opinion, but I’ll keep it to myself: Alia on Kangana:   After Kangana Ranaut slammed Alia Bhatt for not speaking over contemporary issues, the actor said while she respects the “Queen” star for voicing her opinions, she would like to keep hers private. Kangana had called Alia and her “Gully Boy” co-star Ranveer Singh’s comments of being apolitical “irresponsible” and lashed out at the duo for refusing to speak on politics. 

Asked about Kangana’s comments, Alia told reporters, “I definitely don’t have the ability to speak as candidly as Kangana does, and I really do respect her for that and maybe in a way she is right, sometimes we do hold back.”

“My dad also says that there are already so many opinions in the world that it can do with one less opinion. So, I have an opinion but I’ll keep it to myself. But, kudos to her as she genuinely speaks really well,” she added. 

Alia was speaking at the fourth edition of ‘Outlook Business Women of Worth’ on Wednesday night. The actor recently turned producer and launched the banner, Eternal Sunshine Productions. “I am somebody who loves being an actor, I love acting. But in life I want to do so much more. I want to produce films, I won’t ever direct though. I want to work on social causes. I can do so much more with my life, this is just a beginning.”

Alia will next be seen in “Brahmastra” and “Kalank”, both the films’ journey she described as “beautiful.”

10:17  Modi is the poster boy of Pakistan: Rahul :  

— Modi got ISI to probe Pathankot attack, invited then Pak PM Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in. He not us is poster boy of Pakistan. 

09:10  Hardik Patel likely to join Congress on March 12:  

Patidar leader Hardik Patel is said to join the Congress soon and is likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Jamnagar constituency in Gujarat, top party sources said.

“Patel, who led the agitation demanding reservation for the Patidar community in Gujarat is likely to join the Congress on March 12 in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi,” the sources said.

The Jamnagar Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Poonamben Maadam of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Patel’s joining will coincide with the Congress Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad, following which top party leaders will address a public rally there.

The Congress is focusing on Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had given a tough fight to the ruling BJP in the last assembly polls in the state.

08:45  2 Kashmiri dry fruit sellers thrashed in Lucknow, attackers make video:  

Two Kashmiri men selling dry fruits on a roadside were assaulted by members dressed in saffron robes in Lucknow on Wednesday. 

The two men were abused, slapped and beaten with a stick because of their identity and were rescued by some locals. The locals also called the police. 

A video of the incident, which took place in Daliganj area, has gone viral on social media sites. The Lucknow Police nabbed one of the attackers, Bajrang Sonkar, late Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the second perpetrator, Amar Mishra, who is also seen in the video clip is on the run.

When the two attackers were asked why they were beating up the Kashmiri men, they replied that they were Kashmiris. The Kashmiri men were also asked to produce Aadhar cards, but that did not stop the assault. 

Kashmiris have also been attacked in other parts of the country in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, in which a local youth rammed an explosive-laden car into a CRPF convoy, leading to the death of 40 soldiers. The attacker, Adil Ahmad Dar, was affiliated to Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

08:34  1 terrorist killed by security forces in Handwara in J-K:  

One terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces in Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.

Another terrorist is believed to be trapped in the joint operation of security forces that is continuing in Handwara.

A search operation is underway.

Meanwhile, internet services have been snapped in the Valley.

Details are awaited.

— ANI

08:08  Pakistan identifies pilots who shot down 2 IAF fighter jets:  

For the first time, Pakistan identified its two fighter pilots who were involved in an aerial combat with the Indian Air Force jets as Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Pakistani parliament that two Indian planes were shot down by them.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14.

India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on March 1.

Lauding the PAF pilots in the National Assembly, Qureshi said, “Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian aircraft violating the Pakistani airspace. One Indian jet was shot down by Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui while other was downed by Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan.”

Qureshi officially identified Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan as the Pakistan Air Force pilot who shot down the second Indian fighter jet in the dogfight last week, Dawn news reported.

Pakistani military on February 27 claimed that two Indian IAF were hit. One plane crashed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir while the other fell in Jammu and Kashmir after being hit.

India has maintained that Pakistan downed a MiG-21 aircraft of the IAF while Indian Air Force shot down an F-16 jet of the PAF during the dogfight.

The Pakistani foreign minister made the statement after Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, during his speech, praised Squadron Leader Siddiqui for downing the IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 jet on February 27.

“One clarification: Bilawal paid tribute to Hassan Siddiqui as he’s absolutely a national hero,” Qureshi said.

“But I would like to clarify that two Indian planes were shot down. The other one was shot down by Wg Cdr Nauman Ali Khan,” he added, asking that the second pilot also be given due credit.

— PTI

00:12  Pak used artillery guns to shell areas along LoC in J&K:  

The Pakistan army on Wednesday targeted several forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Poonch districts with artillery guns and small arms, officials said.

The intense shelling and firing from across the border continued throughout the night in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district, while it started in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch in the early hours of Wednesday, they said.

The officials said Pakistan also targeted areas in the Nowshera sector in Rajouri.

However, the firing and shelling from across the border stopped this afternoon in the Sunderbandi, Nowshera and Krishna Ghati sectors, they said.

The Indian army retaliated strongly and effectively to the Pakistani firing and there was no report of any casualty on the Indian side, though some structures, including residential houses and cow sheds, were damaged, the officials said.

The firing in the Krishna Ghati took place from 6 pm to 8.15 pm.

Firing in the Sunderbani sector started at 8.30 pm on Tuesday and ended around 4.30 am on Wednesday, the officials said.

They said the unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan took place from 6 am to 8 am in the Mankote area of the Krishna Ghati sector.

Minutes later, they said Pakistan fired on areas in the Nowshera sector.

The shelling lasted from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm on Wednesday.

There was no fresh report of ceasefire violation by Pakistan from anywhere later in the day, the officials said.

There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan after India’s preemptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot on February 26 following the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama. — PTI

00:09  Air India’s Delhi-Frankfurt flight faces mid-air decompression:  

An Air India flight from Delhi to Frankfurt on Wednesday suffered a mid-air decompression and consequently it returned to the airport ‘keeping safety of 220 passengers in mind’, said the national carrier in a statement.

According to airline officials, the flight faced decompression at the height of approximately 20,000 feet around 15 minutes after taking off.

“Air India flight AI121 operating from Delhi to Frankfurt today faced an issue of decompression and keeping safety of the 220 passengers in mind, the flight had returned to Delhi. No passenger has suffered any injury,” said the Air India spokesperson.

“The flight will now operate with a change of aircraft at 0600hrs on 7th March from Delhi. All passengers are safe and are being extended all assistance at Delhi. Air India is committed to maintaining highest standards of passenger comfort and safety,” the spokesperson added.

The standard time of departure of AI121 Delhi-Frankfurt flight is 1.35 pm daily.

At a higher altitude, the air is extremely thin due to low atmospheric pressure and low oxygen content.

Therefore, an aircraft has to maintain an internal cabin pressure so that passengers do not face ill-effects on their health.  — PTI