WION's exlusive ground report from air-strike hit Balakot

British Prime Minister Theresa May emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups in a call with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/resolution-submitted-in-pakistan-parliament-to-endorse-pm-imran-khan-for-nobel-peace-prize-200707">Prime Minister Imran Khan</a> on Sunday, May's office said.

India and Pakistan came to the brink of war this week as tensions escalated following a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir.&nbsp;

India accusing Pakistan of harbouring the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/intel-agencies-trying-to-ascertain-reports-on-masood-azhars-death-officials-200916">Jaish-e Mohammad group</a> behind the attack, which Islamabad denied.

"She welcomed his commitment to reducing tensions with India," May's office said of the call with Khan.

"The leaders discussed the need to address the causes of this conflict. The prime minister emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups, in support of global efforts to combat terrorism."

British Prime Minister Theresa May emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups in a call with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, May's office said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups in a call with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, May's office said. India and Pakistan came to the brink of war this week as tensions escalated following a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India accusing Pakistan of harbouring the Jaish-e Mohammad group behind the attack, which Islamabad denied. "She welcomed his commitment to reducing tensions with India," May's office said of the call with Khan. "The leaders discussed the need to address the causes of this conflict. The prime minister emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups, in support of global efforts to combat terrorism."

British PM Theresa May urges action on terrorist groups in call with Pakistan's Imran Khan

Imran Khan’s offer to return the Indian fighter pilot in their custody has once again triggered a debate about how to deal with a neighbour whose conduct rekindles memories of the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And what we do to protect ourselves from an unpredictable neighbour who turns hot and cold in a blink? &nbsp;

There is a poem by Robert Frost that tells us that strong fences make good neighbours. How one wishes that those in charge of our foreign policy had pondered on the wisdom of these words. Now it is too late to mend badly breached fences. India has wasted too much time and effort chasing the mirage of living in peace with a neighbour with whom we don’t share much anymore.

It’s the fatal nostalgia of the pre-partition refugees that has caused most of the havoc. The memories of a childhood spent in a village across the Ravi or any other river in Punjab or carefree student days in Lahore have fueled futile dreams of unhindered passage from one country to another.

These dreams have changed into nightmares more than once because we choose to remain blind to ground reality. It’s not just that Pakistan is a theocratic state and we are secular or they are ruled by the armed forces and we are a democracy.&nbsp;

Ever since the reign of General Zia, the spread of fanatical aggressive version of Wahabi Islam has changed the whole context of our bilateral relations. Two generations have grown up in Pakistan and India who have shared memories only of clashes on the battlefield and cricket pitches. You may argue that that love for Bollywood, shared taste in food continue to act as strong glue between the two people divided in 1947 but we fool no one but ourselves.&nbsp; 
 
When it comes to war and peace it is the coincidence or conflict of national interest that is decisive. It is impossible to overlook that India and Pakistan have followed divergent trajectories for decades. Pakistan had opted long before its break up in 1971 to look West. 
 
It's forged close relationships with Saudi Arabia, Libya and other oil-rich fundamentalist countries that funded its nuclear programme. But more grace from Indians point of view is the alliance it has skillfully reinforced with People's Republic of China. China has stood steadfast with Pakistan since 1962. One may chant ad nauseam that in international relations there are no permanent friend and no eternal enemies but the enduring strategic ties between Pakistan and China seem to refute Palmerston effectively.&nbsp;

The enmity between India and Pakistan has not really abated despite numerous confidence-building measures and countless rounds of talks at various levels. What explains the failure of diplomacy is the basic incompatibility of national interests defined in terms of vested interests of ruling elites.&nbsp; 
 
When we talk of neighbours and friends we should not forget that the power equations are unbalanced by distant friends tilting the balance in favour of proximate neighbours. A former President of Pakistan had titled his autobiography as ‘Friends not Masters’ but the harsh reality is that it is the 'Puppet Master' who has been pulling the strings from behind not so opaque a curtain since the years of Cold War. Pakistan remains an invaluable strategic asset for both the US and China. We should not hasten to rejoice that both have admonished Pakistan after Pulwama.&nbsp;

China has advised both its friends to respect the concept of sovereignty and the POTUS has grandly pronounced that he is confident that good sense will prevail on both sides to deescalate. The majority of members of the Security Council have agreed on a resolution naming Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. In past, China has blocked all such moves to save Pakistan from embarrassment. It may do so again. What are India’s options if this happens?

With the passage of time, Pakistan has succeeded in transforming bilateral disputes with India into trilateral issues. China’s OBOR project passing through POK is just one example, hyphenating Af-Pak has muddied water further. Its sanctions against Iran have tightened the role on which India is walking.&nbsp; 
 
Cancer treatment isn’t based on surgical strikes. Chemotherapy is not done without painful after effects and grave hazards. No one can in his wildest dreams dare utter the word radiation. You can’t nuke the malignancy in this case. Haste can only result in waste. Slow and Steady should be the resolve.&nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) 
&nbsp;

Imran Khan’s offer to return the Indian fighter pilot in their custody has once again triggered a debate about how to deal with a neighbour whose conduct rekindles memories of the strange case of Dr.

