&w=3840&q=100)
Pak Major who captured IAF pilot Abhinandan in 2019 killed in Waziristan
According to a statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 11 terrorists were killed and seven others injured in the clash. The encounter took place in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan district, following intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the region.
Major Shah, 37, a native of Chakwal, led the operation and 'paid the ultimate sacrifice while leading his troops from the front', ISPR said. Alongside him, 27-year-old Lance Naik Jibranullah of Bannu also lost his life in the exchange of fire.
Maj Shah was part of the team involved in capturing then-Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in 2019.
The 2019 aerial dogfight and Abhinandan's capture
Following the February 14, 2019, Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where 40 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed, India carried out an airstrike on a terrorist training camp in Balakot on February 26.
The next day, Pakistani fighter jets attempted to target Indian military installations, prompting an aerial dogfight. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, flying a MiG-21 Bison as part of India's counter-response from the 51 Squadron based in Srinagar, was shot down and captured after ejecting across the Line of Control (LoC).
His capture drew national attention in both countries. Back-channel diplomacy ensued amid escalating tensions. While Pakistan reportedly tried to leverage Abhinandan's capture, India issued a stern warning, resulting in a swift resolution. On February 28, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced his release as a 'gesture of peace'.
Abhinandan returned home 58 hours after his capture, crossing the Attari-Wagah border to a hero's welcome. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later said he had made India proud.
Civilians caught in crossfire during Waziristan operation
The Sararogha operation also resulted in civilian casualties. Two women travelling in a pickup from Khamrang to Wana were killed when their vehicle got caught in the crossfire. Five others, including two women, were injured. Deputy Commissioner of Lower South Waziristan Nisar Khan confirmed the incident and said a police investigation has been launched, Dawn reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
NIA court convicts 3 men for smuggling fake Indian currency notes from Malaysia
Mumbai, Three accused have been convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment by the National Investigation Agency court here for involvement in smuggling of high-quality counterfeit notes from Malaysia into India, an official statement issued on Thursday said. NIA court convicts 3 men for smuggling fake Indian currency notes from Malaysia Danish Haji Mohammed Petiwala and Sarasvati Dattaram alias Muskan have been sentenced to five years, six months and two days of RI and a fine of ₹6,000 each, it said. J Kaleel Rahman will undergo RI of five years, five months and 18 days along with a fine of ₹5,000, according to the orders of the court, which held all three guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Act, said the NIA statement. The 2020 case emanated from information received by the Customs Department, Mumbai, regarding the import of a parcel from Malaysia containing fake Indian currency notes of a total face value of ₹68,000 , it said. The parcel was addressed to one Sangita Kapoor at her Goregaon , Mumbai, address, the NIA said. Investigations revealed the involvement of Danish Haji, a resident of Mahim, Mumbai, and his girlfriend Sarasvati, along with a Malaysian resident, Amir Mirza alias Rafiq Shaikh, a wanted absconder against whom a non-bailable warrant was also issued in September 2020. The Customs officials also recovered one FICN from Hotel Adya International, Andheri East, where Danish and Sarasvati had stayed before their arrest, the NIA said. After taking over the case, which exposed the use of banking channels and postal services to transfer FICNs in exchange for genuine currency, the NIA found that Danish and Sarasvati had conspired with Amir and Kalil to smuggle high-quality counterfeit currency from Malaysia to India, with the intent of destabilising India's financial system, it added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
HT Archive: A call to forge a sense of national identity
I propose to speak bluntly and sincerely about the state of the nation 50 years after Independence. I would be dishonouring the memory of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and of his mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, if I try to be economical with the truth. Citizens celebrate India's independence from British rule in the streets of erstwhile Calcutta. (Getty Images) Those of us who have lived through the earlier days of free India, when the entire nation was looking forward with zeal and fervour and with a sense of national pride, cannot but look upon the present times with deep anguish and distress. The only achievement of Indian democracy has been that it has survived unfractured for 50 years. The achievement is all the more creditable, since no other democracy has had such diversity in unity, or was such a mosaic of humanity. All the great religions in the world have flourished in India. We have 15 major languages written in different alphabets and derived from different roots and for good measure, our people whom you can never call taciturn express themselves in 250 dialects. In 1950, we started as a Republic with three inestimable advantages. First, we had 5,000 years of civilisation behind us –– a civilisation which had reached 'the summit of human thought' in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson. We had a superb entrepreneurial spirit, honed over a century of obstacles. Secondly, whereas before 1858, India was never a united political entity, in that year, the accident of British rule welded us into one country, one nation; and when Independence came, we had been in unified nationality for almost a century under one head of state. Thirdly, our founding fathers, after two long years of laborious and