Page 1482 - Politics
France advises travelers against visiting J-K and Pakistan border areas
France on Wednesday issued a travel advisory for its citizens travelling in India warning them against travelling in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.Informing its compatriots about military operations, the advisory read, "The French Embassy now advises against travelling to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and all the border areas of Pakistan. Military operations are underway in Kashmir. The airspace is closed on all the North-West of India.""We invite compatriots who are currently in Kashmir to report to the Embassy. Everyone is invited to stay informed on a daily basis of the evolution of the situation," the advisory stated.In the backdrop of aerial strikes by India at terror camps in Pakistan, France on Tuesday said it stands with India in the fight against terror and asked both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avert any risk of military escalation and preserve strategic stability in the region.It also asked Pakistan to put an end to operations of terror groups in ...
Rajasthan: Border areas of Jaisalmer on high alert
Amid tensions between India and Pakistan, security forces in border areas of Rajasthan's Jaisalmer are on high alert."The Border Security Force (BSF) along with its brave soldiers and all the officers are as always alert and we are prepared for any kind of eventuality," MK Singh, DIG, BSF North, told ANI.We are coordinating with police and other security forces. We have become more vigilant over the past few days looking at the current situation (between India and Pakistan)," Singh said.India on Tuesday carried out air strikes on a terror camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakot, a hill town in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, destroying a major camp of JeM and eliminating a "large number" of terrorists, including top commanders, of the group which attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14.On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir saw heightened military activity on Wednesday, with Pakistani jets violating the Indian air space.India said it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force ..
India has shown its valour: Ramdev on IAF strike on JeM camp in Pak
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Wednesday lauded the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the central government a day after air strikes were carried out by the IAF in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed."India has shown its valour and power. I would like to thank the Indian Air Force and the central government for this. We are proud of our government and the Indian Air Force," Ramdev told media here."This will now go on, but every time Pakistan will fall flat. This time our security forces and the Indian government will teach them a lesson after which they won't have the courage to stand up against us in future," he added.India on Tuesday carried out strikes deep inside Pakistan, destroying a major camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a terrorist organisation which claimed responsibility of orchestrating the Pulwama terror attack.
Oppn parties stand in solidarity with armed forces, accuse BJP of politicising soldiers' sacrifices
The leaders of 21 political parties on Wednesday expressed their solidarity with the armed forces while expressing deep anguish over the "blatant politicisation" of the sacrifices made by the forces by the "leaders of the ruling party."The meeting of leaders of 21 political parties condemned the "dastardly" Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit. However, the leaders observed that the Prime Minister has, regrettably, not convened an-all party meeting as per the established practice in our democracy, stating that "national security must transcend narrow political considerations.""The meeting paid homage to our martyrs and expressed solidarity with our Armed Forces in crushing the menace of terrorism. The meeting lauded the action taken by the Indian Air Force against the terrorist camp on 26th February 2019 and praised our Armed Forces for their valour and bravery," a joint statement said."The meeting of 21 parties expressed their deep anguish over the ...
Don't want war, can't afford miscalculations: Imran Khan
In a brief televised address, he said he understands the "pain" of families of the victims of Pulwama attack and was ready to cooperate in the investigations and to have a dialogue on the issue of terrorism.Khan again claimed that his government does not favour terrorism, either emanating from Pakistan or coming into Pakistan, as it is not in its "interest".He referred to India's air strike in Balakot yesterday and said Pakistan wanted to respond yesterday itself but waited to assess the damage caused, because otherwise it would have been "irresponsible" on part of his country.Indian Air Force yesterday carried out strikes at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror training camp in Balakot, in which a large number of terrorists were killed.Claiming that no damage was caused by the Indian strike, Khan said his country too did not want any "collateral damage" in the Pakistan Air Force strike in India."We merely wanted to tell India that if you can come to our territory, we too can come to your .
NIA conducts searches at 11 locations in South Kashmir
National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted simultaneous searches at 11 locations in South Kashmir in connection with the Pulwama terror attack case and in a case relating to terror funding of separatists.These searches were conducted at places, including the houses of two JeM terrorists, Mudassir Ahmad Khan and Sajjad Bhat, who are the key accused in the terror attack, a statement from NIA read.Besides them, searches were also conducted in the houses of active OGWs (Over Ground Workers) of JeM in Tral, Awantipora and Pulwama areas of South Kashmir."Incriminating materials including diaries containing coded writings were seized," the statement added.Meanwhile, searches were also carried out in the houses of three separatist leaders, namely Mohd. Shaban Dar, Shawkat Maulvi and Yasmine Raza, in a terror funding case."Documents related to terror funding, coded messages and Jihadi literature have been seized. During searches, NIA teams also recovered lot of incriminating documents ...