Imran Khan’s offer to return the Indian fighter pilot in their custody has once again triggered a debate about how to deal with a neighbour whose conduct rekindles memories of the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And what we do to protect ourselves from an unpredictable neighbour who turns hot and cold in a blink? There is a poem by Robert Frost that tells us that strong fences make good neighbours. How one wishes that those in charge of our foreign policy had pondered on the wisdom of these words. Now it is too late to mend badly breached fences. India has wasted too much time and effort chasing the mirage of living in peace with a neighbour with whom we don’t share much anymore. It’s the fatal nostalgia of the pre-partition refugees that has caused most of the havoc. The memories of a childhood spent in a village across the Ravi or any other river in Punjab or carefree student days in Lahore have fueled futile dreams of unhindered passage from one country to another. These dreams have changed into nightmares more than once because we choose to remain blind to ground reality. It’s not just that Pakistan is a theocratic state and we are secular or they are ruled by the armed forces and we are a democracy. Ever since the reign of General Zia, the spread of fanatical aggressive version of Wahabi Islam has changed the whole context of our bilateral relations. Two generations have grown up in Pakistan and India who have shared memories only of clashes on the battlefield and cricket pitches. You may argue that that love for Bollywood, shared taste in food continue to act as strong glue between the two people divided in 1947 but we fool no one but ourselves. When it comes to war and peace it is the coincidence or conflict of national interest that is decisive. It is impossible to overlook that India and Pakistan have followed divergent trajectories for decades. Pakistan had opted long before its break up in 1971 to look West. It's forged close relationships with Saudi Arabia, Libya and other oil-rich fundamentalist countries that funded its nuclear programme. But more grace from Indians point of view is the alliance it has skillfully reinforced with People's Republic of China. China has stood steadfast with Pakistan since 1962. One may chant ad nauseam that in international relations there are no permanent friend and no eternal enemies but the enduring strategic ties between Pakistan and China seem to refute Palmerston effectively. The enmity between India and Pakistan has not really abated despite numerous confidence-building measures and countless rounds of talks at various levels. What explains the failure of diplomacy is the basic incompatibility of national interests defined in terms of vested interests of ruling elites. When we talk of neighbours and friends we should not forget that the power equations are unbalanced by distant friends tilting the balance in favour of proximate neighbours. A former President of Pakistan had titled his autobiography as ‘Friends not Masters’ but the harsh reality is that it is the 'Puppet Master' who has been pulling the strings from behind not so opaque a curtain since the years of Cold War. Pakistan remains an invaluable strategic asset for both the US and China. We should not hasten to rejoice that both have admonished Pakistan after Pulwama. China has advised both its friends to respect the concept of sovereignty and the POTUS has grandly pronounced that he is confident that good sense will prevail on both sides to deescalate. The majority of members of the Security Council have agreed on a resolution naming Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. In past, China has blocked all such moves to save Pakistan from embarrassment. It may do so again. What are India’s options if this happens? With the passage of time, Pakistan has succeeded in transforming bilateral disputes with India into trilateral issues. China’s OBOR project passing through POK is just one example, hyphenating Af-Pak has muddied water further. Its sanctions against Iran have tightened the role on which India is walking. Cancer treatment isn’t based on surgical strikes. Chemotherapy is not done without painful after effects and grave hazards. No one can in his wildest dreams dare utter the word radiation. You can’t nuke the malignancy in this case. Haste can only result in waste. Slow and Steady should be the resolve. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pakistan has long been an unpredictable and unreliable neighbour

The pre-dawn air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s largest terrorist camp in Balakot, 80 km deep into Pakistani territory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s backyard, has transformed the 71-year-old paradigm around India’s strategy on combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.&nbsp;

Crossing the Line of Control (LoC) had been studiously avoided in previous conflicts with Pakistan. Even in the 1999 Kargil war, Indian air strikes had been conducted from India’s side of the LoC. Tuesday morning’s air strikes will have two broad consequences: military and electoral. &nbsp;

Though Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale has termed the strikes “non-military and pre-emptive”, they were non-military only in the sense that they did not target Pakistan’s military installations. However, since terror groups like the JeM, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen are arms of the Pakistani military, the reported killing of hundreds of Jaish terrorists will send the strongest message the Pakistani army has received in decades.&nbsp;

The cost of terrorism has just gone up manifold. No longer can the Pakistani army’s sponsored, funded and armed terror groups attack Indian targets at will without paying a heavy price. The precise damage done to terror camps in Pakistan will soon emerge with greater clarity. But there is no doubt that the days of Pakistan-based terror groups enjoying relative immunity from strong Indian retaliation are over.&nbsp;

The second consequence is obviously electoral. With less than six weeks to go before the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the conclusion is inescapable: this alters the chemistry and mathematics of the election. Much now depends on how Pakistan reacts to the successful Indian strikes. If it downplays their impact, it can avoid escalation of the conflict. India has been quick to brief the envoys of all major powers about the pre-emptive nature of the strikes against a legitimate new terror threat from the Jaish. Pakistan says it will approach the United Nations. That move will go nowhere since four permanent members of the UNSC — the United States, Britain, France and Russia — have firmly backed India.&nbsp;

In the coming days, as attention shifts to electoral campaigning, opposition criticism of the government’s action, currently muted, will emerge. Unity over tackling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has always been tenuous. It is unlikely to hold for long now.&nbsp;

After the 9/11 terror attack on the United States in 2001, the country rallied behind President George W Bush. Democrats and Republicans spoke in one voice. The retaliatory “shock and awe” US air attack on terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan was supported across the American political and media spectrum.&nbsp;

Unless a nation presents a united front, terrorism will not be defeated. In the US there hasn’t been a single major terror strike on the mainland by Al-Qaeda or the morphed Islamic State (IS) since 2001. &nbsp;In India, after every terror attack by jihadi groups based, trained and funded by Pakistan, recriminations start. Opposition parties feign support but within days visceral politicking begins.&nbsp;

