Latest news with #Illegally
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
India claims changed tactics ‘worked well' in conflict with Pakistan
SINGAPORE: India switched tactics after suffering losses in the air on the first day of conflict with Pakistan earlier this month and established a decisive advantage before the neighbours announced a ceasefire three days later, India's highest ranking general said on Saturday. The heaviest fighting in decades between Pakistan and India was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on 'terrorists' backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi claimed 'terrorist infrastructure' sites across the border. Pakistan has said it downed six Indian planes, including at least three Rafale fighters, in the initial clashes. The ceasefire was announced on May 10 after bitter fighting in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery. General Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defence staff, said in an interview that India suffered initial losses in the air, but declined to give details. 'What was important is, why did these losses occur, and what we'll do after that,' he told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, referring to the Pakistani claim of downing jets. 'So we rectified tactics and then went back on the 7th, 8th and 10th in large numbers to hit air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, carried out precision strikes.' The Indian air force 'flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordinances on the 10th', he said. India has previously said its missiles and drones struck at least eight Pakistani air bases across the country that day, including one near the capital Islamabad. The Pakistan military says that India did not fly its fighter jets again in the conflict after suffering losses on May 7. India's director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, had told a press conference earlier in the month that 'losses are a part of combat' and that India had downed some Pakistani jets. Islamabad has denied it suffered any losses of planes but has acknowledged its air bases suffered some hits although losses were minimal. No nuclear worries Some of the attacks were on bases near Pakistan's nuclear facilities, but they themselves were not targeted, media reports have said. 'Most of the strikes were delivered with pinpoint accuracy, some even to a metre, to whatever was our selected mean point of impact,' Chauhan claimed. Chauhan, and Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, have both said there was no danger at any time during the conflict that nuclear weapons were considered. 'I think there's a lot of space before that nuclear threshold is crossed, a lot of signalling before that, I think nothing like that happened,' Chauhan said. 'There's a lot of space for conventional operations which has been created, and this will be the new norm. 'It's my personal view that the most rational people are people in uniform when conflict takes place,' he added. 'During this operation, I found both sides displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions. So why should we assume that in the nuclear domain there will be irrationality on someone else's part?' Chauhan also said that although Pakistan is closely allied with China, which borders India in the north and east, there was no sign of any actual help from Beijing during the conflict. 'While this was unfolding from (April) 22nd onwards, we didn't find any unusual activity in the operational or tactical depth of our northern borders, and things were generally all right.' Asked whether China may have provided any satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence to Pakistan during the conflict, Chauhan said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China as well as other sources. He added that while hostilities had ceased, the Indian government had made it clear it would 'respond precisely and decisively should there be any further terror attacks emanating from Pakistan.' 'So that has its own dynamics as far the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7.'
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India to conduct mock drills along Pakistan's border
An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier patrols near the fenced border with Pakistan. PHOTO: REUTERS / FILE Listen to article Four Indian states along the Pakistan border are set to conduct large-scale civil defence mock drills from Thursday (today) just weeks after a ceasefire was brokered following military escalation. According to Indian media quoting authorities, mock drills will be conducted in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Punjab and Gujarat on Thursday evening. The Haryana government has also announced a state-wide emergency preparedness exercise titled "Operation Shield," scheduled today across all 22 districts from 5pm (local time) onwards, aimed at enhancing readiness in the event of a crisis. The drill, being organised under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios in the wake of national security concerns, as per the Indian media. Additionally, a controlled blackout of 15 minutes will be observed from 8pm to 8.15pm near vital installations, with the exception of essential emergency services such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations. Home Department Haryana Additional Chief Secretary Dr Sumita Misra said, "The exercise aims to test existing emergency mechanisms, improve coordination between the civil administration, defence forces, and local communities, and identify areas that need to be strengthened, thus ensuring swift and effective response during any crisis." Earlier, a statewide mock drill was conducted on May 7 shortly after India launched airstrikes in Pakistan, which hit civilian populations including mosques, claiming lives of 26 civilians.
