Latest news with #PoK-based
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Assets of terrorist settled in PoK attached in J&K's Ramban
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir police attached the immovable property of a PoK-based terrorist in Ramban district's Dharamkund area on Tuesday. 'The land, registered in the name of one Ali Mohd, son of Abdullah Sheikh, has been attached. It highlights Ramban police's commitment to neutralizing the threats to national security,' police spokesperson said.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist gets 10 years in jail in UP's Moradabad
A court in Moradabad has sentenced Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Ulfat Hussain to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for involvement in terror activities, the additional district government counsel said on Tuesday. Additional District and Sessions Judge, Moradabad, Chhaya Sharma also imposed a fine of ₹48,000 on the terrorist in the order pronounced on Monday, ADGC Suresh Singh said. Also Read: Hizbul chief's 2 sons in Tihar jail approach HC, say let us phone our family Ulfat Hussain alias Mohammad Saiful Islam, a resident of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, has been involved in terrorist activities since 2002 and was absconding after being granted bail in 2008, according to Singh. Also Read: Properties of 5 PoK-based Hizbul terrorists confiscated in Ramban The Moradabad court had issued permanent warrants against him in both 2015 and 2025. A reward of ₹25,000 was announced for information leading to his arrest. On March 8, 2025, a joint operation conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Katghar Police successfully apprehended him in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, and subsequently transferred him to Moradabad jail, Singh said.
Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
We need a strategy that makes Pakistan shun proxy wars once and for all
Apart from other measures, a kinetic response to the Pahalgam massacre was inevitable. The sheer brazenness of the terrorists who targeted innocent tourists and attempted to disturb communal peace in India warranted such a response. Indian forces responded on May 7 by targeting nine key sites of three Pakistan and PoK-based terror groups. Since then, the two sides have been locked in aerial aggression, which seems to be escalating. In military terms, the stage has not yet reached the level of a 'limited' war. Pakistan's capacity to sustain hostilities is far less than that of India. However, the embattled General Asim Munir could well decide to showcase his country's 'nuclear muscle' as a desperate act aimed at inviting international intervention to de-escalate. At that stage, Pakistan may try to internationalise the Kashmir issue, equating it with the issue of Palestine. There is no doubt that India has enough resources to thwart any such attempt. That said, it is imperative to appreciate that India and Pakistan have lived with wars since their birth as sovereign nations. This 'limited' near-war is surely going to add to that legacy for generations on both sides. In order to become a developed country, India needs to resolve the Pakistan issue once and for all. The current near-war may be an opportunity to revisit the legacy of past wars while crafting a well-thought-out and patient response to achieve 'strategic peace' with Pakistan. The British colonial power left the Indian Subcontinent divided and Partition uprooted millions on both sides. The stories of violence on both sides can put humanity to shame. Though millions of Muslims remained in their homeland in India, Partition was — and even today is being — described by some Western and South Asian experts as a faith-based division of the Subcontinent. It has distorted public discourse in both countries and created space for hate and intolerance. Another manifestation of the legacy of Partition came quickly with the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India. This, too, was — and is still being seen — by some Western and South Asian experts through a communal lens. The India-Pakistan war in 1947-48 led to another division — this time of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This Partition was challenged by both sides and a lot has happened since then. This is the second legacy of war between the two sides. It has been used as a basis for destructive interference by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir for decades and as a rationale for the operation of its proxies — terror groups. The third, most defining, legacy of war came in 1971, when, with Indian support, the people of East Pakistan succeeded in their struggle to gain independence from West Pakistan. For Pakistan, the creation of Bangladesh remains an open wound, especially for the Pakistan army, which portrays itself as the 'eternal saviour' of the country. Blaming India for its own failures to handle insurgencies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa partly stems from this legacy of the 1971 war. The problems between India and Pakistan kept compounding at each stage in their history. Before any reconciliation could happen, another pitch for war would pit one side against the other. The historical baggage kept becoming heavier with each decade. The events in Afghanistan, too, have had a deep impact on India-Pakistan dynamics ever since 'violent jihad' was taught as a 'tool of resistance' to Afghans against the Kabul government, which was supported by 'godless' Soviet troops. Pakistan agreed to become the frontline state to execute this project on behalf of the US, Saudi Arabia and their allies from 1979 to 1989. However, Pakistan has continued to use this 'tool' against neighbours to fulfil its own agenda for the past 36 years. Pakistan has seized on some of its internal divisions and some fissures within India to further its project across its borders. Therefore, when someone refers to terror groups as 'Islamic' terror groups, it suits the Pakistani project and builds its narrative. Fortunately, however, Pakistan has repeatedly failed in creating any mass base for the use of its 'tool' in India, including in Jammu and Kashmir. This must be factored into India's strategic response. Historically, not many countries have succeeded in carrying out genuine reconciliation after the end of wars or after a long period of active hostilities. Russia and China are two nations that have done so and are reaping benefits today. East and West Germany, too, reconciled with the baggage of a 'dark past', which they have consciously addressed for the sake of generations to come and the future of Europe. Currently, and understandably, kinetic actions are hogging the mindspace on both sides. The de-escalation will happen eventually, hopefully without any substantive losses to India. India is well-placed to handle that next step. It is also well aware that every terrorist action will need a unique response. That is why there is an urgent need for deep thought on framing a strategic response, one that ensures strategic peace with Pakistan, so that it shuns its proxy wars once and for all. Moreover, Pakistan has already suffered the most significant strategic loss in the current battle by trying to militarily target Jammu and Kashmir, which it claims to support. By harming thriving tourism, Pakistan is now indelibly etched in each Kashmiri mind as the violator of the economic prosperity and advancement of the Kashmiri people. The writer is a security analyst and former director general of police