painful toil, gave us a Constitution which a former Chief Justice of India rightly described as 'substance'. Unfortunately, over the years we dissipated every advantage we started with, like a compulsive gambler bent upon squandering an invaluable legacy. For the first 40 years, successive governments imposed mindless socialism on the nation, which held in thrall the people's endeavour and enterprise. They respected the shells of socialism state control and state ownership while the kernel, the spirit of social justice, was left with no chance of coming to life. We shut our eyes to the act that socialism is to social justice what ritual is to religion and dogma is to truth. The most persistent tendency in India has been to have too much government and too little administration, too many laws and too little justice, too many public servants and too little public service; too many controls and too little welfare. The picture that emerges is that of a great nation in a state of moral decay, of which corruption and indiscipline are two of the several facets. In the land of Mahatma Gandhi, violence is on the throne today. Mobocracy has too often displaced democracy. The contribution of modern India to sociology has been Bandh –– the closure of an entire city by militant rowdies. If I am asked to name one curse which deserves to be regarded as the greatest curse of India, I would say it is casteism. Unfortunately, divisiveness has become the Indian disease: Communal hatred, linguistic fanaticism, regional fealty, and caste loyalty are gnawing at the vitals of the unity and integrity of the country. To the growing army of terrorists and professional hooligans, caste or clan, creed or tongue, is a sufficient ground to kill their fellow citizens. National integration is born in the hearts of the citizens. When it dies there, no army, no government can save it. Interfaith harmony and consciousness of the essential unity of all religions is the very heart of our national integration. The soul of India aspires to integration and assimilation. The day will come when the 26 states of India will realise that in a profound sense they are culturally akin, ethnically identical, linguistically knit and historically related. The major task before India today is to acquire a keener sense of national identity, to gain the wisdom to cherish its priceless heritage, and to create a cohesive society with the cement of Indian culture. Edited excerpts of an article written by eminent jurist and author Nani A Palkhiwala that appeared on August 15, 1997.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
IMEC is long-term project built on a shared vision of diversifying supply chains: Gérard Mestrallet
The IMEC corridor is a long-term project built on a shared vision of diversifying supply chains between three regions while creating new mutually beneficial interdependencies, and generating growth and socio-economic development along its route. France and India's cooperation on IMEC is rooted in their strong strategic partnership. This bilateral dialogue feeds directly into the project's strategic vision, French Special Envoy on IMEC Gérard Mestrallet told ET's Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury during his recent India visit. Independence Day 2025 Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it's a maker What is the French view on IMEC amid volatility in West Asia? The IMEC corridor is a long-term project built on a shared vision of diversifying supply chains between three regions while creating new mutually beneficial interdependencies, and generating growth and socio-economic development along its route. My two main priorities have been to structure collective governance among IMEC MoU signatories, and launch diagnostic and feasibility studies — an essential step to assess investment needs. Following this preliminary phase, a precise development plan will be defined, with the private sector playing a central role. Many infrastructure and investment projects already exist along the IMEC route. The challenge is to accelerate capacity development or build the missing links, particularly for the rail segment in the Middle East. What are the distinct advantages of the Port of Marseille as an entry point for IMEC? The port of Marseille is already a multidimensional connectivity hub and a gateway to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The port of Marseille Fos is now set to become one of the main entry and exit points for IMEC in Europe and the Mediterranean. With that being said, the IMEC concept does not exclude the possibility of there being several interconnection points in the regions served. Marseille Fos stands out as a triple hub: logistics and industry, shipping, and digital services. Marseille is already at the crossroads of several European corridors, forming part of two trans-European transport networks and the H2med network via the BarMar link. Further, Marseille is the sixth largest digital hub in the world. By 2027, the city will be connected to 54 countries via 16 submarine cable networks, with six cables scheduled to become operational between 2025 and 2027. In terms of energy, Marseille Fos port has major ambitions in the carbon-free hydrogen sector. It is also home to the headquarters of CMA CGM, a global maritime leader, which is also investing in one of the Mundra Port terminals. How is France collaborating with India to implement IMEC? France and India's cooperation on IMEC is rooted in their strong strategic partnership. This bilateral dialogue feeds directly into the project's strategic vision. While IMEC requires consultation between all signatory countries, some may naturally be more proactive than others. I believe that this is an ambition shared by India and France – as illustrated by France organizing the inaugural IMEC Sherpas meeting in May 2025, and India convening the first IMEC Steering Committee meeting in early August in New Delhi. The year 2026, designated as the India-France Year of Innovation, will offer further opportunities to advance this approach and explore solutions to key challenges in digital connectivity, which is one of the pillars of IMEC alongside logistics and energy connectivity.
