Pakistan continues ceasefire violation on LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch

 

Proceeding with unwarranted truce infringement on the line of control (LoC), Pakistan turned to substantial shelling to target Indian situations on Friday in J&K's Poonch locale.

Guard Ministry representative Colonel Devender Anand stated, "At about 5.15 a.m. today Pakistan started unwarranted truce infringement by shooting with little arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Mankote area of Poonch region. The Indian armed force fought back befittingly."

A JCO of the military was harmed in Pakistan truce infringement on the LoC in a similar locale on Thursday.

Since the start of this current year, Pakistan has been disregarding without any potential repercussions the respective truce arrangement marked by the two nations in 1999.

24 regular citizens have been executed and more than 100 harmed in almost 3,200 truce infringement by Pakistan on the LoC in J&K since January 2020.

• IANS

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Would be unwise to alienate India, turn to Pakistan as partner: US expert

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Amid an increased India-Pak tension on Kashmir and an ongoing Afghan peace talks, a top American foreign policy expert has cautioned the Trump Administration against any strategic tilt towards Pakistan and moving away from India.
"The US would be unwise to turn to Pakistan as a strategic partner," Richard N Hass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an op-ed last week.Pakistan sees a friendly government in Kabul as vital to its security and competition with arch-rival India, he wrote in his op-ed that was first published by Project Syndicate and thereafter, on the CFR website.
"There is little reason to believe that the military and intelligence services, which continue to run Pakistan, will rein in the Taliban or rule out terrorism," Hass said."Equally, the US would be unwise to alienate India. Yes, India has a tradition of protectionist trade policies and often frustrates US policymakers with its reluctance to cooperate fully on strategic issues," he wrote.
But democratic India, which will soon surpass China as the world's most populous country and will boast the world's fifth-largest economy, is a good long-term bet, he added.
"It is a natural partner to help balance China. India has rejected participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative, whereas Pakistan, struggling economically, has embraced it," Hass said.According to the top American scholar, the US would also be unwise to race for the exits from Afghanistan.

Peace talks with the Taliban mostly look like a means to extract US forces from the country, he claimed, adding that the process is reminiscent of Vietnam, where a 1973 agreement between the US and North Vietnam provided a pretext for American withdrawal from the South but not a basis for peace....Read More

Can't hide if an F-16 is shot down, says Pakistan; rejects India's claim

Current Affairs

Pakistan Army on Monday once again rejected India's claim of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet, saying one cannot hide if a plane is downed in today's age when even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out.
India has asserted that an Indian Air Force MIG-21 shot down an American-made F-16 on February 27 during the aerial confrontation, a day after Indian fighter jets bombed a JeM terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan.
Pakistan, however, has consistently denied the Indian Air Force's claim, saying none of its aircraft was shot down during the weeks of tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.Pakistan also claims to have shot a second Indian Air Force jet during the engagement, a claim India has dismissed.
"We downed two Indian planes in the process, the whole world saw their debris and you [India] still claimed that one of the two planes was ours and one of our own pilots died, as we had initially said that two Indian pilots had been captured, and then said that there was only one. You [India] said that we have changed our statement because one pilot was our own," Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters in Rawalpindi.
"We got initial information through the proper channel, then on the ground, I personally found out that only one person had been captured and I sent out the correction myself. How is it that you are ready to accept one of our statement, not the other?" he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

 "We have not retaliated because we want peace [...] we asked you [India] to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out," he added...Read More

India, US corner Pak over terrorism, seek 'tangible, irreversible' action

Current Affairs

India and the United States sought "tangible and irreversible action" by Pakistan against terrorist groups and leaders, with the US national security advisor saying Washington stands shoulder-to-shoulder with New Delhi in its fight against terrorism.

The US support to India was expressed by American NSA John Bolton during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Wednesday.

"Met with Indian FS Gokhale to advance progress on the US-India strategic partnership & our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, as well as reiterate that the US stands shoulder-to-shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism," Bolton said in a tweet.

Post the Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have emerged as strong supporters of the India-US relationship.

"Both underlined the importance of Pakistan taking tangible and irreversible action against terrorist groups based in territories under its control and denial of safe haven for these groups to launch cross -border attacks," the Indian Embassy said in a readout of the meeting.

However, the US support came on a day China for the fourth time blocked a bid to get Jaish chief Masood Azhar designated a global terrorist by the UN Security Council.


 China put a technical hold on the move by the US, the UK and France, seeking "more time to examine" the proposal, a diplomat at the United Nations has told PTI...Read more