The air strikes come at an unexpected time for the opposition. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had acquired a spring in his step. The introduction of Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra into formal politics had created euphoria among Congress workers, especially in Uttar Pradesh. The Pulwama strike took place four hours before Priyanka was scheduled to address a press conference. Wisely, she cancelled it, speaking for just two minutes to condemn the attack, details of which were just filtering in.&nbsp;

The Congress party leadership now fears that Tuesday’s air strikes have fundamentally altered the arithmetic of the 2019 Lok Sabha election in favour of the BJP. The fear is two-fold. First, that public outrage is so strong that national security has now become a key electoral issue, overshadowing the Congress’ attack on jobs and rural distress.&nbsp;

Second, with less than 45 days to go before the first phase of a multi-phase Lok Sabha poll begins (in 2014, the first of seven phases was held on April 7), the impact of the air strikes on public sentiment will last well into the elections.&nbsp;

There was always an inevitability of the Modi government taking strong military action against terror assets inside Pakistani territory. The United States has unrivalled access to global intelligence inputs. When asked about India’s likely response to the Pulwama terror attack last Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters enigmatically that India was “looking at something very strong”.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meanwhile said little specifically except underlining that it was time for action and the time for talks was over. He added that he had given the armed forces a free hand to act. It is now known that the go-ahead for action against the JeM terror camp was given by the Prime Minister just days after the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy.&nbsp;

In an interview to a newspaper eight days before the Pulwama terror attack, Rahul had displayed his new combative role with gusto: “Mr Modi’s credibility is gone. Do me a favour, when you go out of here, when you stop at a red light, look at someone who is not really rich, and say ‘chowkidar’, and see if he answers ‘chor hai.’ When I am riding around Delhi, I hear them saying, ‘chowkidar chor hai.”&nbsp;

That is an epithet unlikely to resonate well in public discourse today.

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-electoral-impact-of-air-strikes-2724785">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The pre-dawn air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s largest terrorist camp in Balakot, 80 km deep into Pakistani territory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s backyard, has transformed the 71-year-old paradigm around India’s strategy on combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

The pre-dawn air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s largest terrorist camp in Balakot, 80 km deep into Pakistani territory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s backyard, has transformed the 71-year-old paradigm around India’s strategy on combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Crossing the Line of Control (LoC) had been studiously avoided in previous conflicts with Pakistan. Even in the 1999 Kargil war, Indian air strikes had been conducted from India’s side of the LoC. Tuesday morning’s air strikes will have two broad consequences: military and electoral. Though Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale has termed the strikes “non-military and pre-emptive”, they were non-military only in the sense that they did not target Pakistan’s military installations. However, since terror groups like the JeM, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen are arms of the Pakistani military, the reported killing of hundreds of Jaish terrorists will send the strongest message the Pakistani army has received in decades. The cost of terrorism has just gone up manifold. No longer can the Pakistani army’s sponsored, funded and armed terror groups attack Indian targets at will without paying a heavy price. The precise damage done to terror camps in Pakistan will soon emerge with greater clarity. But there is no doubt that the days of Pakistan-based terror groups enjoying relative immunity from strong Indian retaliation are over. The second consequence is obviously electoral. With less than six weeks to go before the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the conclusion is inescapable: this alters the chemistry and mathematics of the election. Much now depends on how Pakistan reacts to the successful Indian strikes. If it downplays their impact, it can avoid escalation of the conflict. India has been quick to brief the envoys of all major powers about the pre-emptive nature of the strikes against a legitimate new terror threat from the Jaish. Pakistan says it will approach the United Nations. That move will go nowhere since four permanent members of the UNSC — the United States, Britain, France and Russia — have firmly backed India. In the coming days, as attention shifts to electoral campaigning, opposition criticism of the government’s action, currently muted, will emerge. Unity over tackling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has always been tenuous. It is unlikely to hold for long now. After the 9/11 terror attack on the United States in 2001, the country rallied behind President George W Bush. Democrats and Republicans spoke in one voice. The retaliatory “shock and awe” US air attack on terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan was supported across the American political and media spectrum. Unless a nation presents a united front, terrorism will not be defeated. In the US there hasn’t been a single major terror strike on the mainland by Al-Qaeda or the morphed Islamic State (IS) since 2001. In India, after every terror attack by jihadi groups based, trained and funded by Pakistan, recriminations start. Opposition parties feign support but within days visceral politicking begins. The air strikes come at an unexpected time for the opposition. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had acquired a spring in his step. The introduction of Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra into formal politics had created euphoria among Congress workers, especially in Uttar Pradesh. The Pulwama strike took place four hours before Priyanka was scheduled to address a press conference. Wisely, she cancelled it, speaking for just two minutes to condemn the attack, details of which were just filtering in. The Congress party leadership now fears that Tuesday’s air strikes have fundamentally altered the arithmetic of the 2019 Lok Sabha election in favour of the BJP. The fear is two-fold. First, that public outrage is so strong that national security has now become a key electoral issue, overshadowing the Congress’ attack on jobs and rural distress. Second, with less than 45 days to go before the first phase of a multi-phase Lok Sabha poll begins (in 2014, the first of seven phases was held on April 7), the impact of the air strikes on public sentiment will last well into the elections. There was always an inevitability of the Modi government taking strong military action against terror assets inside Pakistani territory. The United States has unrivalled access to global intelligence inputs. When asked about India’s likely response to the Pulwama terror attack last Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters enigmatically that India was “looking at something very strong”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meanwhile said little specifically except underlining that it was time for action and the time for talks was over. He added that he had given the armed forces a free hand to act. It is now known that the go-ahead for action against the JeM terror camp was given by the Prime Minister just days after the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy. In an interview to a newspaper eight days before the Pulwama terror attack, Rahul had displayed his new combative role with gusto: “Mr Modi’s credibility is gone. Do me a favour, when you go out of here, when you stop at a red light, look at someone who is not really rich, and say ‘chowkidar’, and see if he answers ‘chor hai.’ When I am riding around Delhi, I hear them saying, ‘chowkidar chor hai.” That is an epithet unlikely to resonate well in public discourse today. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