India.com
09-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
India-Pakistan War: India Strikes Jaish-e-Mohammad Base in Bahawalpur, Linked to Daniel Pearl's 2002 Killing
New Delhi: India's Operation Sindoor has struck a decisive blow against the terrorist infrastructure of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Bahawalpur, Pakistan -- a group long believed to have played a role in one of the darkest episodes in the post-9/11 world: the brutal killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl. The operation, launched in response to the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, was reportedly aimed at dismantling Pakistan and PoK-based terror sites, including that of a JeM facility deeply tied to multiple cross-border terror activities. But for many, this was more than just strategic retaliation. It was a thread in a web woven two decades ago -- one that ties terror attacks, state complicity, and personal grief across generations and borders. On X, Judea Pearl, father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, posted a pointed critique, accompanied by a photograph of a funeral procession for the JeM terrorists killed in the Bahawalpur strike. Pakistani Army officers and other Muslim leaders are seen standing in front of coffins. "I wish these dignitaries could tell us: 'What exactly are you mourning? What role models you wish your children to revere? What have you learned from this man'?" Pearl wrote. Pearl's anguish is not abstract. His son, Daniel, began working at The Wall Street Journal in 1990, eventually taking assignments that led him deep into the nexus of terrorism and intelligence in South Asia. In 2002, while investigating links between extremist groups and Pakistan's ISI, he was kidnapped and later beheaded by terrorists linked to JeM. At the centre of Pearl's murder was Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British Pakistani militant with a chilling history. Once jailed in India for kidnapping Western tourists, Sheikh was released in 2000 in exchange for hostages during the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 hijacking. Within two years of his release, he lured Daniel Pearl to his death. On Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the press: "Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was directly or indirectly responsible for the killing of Daniel Pearl." "The real connection is through Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the British Pakistani jihadi who was held in India but was finally released in 2000. And he was the one who lured Daniel Pearl to his eventual murder. So, these are all connected figures, connected individuals, connected institutions. The attack on Bahawalpur, on that facility of JeM in Bahawalpur, is, I would say, a fitting part of this unfortunate incident,' Misri said. Operation Sindoor may go down in the books as another effective counter-terror victory, but for the Pearl family, and indeed for much of the world, it resonates on a far deeper level. As images of the slain JeM operatives' funerals circulate, the question posed by Judea Pearl hangs heavily in the air: What exactly are you mourning?
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Time of India
Flight diversions to cause longer travel times as India shuts 24 airports after Pakistan's escalation: What you need to know
Flight diversions across India are set to become longer and more cumbersome for passengers, following the closure of 24 airports amid heightened tensions with Pakistan. #Operation Sindoor Live Updates| From Sindoor to showdown, track Indo-Pak conflict as it unfolds Pakistani Air Force jet shot down in Pathankot by Indian Air Defence: Sources India on high alert: What's shut, who's on leave, and state-wise emergency measures The impact is particularly severe for flights operating between northern India and parts of the west or beyond, as several key alternate airports have now been taken off the map. The disruption stems from Pakistan's escalation of the current conflict with India, and the Indian Army's Operation Sindoor , targeting Pakistan and PoK-based terrorist hubs—a move that has forced almost all airlines, Indian and international, to reroute traffic via the Mumbai sector. Read more: Airlines issue travel advisories for Indian travellers as tensions with Pakistan escalate; from IndiGo to Air India, who said what Diversion airports become distant The situation escalated further on Friday when 24 Indian airports, including key bases in Jammu, Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, were declared non-operational until at least Saturday morning. Live Events With diversion options such as Rajkot now unavailable, aircraft will need to travel even further in case of unscheduled landings or emergencies. 'Now the diversion airports are more distant, like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Goa. So, in case of diversion, aircraft will have to fly for a longer distance both while headed there and then when resuming their journey to north India,' a senior pilot told TOI. The airports currently closed include Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bhatinda, Halwara, Pathankot, Bhuntar, Shimla, Gaggal, Dharamsala, Kishangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mundra, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Kandla, Keshod, Bhuj, Gwalior, and Hindon. The shift of air traffic to the western corridor is creating further congestion, particularly around Mumbai. 'Pakistan escalates; aircraft get farther away' 'Whenever Pakistan escalates the conflict, aircraft will get little farther away routes (from Pakistan airspace) in the Indian airspace. This will lead to slightly longer routes. But the big difference will be when an en route flight diverts to now further away airports in India,' the pilot added. In response, Indian carriers have already repositioned aircraft and crew from the affected airports. Aircraft were ferried out without passengers, and ground staff were moved via rail to major cities like Delhi. A senior airline official said: 'The aircraft were flown out as ferry flights (without passengers). Crew stationed there has also been brought to Delhi or other places by trains. As of now, given the way Pakistan is brazenly acting, we don't know when normalcy will return and these airports will open. So, we couldn't have had our crew stuck there.' Also read: Delhi airport operations to remain normal amid India-Pakistan tensions; Air India, Akasa issue advisory IndiGo, for instance, relocated four aircraft from Chandigarh, and sent its stationed crew to Delhi by train. Meanwhile, international long-haul routes are also feeling the ripple effects. United Airlines has added a technical stop in Frankfurt on its New York (EWR) to Delhi service, citing the current operational challenges. Other carriers are also adjusting schedules and monitoring developments closely. As airspace restrictions persist and diversion options dwindle, airlines and passengers alike are bracing for longer travel times and increased disruptions in the days ahead.