Nepal urges India, Pak to find solution through dialogue
Amid growing tension between India and Pakistan, Nepal on Wednesday urged the two countries to find a solution through dialogue."As the current Chair of SAARC, Nepal calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint and not engage in actions that would threaten peace and security in the region," Foreign Ministry of Nepal said a statement.Expressing concern over the escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, Nepal said the two countries to seek a solution through peaceful means in order to ease tension in the region.Forty CRPF soldiers were killed in the Pulwama attack for which Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility.In the backdrop of the aerial strike by the Indian Air Force on a JeM terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan, France on Tuesday extended its support to India and said it stands with New Delhi in the fight against terror.France asked both ...
Pak summons acting Indian High Commissioner
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India's Acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia over the alleged "ceasefire violations" after New Delhi foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force this morning to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane.The Director-General South Asia and SAARC Dr Mohammad Faisal told the Indian diplomat to "respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement" and "its forces should respect and maintain peace on the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary," according to a statement by the Pakistan foreign ministry.A day after India carried out air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot in Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir saw heightened military activity today, with Pakistani jets violating the Indian air space and dropping some bombs in Rajouri sector after which one of their fighters was shot down.India said it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force this morning to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 ...
Russia calls for restraint from India, Pak amid escalating tensions
Russia on Wednesday called on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint amid growing tension between the two countries.Press Secretary of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is following the development of events closely. He also stated that Moscow is concerned about the aggravation of relations between India and Pakistan."We are extremely concerned about the news coming in, we are very closely monitoring the situation and, of course, we urge all parties to show restraint," said the Kremlin spokesman.The Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in connection with growing tensions in India-Pakistan relations expressed serious concern about the aggravation of the situation along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan."We call on both sides to show restraint and step up efforts to resolve existing problems by political and diplomatic means. We are ready to further assist in strengthening the counter-terrorism potential of New
Paresh Rawal questions Ali Zafar's silence over India's airstrikes against Pakistan
The Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted air strikes on terror cvamps in Pakistan, which the entire India hailed. From Bollywood celebrities to sports stars, from general public to politicians, everyone came out in support of the operation taken in response to Pulwama terror attack that killed around 40 CRPF personnel on February 14. Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaishe-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack. Veteran actor Paresh Rawal took a dig at Pakistani singer and actor Ali Zafar on the latter's silence over the IAF operations. Rawal reacted to Zafar's old tweet where he had praised the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's speech. After the Pulwama attack, Pakistan PM addressed had a televised address to his country, which Zafar praised.Zafar, who worked in Bollywood films like 'Dear Zindagi' and 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan', had taken to Twitter to praise Imran Khan for his speech. Later a Twitter user Trendulkar shared a screenshot of Zafar's tweet to Imran Khan and
Pak threatens to boycott OIC meet over Sushma Swaraj's participation
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday threatened to boycott the next month's Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in the UAE if India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participated in it.Swaraj will attend the meeting as the 'guest of honour' and will address the plenary of the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers slated to be held in Abu Dhabi from March 1 to 2."I have no reservations with OIC or any other Islamic country. My reservations are with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's attendance at the OIC meeting. If Swaraj attends the meeting then I will not participate in it," Qureshi was quoted by Geo News as saying.He claimed that he raised the matter with his Turkish and UAE counterparts.The OIC on Tuesday "condemned" the aerial strikes carried out by India, urging New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint to avoid further provocations that would "endanger peace and security in the region."It called on both sides to
Pak trying to defame India after IAF air strikes: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday said the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike on terror camps in Pakistan was carried out with caution and no civilian was hurt in it, but the neighbouring country wants to defame India nevertheless. India has given a befitting reply to the neighbouring country, Singh said and reiterated that Kashmir will always be a part of India and no power in the world can separate it from the country. Addressing a convention of BJP workers in Bilaspur town of Chhattisgarh, he said, "Two days back, our forces gave a befitting reply to Pakistan, which has been trying to destabilise India". "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that we will not let the country be subjugated. Our government will do whatever is required but will not let Mother India bow her head," he said. "In the air strike, neither the Pakistani civilians were hurt nor the Pakistan Army was targeted. Our Air Force soldiers carried out the strike with caution. Despite this,
India foils Pakistan's attempt to target military installations, IAF pilot missing
India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of targeting the country's military installations in response to its counter-terrorism action a day earlier and said an Indian MiG-21 Bison pilot was "missing in action".
Concern over safety of missing pilot after Pak claims he has been captured
With Pakistan on Wednesday claiming that it has captured the missing pilot of the downed IAF plane, leaders of various parties expressed concern over the well-being of the officer and voiced hope that he will return soon. India has said it is ascertaining Pakistan's claim after the Pakistan Army released a 46-second video showing a blindfolded man claiming he is IAF's Wing Commander Abhinandan. "I'm sorry to hear that one of our brave IAF pilots is missing. I hope he will return home soon, unharmed. We stand by our armed forces in these difficult times," Congress President Rahul Gandhi said. DMK leader M K Stalin urged the Centre "to do everything necessary to get him safely back home at the earliest". The hashtags 'BringBackAbhinandan' and 'Abhinandan' were trending on the social media, where people were appealing for efforts for the safe return of the officer. Taking to Twitter, the leaders said their thoughts are with the family and friends of the pilot and the whole country is ...