India-Pakistan tension: Unless nation presents united front, terrorism will not be defeated

How Indian Air Force carried out air strikes on terror pads across LoC

Watch: WION Your Story, 26th February, 2019

Watch: WION Dispatch, 26th February, 2019

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday destroyed the terror camps in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-strike-heres-why-balakot-was-chosen-by-indian-air-force-199792">Pakistan's Balakot</a> using laser-guided bombs. The air strikes were carried out after credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

But the planning for the air strike began a few days after the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/over-200-kg-of-explosives-was-used-in-pulwamas-terror-attack-197469">Pulwama attack</a>, according to intelligence agencies.

Source in the intelligence agencies say the plan was presented to the government by Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa a few days after the attack on CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in which 40 soldiers were killed. The proposal was cleared by the government between February 17-18, the sources said.

The Indian forces then conducted surveillance - both airborne and on the ground - with Heron drones. India bought 50 of these long-endurance drones from Israel for US $500 million. A Heron drone can perform strategic and tactical missions, can reach an altitude of 35,000 feet, stay in the air for more than 45 hours and has a flight range of 350km.

The surveillance presented a list of possible target sites to Indian security forces which was cleared by National Security Avisor Ajit Doval last week, say sources.

Watch: Top Jaish leadership wiped out as IAF strikes on terror launch pads

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The Air Force then assigned the targets to two <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/all-you-need-to-know-about-mirage-2000-fighter-jets-which-destroyed-terror-camps-across-loc-199785">Mirage squadrons</a> and the best pilots were chosen for the mission. The 12 Mirage-2000s, armed with laser guided bombs, took off from Gwalior in batches along with the Heron drone from a secret airfield.

WION has learnt that PM supervised and was present in the situation room at South Block when the strike happened.

The fighter jets dropped their payloads between 3.43am and 4.04am and returned to their base safely, say sources. News agency ANI reported that a total of six bombs were dropped on the terror camps. NSA Doval was informed about the success of the mission, who subsequently briefed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/country-is-in-safe-hands-modi-says-hours-after-iaf-airstrikes-on-jem-terror-camps-199812">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>.

Briefing the media after Indian Air Force's targeted air strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-struck-the-biggest-camp-of-jem-in-balakot-says-foreign-secretary-vijay-gokhale-199787">Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale</a> said India was firmly and resolutely committed to taking all measures to fight the menace of terrorism, he said and added that the non-military pre-emptive action was targeted specifically at JeM camp.

The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties, he said adding that a large number of JeM terrorists, trainers and jihadis were eliminated in the operation.

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday destroyed the terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot using laser-guided bombs. The air strikes were carried out after credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday destroyed the terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot using laser-guided bombs. The air strikes were carried out after credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said. But the planning for the air strike began a few days after the Pulwama attack, according to intelligence agencies. Source in the intelligence agencies say the plan was presented to the government by Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa a few days after the attack on CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in which 40 soldiers were killed. The proposal was cleared by the government between February 17-18, the sources said. The Indian forces then conducted surveillance - both airborne and on the ground - with Heron drones. India bought 50 of these long-endurance drones from Israel for US $500 million. A Heron drone can perform strategic and tactical missions, can reach an altitude of 35,000 feet, stay in the air for more than 45 hours and has a flight range of 350km. The surveillance presented a list of possible target sites to Indian security forces which was cleared by National Security Avisor Ajit Doval last week, say sources. Watch: Top Jaish leadership wiped out as IAF strikes on terror launch pads × The Air Force then assigned the targets to two Mirage squadrons and the best pilots were chosen for the mission. The 12 Mirage-2000s, armed with laser guided bombs, took off from Gwalior in batches along with the Heron drone from a secret airfield. WION has learnt that PM supervised and was present in the situation room at South Block when the strike happened. The fighter jets dropped their payloads between 3.43am and 4.04am and returned to their base safely, say sources. News agency ANI reported that a total of six bombs were dropped on the terror camps. NSA Doval was informed about the success of the mission, who subsequently briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media after Indian Air Force's targeted air strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said India was firmly and resolutely committed to taking all measures to fight the menace of terrorism, he said and added that the non-military pre-emptive action was targeted specifically at JeM camp. The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties, he said adding that a large number of JeM terrorists, trainers and jihadis were eliminated in the operation.

Air strikes on terror launchpads: Meticulous planning led to successful Air Force mission

IAF destroys JeM's biggest terror camps in a 'non-military preemptive strike'

India vs Pakistan: A history of conflict

The bombing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist pad in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan, has broken India’s reticence to use Air Force in an unconventional war which it has been subjected to by Pakistan.&nbsp;

India did not use Air Force against China in 1962 out of fear of escalating the war. Even during the Kargil war in 1999, Indian fighter jets&nbsp;not once crossed the LoC.&nbsp;

Last time Indian fighters crossed into Pakistan was in 1971 when India won hands down and Bangladesh was born. 
 
By using nuclear capable and upgraded Mirage 2000, India has called the nuclear bluff of Pakistan. These planes have the proven capability of flying below the radars and can target beyond visual ranges. The fighters can automatically track and target moving targets as well. In 2008, after the Mumbai attack, Mirage 2000 squadron was kept on standby to attack posts inside PoK, but the final call was not taken.

