Isro using 10 satellites to ensure national security: Chief V Narayanan

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman V Narayanan said that at least 10 satellites are continuously working round-the-clock for the strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the country.

Addressing the 5th convocation ceremony of the Central Agricultural University (CAU) in Imphal yesterday, Isro chief highlighted the organisation's effort to ensure the country's safety amid the tensions with Pakistan.

"At least 10 satellites are continuously working round-the-clock for the strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the country," the Isro Chairman said.

"You all know about our neighbours. If we have to ensure the safety of our country, we have to serve through our satellites. We have to monitor our 7,000 km seashore areas. We have to monitor the entire Northern part continuously. Without satellite and drone technology, we can't achieve that," V Narayanan said.

Following the chaos and all the skirmishes that had kept the areas along the northern and western International Borders (IB) up during the night for the past few days, the region has largely remained peaceful during the intervening night of May 11 and May 12, the Army stated.

According to the Army, the region of Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the IB were calm, and no incidents of the violation of the cessation of hostilities were reported.

The army noted that this marked the first calm night in recent days following the cross-border firing, heavy artillery shelling and drone attacks by Pakistan in response to India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attacks, which dismantled major terror sites in Pakistan and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

For the past few days, the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat witnessed Pakistan's heavy shelling and attempted drone attacks, which were aimed at disrupting peace along the region. However, the attacks from Pakistan were largely neutralised by the Indian air defence system

In retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces confirmed the destruction of 11 air bases inside Pakistan and inflicted significant damage on their military capabilities.

At a joint press conference on Sunday, Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai (Director General Military Operations), Vice Admiral A N Pramod (Director General Naval Operations), and Air Marshal A K Bharti (Director General Air Operations) jointly revealed the major outcomes of India's Operation Sindoor.

Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai apprised about his conversation with his counterpart, which resulted in cessation of cross-border firing and air intrusions by both the neighbouring countries, saying that the Pakistan army violated these understandings after a couple of hours after the cessation of hostilities.

He said that it was the Pakistan DGMO who proposed that hostilities cease.

"My communication with the Pak DGMO was conducted at 15:35 hrs yesterday and resulted in cessation of cross-border firing and air intrusions by either side with effect from 17:00 hrs, May 10, after he proposed that we cease hostilities. We also decided to further speak on May 12 at 12:00 hrs to discuss the modalities that would enable the longevity of this understanding," Ghai told reporters in a press conference on Sunday.

He said that the violation of the agreement reached between the two DGMOs was responded to robustly by India."However, disappointingly, expectedly, it took only a couple of hours for the Pakistan Army to violate these arrangements by cross-border and across the Line of Control (LoC) firing, followed by drone intrusions last night and in the early hours of today. These violations were responded to robustly," Ghai added.

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). Operation Sindoor was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.