Omar urges PM to suspend political activities till pilot returns; says asked Oppn to defer meet
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suspend all his political activities till the missing Indian Air Force pilot returns home safely, and also asked Opposition parties to put off their meeting in the national capital. India Wednesday said the pilot went missing after the IAF foiled Pakistan Air Force's attack on military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan claims the pilot is in its custody. "PM Modi must suspend his political activities until #WingCommanderAbhinandan is returned safely. It can't be business as usual with him crisscrossing the country at taxpayer expense making political speeches while our pilot is a Pakistani captive," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. The former chief minister said he had requested Opposition parties also to postpone their meeting in New Delhi. "I had requested the opposition to postpone the meeting in light of the developments, especially after the news of our pilot being in Pakistani
Nigeria's Buhari wins re-election as opposition vows court battle
Muhammadu Buhari was on Wednesday re-elected Nigeria's president after a delayed poll that angered voters and raised political temperatures, but the opposition immediately vowed to challenge the "sham" result in court. It was the second victory at the ballot box for Buhari, a one-time military ruler who was first elected in 2015 to lead Africa's most-populous nation and top oil producer. With ballots counted in all of Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Buhari triumphed with some 15.2 million votes over his nearest rival Atiku Abubakar, who trailed by nearly four million votes. "Muhammadu Buhari... is hereby declared winner and is returned elected," Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) announced early Wednesday. However, Abubakar rejected the result of the vote, which has been marred by claims of rigging and corruption. "If I had lost in a free and fair election, I would have called the victor within seconds ..
Hurriyat leader asks India, Pak to desist from warmongering
Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Wednesday asked India and Pakistan to desist from warmongering, saying war will be a disaster for the entire region. Mirwaiz, who was prevented from holding a press conference by authorities at his Nigeen residence, said dialogue was the only way forward. "Leadership and people of Kashmir greatly urge India and Pakistan not to escalate the situation and desist from warmongering which will be a disaster for the entire region. We ask both governments that as in the past, escalation and war can never resolve the issues between them, and only talking to one another is the way forward," he said. Referring to Tuesday's National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids on separatists, the Hurriyat leader said there was a "threatening and grave atmosphere created by the authoritarian state across Kashmir and people are being psychologically intimidated". The NIA had carried out searches at seven locations, including on the premises of ...
Karnataka govt puts police& intelligence depts on high alert
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday said police and intelligence departments have been directed to be on "high alert", amid escalation of tension between India and Pakistan after the IAF carried out strikes on terror bases in the neighbouring country. The Chief Minister said directions have been given to officials to take all precautionary measures. "In the wake of the unfortunate killing of our soldiers (CRPF personnel), since yesterday, the Defence department has taken some retaliatory measures. At a time when the situation depicts conflict between two countries, all state governments need to be alert. As things are sensitive, we have given directions to our officials to be on high alert," Kumaraswamy said. Speaking to reporters in Mandya, he said "as we are witnessing complicated days in the country, in this backdrop we need to be alert. The Chief Minister said he had already directed the police and intelligence departments and other officials to take ...
Trump-Kim handshake, optimism to kick off nuclear summit
US President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their second summit Wednesday and predicted successful talks with the totalitarian state over its nuclear weapons. Trump foresaw a "very successful" summit as the pair greeted each other at the luxury Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi to follow up on their initial historic meeting in Singapore in June. Shaking hands and smiling in front of a bank of a dozen alternating US and North Korean flags, they briefly took questions from reporters before starting one-on-one talks and a dinner. Critics said the Singapore summit was light on concrete results but Trump said the Hanoi talks would be "equal or better than the first" time. Kim said: "I am certain that a great outcome will be achieved this time that will be welcomed by all people." Negotiations were scheduled to resume on Thursday. Earlier, Trump sent a tweet touting North Korea's "AWESOME" potential if his "friend" Kim agrees to ...
Russia urges India, Pakistan to ''show restraint'
Russia on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to ''show restraint" as it expressed "serious concern" about the escalation of hostilities between the two countries. "We call on both sides to show restraint and step up efforts to resolve existing problems by political and diplomatic means," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said in a statement. It expressed "serious concern" about the aggravation of the situation along the Line of Control and the outbreak of tensions between the two neighbours. "We are ready to further assist in strengthening the counter-terrorism potential of New Delhi and Islamabad," the ministry added. The fresh confrontation came a day after Indian Air Force launched a counter-terrorism action against a training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan, based on credible evidence that the UN-proscribed terror group intended to launch terror attacks. The JeM had taken the responsibility of the terror strike in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, in ...