Mumbai did not become the inflexion point despite higher casualties but Pulwama attack did.

The nuclear bluff had deterred Indian military establishment for the past three decades from using air assets. The defence world suffered from caginess when it came to using the Air Force as an option to hit Pakistan. The very idea of the use of the Air Force created the fear of escalation which eventually would go beyond India’s control. Balakot operation has ended the debate. 
 
The air strike has also sent the message to Pakistan that lost cost war, being waged by them in Kashmir, will turn into a high-cost affair if terror activities continue.

Though this strike is no guarantee against a terror attack, but it definitely showcases India’s resolve to use any means including Air Force against Pakistan.&nbsp;

The bottom line is that India has put conventional might back into the game which Pakistan has been dismissing for a long time on a presumption that nuclear nations will not engage in conventional hostility.

The reaction of the Indian government has been restrained so that it doesn't provide anymore provocation to Islamabad.

India categorically stated on Tuesday that it was a preemptive strike to defend itself from the Jihadi elements from across the border. Under the Charter of the United Nations, Article 51 clearly states that countries have the right to self-defence. It is for this reason, India asserted that it was a non-military strike and civilians were not harmed. This time India took a giant leap but silently.

On top of it, lies the importance of Balakot located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is Pakistan and not Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). India by hitting the JeM terrorist camp not only demonstrated its technical capability to hit deep inside Pakistan but also created a new military paradigm whereby terrorist targets deep inside Pakistan from now on would be considered legitimate targets by the Indian military.&nbsp;

Balakot also has a history. In 1831, Maharaja Ranjit Singh eliminated Islamic forces of Syed Ahmed. Maulana Masood Azhar set up his camp in Balakot after his release in 2001. It was here that the conspiracy to bomb Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was hatched. Unlike the last time when India conducted surgical strikes inside POK, this time India has signalled broadening of operations all across Pakistan. 
 
Lastly, by hitting out again, India has shown that it will take unilateral action against Pakistan even if the international community has different views on it. This message has gone all across the world. It was long needed but pending as previous political establishment was strategically lazy in dealing with Pak terror. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The bombing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist pad in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan, has broken India’s reticence to use Air Force in an unconventional war which it has been subjected to by Pakistan.

The bombing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist pad in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan, has broken India’s reticence to use Air Force in an unconventional war which it has been subjected to by Pakistan. India did not use Air Force against China in 1962 out of fear of escalating the war. Even during the Kargil war in 1999, Indian fighter jets not once crossed the LoC. Last time Indian fighters crossed into Pakistan was in 1971 when India won hands down and Bangladesh was born. By using nuclear capable and upgraded Mirage 2000, India has called the nuclear bluff of Pakistan. These planes have the proven capability of flying below the radars and can target beyond visual ranges. The fighters can automatically track and target moving targets as well. In 2008, after the Mumbai attack, Mirage 2000 squadron was kept on standby to attack posts inside PoK, but the final call was not taken. Mumbai did not become the inflexion point despite higher casualties but Pulwama attack did. The nuclear bluff had deterred Indian military establishment for the past three decades from using air assets. The defence world suffered from caginess when it came to using the Air Force as an option to hit Pakistan. The very idea of the use of the Air Force created the fear of escalation which eventually would go beyond India’s control. Balakot operation has ended the debate. The air strike has also sent the message to Pakistan that lost cost war, being waged by them in Kashmir, will turn into a high-cost affair if terror activities continue. Though this strike is no guarantee against a terror attack, but it definitely showcases India’s resolve to use any means including Air Force against Pakistan. The bottom line is that India has put conventional might back into the game which Pakistan has been dismissing for a long time on a presumption that nuclear nations will not engage in conventional hostility. The reaction of the Indian government has been restrained so that it doesn't provide anymore provocation to Islamabad. India categorically stated on Tuesday that it was a preemptive strike to defend itself from the Jihadi elements from across the border. Under the Charter of the United Nations, Article 51 clearly states that countries have the right to self-defence. It is for this reason, India asserted that it was a non-military strike and civilians were not harmed. This time India took a giant leap but silently. On top of it, lies the importance of Balakot located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is Pakistan and not Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). India by hitting the JeM terrorist camp not only demonstrated its technical capability to hit deep inside Pakistan but also created a new military paradigm whereby terrorist targets deep inside Pakistan from now on would be considered legitimate targets by the Indian military. Balakot also has a history. In 1831, Maharaja Ranjit Singh eliminated Islamic forces of Syed Ahmed. Maulana Masood Azhar set up his camp in Balakot after his release in 2001. It was here that the conspiracy to bomb Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was hatched. Unlike the last time when India conducted surgical strikes inside POK, this time India has signalled broadening of operations all across Pakistan. Lastly, by hitting out again, India has shown that it will take unilateral action against Pakistan even if the international community has different views on it. This message has gone all across the world. It was long needed but pending as previous political establishment was strategically lazy in dealing with Pak terror. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

IAF operation in Balakot: India calls Pakistan’s nuclear bluff

India Air Force strikes 'biggest training camp of JeM' across LoC

IAF strike on JeM camps: Country is in safe hands, says PM Modi

As credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/terror-camps-destroyed-as-12-mirage-jets-drops-1000-kg-bombs-across-loc-iaf-sources-199744"> pre-emptive strike </a>became important and India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot, said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

Briefing media after Indian Air Force's targeted airstrikes on<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-claims-indian-air-force-violated-loc-199740"> terror camps</a> across the Line of Control, Gokhale said&nbsp;India was firmly and resolutely committed to taking all measures to fight the menace of terrorism, he said and added that the non-military pre-emptive action was targeted specifically at JeM camp.