Business Recorder
23-05-2025
- Business Recorder
IndiGo flight facing severe weather was denied diversion requests, India says
An IndiGo passenger plane attempting to avoid severe weather en route to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was denied permission to divert towards Pakistan by both the Indian Air Force and Pakistan, India's aviation regulator said on Friday. No passengers were injured when the flight from India's capital Delhi to the northern Indian city of Srinagar was forced to fly through a hailstorm. But a post-landing inspection revealed damage to the aircraft's nose, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement, adding that the incident was under investigation. An image shared by the Times of India newspaper on the social media platform X showed a large hole in the front of the aircraft, while a video also circulating on the site showed passengers screaming and praying during the turbulence. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video. The incident highlights the risks commercial airlines and passengers face after tensions between Pakistan and India led the two nuclear-armed neighbours to close their airspaces to each other's airlines last month. IndiGo hopes bookings will recover in June after Pakistan, India conflict The Airbus A321neo, which typically has seating capacity for 180 to 220 passengers, was first denied a request to turn towards the Pakistan, India border by the Indian Air Force, the regulator said, without specifying the reason. The IAF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The flight crew then contacted the city of Lahore in Pakistan requesting entry into Pakistan's airspace, but that was also denied, the DGCA said. A spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment. The crew of flight 6E 2142 then flew through the storm, choosing the shortest route to Srinagar, the summer capital of IIOJK. 'The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar,' IndiGo said in a statement. It later said the aircraft was undergoing checks in Srinagar and would resume operations once clearances had been secured. Tensions flared between Pakistan and India following a deadly attack on tourists in IIOJK in April, eventually triggering the two neighbours' worst military conflict in nearly three decades. The two countries declared a truce earlier this month. Their airspaces, however, remain closed to each other's airlines.
Express Tribune
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Modi says Pakistan will not get water from Indian-controlled rivers
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that New Delhi would not tolerate 'nuclear blackmail' in the event of further conflict with Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights. He threatened, "Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack ... Pakistan's army will pay it. Pakistan's economy will pay it," during an event in Rajasthan. Pakistan's Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan responded to the situation in an interview with Reuters, stating, "Pakistan is willing to talk about or to address anything, any concerns they may have." He stressed that any discussions on the treaty "would have to take part under the terms of the treaty," underscoring Pakistan's position that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains legally binding. In the wake of escalating tensions between Pakistan and India following an attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on April 22, Pakistan has condemned India for holding the treaty in 'abeyance'. The treaty guarantees water for nearly 80% of Pakistan's agriculture from three rivers that flow from India, making it a critical lifeline for the country's farming sector. On the treaty's suspension by India last month, Awan said, "As far as Pakistan is concerned, the treaty is very much operational, functional, and anything which India does, it does at its own cost and peril as far as the building of any hydroelectric power projects are concerned." Despite the heightened rhetoric, the ceasefire agreed on May 10 has largely held. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there have been no recent exchanges of fire and "there has been some repositioning of forces accordingly." However, he reiterated India's stance on counterterrorism, stating, "The (military) operation continues because there is a clear message ... that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response. We will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are." A day earlier, at least five people, including three schoolchildren, were martyred and several others injured in a suicide attack targeting a school bus in Khuzdar early Wednesday morning. The military's media wing stated that "three innocent children and two adults have embraced Shahadat" and multiple children have sustained injuries in the "cowardly and ghastly attack planned and orchestrated by the terrorist state of India and executed by its proxies in Balochistan". The ISPR added that India has unleashed its proxies to spread terror and unrest in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa through such heinous and cowardly acts after miserably failing on the battlefield. The top military commanders declared that 'no one can coerce Pakistan through the use or threat of force' and that the hostile elements trained and financed to incite chaos in the country will be decimated. The declaration was made at the 270th Corps Commanders' Conference chaired by Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the GHQ in Rawalpindi on Thursday. Earlier this week, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan is a peace-loving country, but any act of Indian aggression will be met with a swift and decisive response. Speaking in an interview with Anadolu Agency, the chief military spokesperson said that Pakistan would not accept any form of regional dominance. 'Pakistan will never bow down to Indian hegemony,' he said, adding that 'the sooner they [India] realise this, the better it will be for regional peace and the world.'
Business Recorder
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Pakistan will not get water over which India has rights, says Modi
NEW DELHI: Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, a month after a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) led New Delhi to suspend a key river water-sharing treaty between the neighbours. Indian PM Modi set to address nation after Pakistan truce
