Kashmir Conflict

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Pakistan is committing atrocities against people in its occupied Kashmir and will have to bear its consequences. Hinting at retrieving Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the minister said the goal of overall development in the twin Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be achieved "after reaching Gilgit and Baltistan" -- parts of PoK. "We have just begun our journey of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. We will achieve our goal when we reach Gilgit and Baltistan," Singh said addressing the 'Shaurya Diwas' event -- enactment of landing at Srinagar by Indian Air Force on this day in 1947. Referring to the "atrocities" committed by Pakistan against the people in PoK, the defence minister said the neighbouring country will have to "bear its consequences". "Terrorism has no religion. The only aim of terrorists is to target India," he said. Singh said the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019,

Authorities in South Kashmir's Shopian attempted to put on a brave face by claiming no exodus of Kashmiri Pandits had taken place from the district but members of the minority community, who have since been camping in Jammu, ruled out having any plan to return to the Valley. While a verified Twitter handle of the Information and Public Relations department of Shopian claimed that the news about leaving of "Kashmiri non-migrant Hindu population" was "baseless", Ashwani Kumar Bhat, whose brother Puran Krishan Bhat was gunned down by terrorists on October 16, told reporters in Jammu that he has migrated and will never return to the valley. The authorities claimed on Twitter that "proper and robust security arrangements have been kept in place by the administration in the village. Even at other pockets of Kashmiri non-migrant Hindu habitations and villages, similar security arrangements are in place". Puran Krishan Bhat was killed by terrorists in Choudharygund area of Shopian at a plac

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his desire for peaceful relations with India based on the principles of "equity, justice and mutual respect" and the resolution of the Kashmir issue, according to a media report on Friday. Sharif also urged the international community to play a "facilitative role" to ensure durable peace and stability in South Asia, it said, amidst a chill in bilateral ties over the Kashmir issue and cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Sharif expressed these views during a meeting with the newly-appointed Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins, on Thursday, the Dawn Newspaper quoted the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as saying. Pakistan desires peaceful ties with India, based on the principles of equity, justice and mutual respect. In this context, a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, was indispensable, Shar

Describing the Kashmir issue as "the elephant in the room", Pakistan minister Hina Rabbani Khar said any efforts to integrate South Asia and boost trade would be futile without resolving the conflict

'Every attack on our Pandit brothers is an out-and-out attack on the very soul of Kashmir. I'm looking for times, when both Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits live side by side'

An encounter has started between terrorists and security forces at Khrew in Pampore area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday morning, officials said.

It looks to consolidate gains in Jammu and Kashmir and act fast while Pakistan is focused on Afghan developments

Thirty-nine per cent also believe that the police are corrupt in conflict-affected regions, while 20 per cent shared such a perception of the paramilitary/army, study says

An aeroplane-shaped balloon with 'PIA' written on it was found in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar sector on Tuesday evening, Jammu and Kashmir Police said

Two terrorists surrendered on Tuesday during an encounter with the security forces in South Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said

Two terrorists were killed and another was captured on Sunday in a gunfight with security forces in the higher reaches of Surankote in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. The terrorists are believed to have infiltrated into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) about three days back and were heading for south Kashmir's Shopian district when they were intercepted in a snow-bound area along the Mughal Road in the afternoon, the officials said. They said it was a joint group of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists and have been pushed into this side in an apparent attempt to disturb the ongoing district development council (DDC) elections which got a tremendous response from the people, causing frustration to Pakistan. The officials said police, assisted by the Army, launched a joint cordon and search operation in remote Chattapani-Dugran village after getting information about the presence of three suspected terrorists. The terrorists

Pakistan resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district's Degwar sector

Pakistan used heavy artillery during Friday's unprovoked ceasefire violations along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, causing loss of lives and damage to property on the Indian side, a top BSF officer said

The militants made an abortive bid during the night to infiltrate into the Indian side of the LoC in Machil sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, they added

Jammu's problem is compounded by the fact that any industry that invests is more likely to do so in Jammu than the volatile Valley, and so their risk of land loss to "development" is high, says Kumar

India has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country

On Kashmir issue, Khan reiterated that he has never been in favour of a military solution

The militants were given the opportunity to surrender and repeated appeals were made through local elders, a police official said

Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal rejected by New Delhi which maintains that there is no role for any third party in bilateral issues.

India's strong statement came after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday voiced "great concern" over India's amended citizenship law and reports of "police inaction"