The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties, he said.

(Watch:&nbsp;Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefs media about the strike)

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''This&nbsp;facility in Balakot was headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother in law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar...The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualty. It's located in deep forest on a hilltop," he added.

A&nbsp;very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers and Jihadis were eliminated following the operation.

''Strike has taken only a short while ago and we are waiting for the details,'' he said.&nbsp;

Masood Azhar's brother-in-law has also been killed in the airstrikes.&nbsp;

Slamming Pakistan for not taking any action Gokhale said, ''Pakistan has taken no concrete actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil despite being given information of training camps on its territory.''

He elaborated, "the existence of such massive training facilities capable of training hundreds of jihadis could not have functioned without the knowledge of Pakistan authorities."&nbsp;

He also asked Islamabad ''to not allow its soil or territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India by taking follow up actions to dismantle all JeM and other camps and hold the terrorists accountable for the actions.''

WION has learnt that PM supervised and was present in the situation room at South block when the strike happened.

Sources say multiple options were given with Air Chief Marshal preparing the entire plan.

The target was identified around February 20 and 21&nbsp;with the Army/Air Force doing the air surveillance along the LoC.

Drones were also used. Overall, two Mirage squadrons with 12 jets were selected for operation.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary briefed foreign envoys about the developments. US, China, Russia, UK, Russia, Asean, Brazil envoys were present at the FS briefing.

Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the second time since Pulwama attack. Defence minister, external affairs minister, the finance minister, Home Minister, National security advisor and foreign secretary were also present there.

Since the Pulwama attack which took place 12 days ago, India has been taking strong actions against Pakistan on economic front by removing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status and diplomatically by isolating Pakistan.

As credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, a pre-emptive strike became important and India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot, said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

As credible information emerged that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group was attempting suicide attacks at various parts of the country, a pre-emptive strike became important and India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot, said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. Briefing media after Indian Air Force's targeted airstrikes on terror camps across the Line of Control, Gokhale said India was firmly and resolutely committed to taking all measures to fight the menace of terrorism, he said and added that the non-military pre-emptive action was targeted specifically at JeM camp. The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties, he said. (Watch: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefs media about the strike) × ''This facility in Balakot was headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother in law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar...The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualty. It's located in deep forest on a hilltop," he added. A very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers and Jihadis were eliminated following the operation. ''Strike has taken only a short while ago and we are waiting for the details,'' he said. Masood Azhar's brother-in-law has also been killed in the airstrikes. Slamming Pakistan for not taking any action Gokhale said, ''Pakistan has taken no concrete actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil despite being given information of training camps on its territory.'' He elaborated, "the existence of such massive training facilities capable of training hundreds of jihadis could not have functioned without the knowledge of Pakistan authorities." He also asked Islamabad ''to not allow its soil or territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India by taking follow up actions to dismantle all JeM and other camps and hold the terrorists accountable for the actions.'' WION has learnt that PM supervised and was present in the situation room at South block when the strike happened. Sources say multiple options were given with Air Chief Marshal preparing the entire plan. The target was identified around February 20 and 21 with the Army/Air Force doing the air surveillance along the LoC. Drones were also used. Overall, two Mirage squadrons with 12 jets were selected for operation. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary briefed foreign envoys about the developments. US, China, Russia, UK, Russia, Asean, Brazil envoys were present at the FS briefing. Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the second time since Pulwama attack. Defence minister, external affairs minister, the finance minister, Home Minister, National security advisor and foreign secretary were also present there. Since the Pulwama attack which took place 12 days ago, India has been taking strong actions against Pakistan on economic front by removing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status and diplomatically by isolating Pakistan.

India struck the biggest camp of JeM in Balakot, says Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale

The Indian Air Force, in a pre-dawn air strike on Tuesday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-carries-out-air-strikes-in-pakistan-199776">destroyed terror camps</a> across the Line of Control by using laser-guided bombs. The strikes were carried out by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/all-you-need-to-know-about-mirage-2000-fighter-jets-which-destroyed-terror-camps-across-loc-199785">Mirage-2000 aircraft</a> at Muzaffarabad, Chakoti and Balakot - the terror hub in Pakistan.

Balakot, a town in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is about 50km from the Line of Control and known among the intelligence agencies as "epicentre of jihad". It has been on the radar of American forces for a long time and is 50km from Abbottabad where al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces.

Analysts allege that many Pakistan-based terror groups have their base and training camps in the area. The camp which was targeted in Tuesday's strike, was located on a hilltop. Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chose Balakot for its base after Taliban were routed in the year 2001. Jaish-supported Al-Rehman Trust is also active in the area, according to intelligence agencies.

"In an intelligence lead operation in the early hours today, India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commander and jihadis were eliminated," India's foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a briefing after the air strikes.

The camp was led by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother-in-law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar, Gokhale added.

"Credible intelligence was received that Jaish-e-Mohammed was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country &amp; fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. A pre-emptive strike became important," Gokhale said.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-carries-out-air-strikes-inside-pakistan-what-we-know-so-far-199767">strike on Tuesday</a> comes amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the February 14 suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group in Kashmir's Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Indian Air Force, in a pre-dawn air strike on Tuesday, destroyed terror camps across the Line of Control by using laser-guided bombs. The strikes were carried out by Mirage-2000 aircraft at Muzaffarabad, Chakoti and Balakot - the terror hub in Pakistan.

The Indian Air Force, in a pre-dawn air strike on Tuesday, destroyed terror camps across the Line of Control by using laser-guided bombs. The strikes were carried out by Mirage-2000 aircraft at Muzaffarabad, Chakoti and Balakot - the terror hub in Pakistan. Balakot, a town in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is about 50km from the Line of Control and known among the intelligence agencies as "epicentre of jihad". It has been on the radar of American forces for a long time and is 50km from Abbottabad where al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces. Analysts allege that many Pakistan-based terror groups have their base and training camps in the area. The camp which was targeted in Tuesday's strike, was located on a hilltop. Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chose Balakot for its base after Taliban were routed in the year 2001. Jaish-supported Al-Rehman Trust is also active in the area, according to intelligence agencies. "In an intelligence lead operation in the early hours today, India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commander and jihadis were eliminated," India's foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a briefing after the air strikes. The camp was led by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother-in-law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar, Gokhale added. "Credible intelligence was received that Jaish-e-Mohammed was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country & fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. A pre-emptive strike became important," Gokhale said. The strike on Tuesday comes amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the February 14 suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group in Kashmir's Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Air strike: Here's why Balakot was chosen by Indian Air Force

It may be reading tea leaves but analysis of the walk-up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s visit and his sojourn in Islamabad suggests that Pakistan may be about to fight battles on two fronts rather than just the Indian one in the wake of this month’s attacks in Kashmir.

Prince Mohammed’s expressions of unconditional support for Pakistan coupled with his promise of $20 billion in investments in addition to $6 billion in desperately needed financial aid raise the spectre of a shift in Pakistani efforts in recent years to walk a fine line in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

That fine line included a 2015 Pakistani refusal to send troops to the kingdom in support of the Saudi military intervention in Yemen.

Speaking to the Arab News this week, Major General Asif Ghafoor, head of the Pakistan army’s media wing, suggested that Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia was equally unconditional. “Pakistan is committed to standing by its Saudi brethren,” Major General Ghafoor said.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi seemed to fine tune the officer’s statement by not mentioning Yemen in his remarks to the Saudi paper and limiting Pakistan’s commitment to the kingdom itself. “If anyone would create chaos in or attack the Kingdom, Pakistan would stand by its brethren Saudi Arabia,” Qureshi said.

The stakes for Pakistan that borders on Iran and is home to the world’s largest minority Shiite Muslim community could not be higher.

Concerned that Pakistan’s position may be shifting, Iran dialled up the rhetoric by warning that Pakistan would "pay a high price" for last week’s attack in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan that killed 27 Revolutionary Guards.

Like with India, in the case of Kashmir, Iran asserted that the perpetrators, Jaish-al-Adl, were operating from Pakistani territory with at least the tacit knowledge of Pakistani authorities. In an unusual disclosure, Iran said three of the six perpetrators of last week’s attack, including the suicide bomber, were Pakistani nationals.

In the past, Iran had said that militants who had launched attacks were Iranian nationals rather than Pakistanis.

The tone of Revolutionary Guards chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari’s statement holding Pakistan, alongside the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel, responsible for the recent attack reflected Iranian concern with what may flow from Prince Mohammed’s visit.

“Why do Pakistan’s army and security body ... give refuge to these anti-revolutionary groups? Pakistan will no doubt pay a high price. Just in the past year, six or seven suicide attacks were neutralised but they were able to carry out this one,” Major General Jafari said in remarks live on state television.

Initially, Iran had limited itself to blaming external powers rather than Pakistan for the attack.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan expressed, in a little-noticed declaration, in their joint statement at the end of the Crown Prince’s visit “The need to avoid politicisation of the United Nations listing system.”

The statement was implicitly referring to Indian efforts to get the UN Security Council to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Azhar is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that has claimed responsibility for the Kashmir attack.

China, which at Pakistan’s behest has blocked Azhar’s designation in recent years, this week rejected an Indian request that it lift its veto. China asserts that Indian evidence fails to meet UN standards.

The reference to UN listing in the Saudi-Pakistani statement seemingly failed to resonate in New Delhi where Prince Mohammed stopped after visiting Islamabad.

In another tantalising incident, Qureshi, the Pakistani foreign minister, did nothing to distance his country from a statement in his presence by Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir accusing Iran of being the "world’s chief sponsor of terrorism"

Similarly, in preparation of Prince Mohammed’s talks, retired General Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani commander of the Saudi-based, 40-nation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), flew from Riyadh to Islamabad for talks with prime minister Imran Khan and Pakistani chief of staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. 
 
Pakistani military officials argued at the time that while the appointment would irritate Iran, refusal of the Saudi request would expose Pakistan to criticism from many more in the Islamic world.

Neither the Pakistani government nor the IMCTC gave details of General Sharif’s discussions. The IMCTC, however, said in a tweet that “salient contours of IMCTC's domains and initiatives in the fight against #terrorism were discussed.”

The tone and gestures during Prince Mohammed’s visit contrasted starkly with positions adopted by Khan during his election campaign and immediately after he took office last year.

In his first post-election televised speech Khan made a point of discussing his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“We want to improve ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia is a friend who has always stood by us in difficult times. Our aim will be that whatever we can do for conciliation in the Middle East, we want to play that role. Those tensions, that fight, between neighbours, we will try to bring them together," &nbsp;Khan said.

The geopolitical fallout, if any, of what for now amounts to symbolism will likely only be evident in the weeks and months to come.

Beyond Iran’s toughening stance towards Pakistan in the wake of the attack on its Revolutionary Guards, tell-tale signs would be a closer Pakistani alignment with the Saud-led anti-terrorism coalition and the degree to which Pakistan-based militant launch attacks inside Iran.

Middle East scholar Michael Stephens, who heads the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) operation in Qatar, suggested that reading the tea leaves may best be done with a grain of salt.

“Geography is what it is, and Pakistan will always have to maintain a relationship with Iran (economic and security) regardless of how much cash it gets from Riyadh… Pakistan will do what's best for Pakistan, and not Riyadh, the US or Tehran. Telling everyone what they want to hear is kinda how this all works,” Stephens said.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

It may be reading tea leaves but analysis of the walk-up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s visit and his sojourn in Islamabad suggests that Pakistan may be about to fight battles on two fronts rather than just the Indian one in the wake of this month’s attacks in Kashmir.

It may be reading tea leaves but analysis of the walk-up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s visit and his sojourn in Islamabad suggests that Pakistan may be about to fight battles on two fronts rather than just the Indian one in the wake of this month’s attacks in Kashmir. Prince Mohammed’s expressions of unconditional support for Pakistan coupled with his promise of $20 billion in investments in addition to $6 billion in desperately needed financial aid raise the spectre of a shift in Pakistani efforts in recent years to walk a fine line in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. That fine line included a 2015 Pakistani refusal to send troops to the kingdom in support of the Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Speaking to the Arab News this week, Major General Asif Ghafoor, head of the Pakistan army’s media wing, suggested that Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia was equally unconditional. “Pakistan is committed to standing by its Saudi brethren,” Major General Ghafoor said. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi seemed to fine tune the officer’s statement by not mentioning Yemen in his remarks to the Saudi paper and limiting Pakistan’s commitment to the kingdom itself. “If anyone would create chaos in or attack the Kingdom, Pakistan would stand by its brethren Saudi Arabia,” Qureshi said. The stakes for Pakistan that borders on Iran and is home to the world’s largest minority Shiite Muslim community could not be higher. Concerned that Pakistan’s position may be shifting, Iran dialled up the rhetoric by warning that Pakistan would "pay a high price" for last week’s attack in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan that killed 27 Revolutionary Guards. Like with India, in the case of Kashmir, Iran asserted that the perpetrators, Jaish-al-Adl, were operating from Pakistani territory with at least the tacit knowledge of Pakistani authorities. In an unusual disclosure, Iran said three of the six perpetrators of last week’s attack, including the suicide bomber, were Pakistani nationals. In the past, Iran had said that militants who had launched attacks were Iranian nationals rather than Pakistanis. The tone of Revolutionary Guards chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari’s statement holding Pakistan, alongside the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel, responsible for the recent attack reflected Iranian concern with what may flow from Prince Mohammed’s visit. “Why do Pakistan’s army and security body ... give refuge to these anti-revolutionary groups? Pakistan will no doubt pay a high price. Just in the past year, six or seven suicide attacks were neutralised but they were able to carry out this one,” Major General Jafari said in remarks live on state television. Initially, Iran had limited itself to blaming external powers rather than Pakistan for the attack. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan expressed, in a little-noticed declaration, in their joint statement at the end of the Crown Prince’s visit “The need to avoid politicisation of the United Nations listing system.” The statement was implicitly referring to Indian efforts to get the UN Security Council to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Azhar is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that has claimed responsibility for the Kashmir attack. China, which at Pakistan’s behest has blocked Azhar’s designation in recent years, this week rejected an Indian request that it lift its veto. China asserts that Indian evidence fails to meet UN standards. The reference to UN listing in the Saudi-Pakistani statement seemingly failed to resonate in New Delhi where Prince Mohammed stopped after visiting Islamabad. In another tantalising incident, Qureshi, the Pakistani foreign minister, did nothing to distance his country from a statement in his presence by Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir accusing Iran of being the "world’s chief sponsor of terrorism" Similarly, in preparation of Prince Mohammed’s talks, retired General Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani commander of the Saudi-based, 40-nation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), flew from Riyadh to Islamabad for talks with prime minister Imran Khan and Pakistani chief of staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Pakistani military officials argued at the time that while the appointment would irritate Iran, refusal of the Saudi request would expose Pakistan to criticism from many more in the Islamic world. Neither the Pakistani government nor the IMCTC gave details of General Sharif’s discussions. The IMCTC, however, said in a tweet that “salient contours of IMCTC's domains and initiatives in the fight against #terrorism were discussed.” The tone and gestures during Prince Mohammed’s visit contrasted starkly with positions adopted by Khan during his election campaign and immediately after he took office last year. In his first post-election televised speech Khan made a point of discussing his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and Iran. “We want to improve ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia is a friend who has always stood by us in difficult times. Our aim will be that whatever we can do for conciliation in the Middle East, we want to play that role. Those tensions, that fight, between neighbours, we will try to bring them together," Khan said. The geopolitical fallout, if any, of what for now amounts to symbolism will likely only be evident in the weeks and months to come. Beyond Iran’s toughening stance towards Pakistan in the wake of the attack on its Revolutionary Guards, tell-tale signs would be a closer Pakistani alignment with the Saud-led anti-terrorism coalition and the degree to which Pakistan-based militant launch attacks inside Iran. Middle East scholar Michael Stephens, who heads the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) operation in Qatar, suggested that reading the tea leaves may best be done with a grain of salt. “Geography is what it is, and Pakistan will always have to maintain a relationship with Iran (economic and security) regardless of how much cash it gets from Riyadh… Pakistan will do what's best for Pakistan, and not Riyadh, the US or Tehran. Telling everyone what they want to hear is kinda how this all works,” Stephens said. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Decoding Saudi Arabia Crown Prince's visit to Pakistan

The Pulwama attack has once again brought the spotlight on Pakistan and it’s proxies operating in India. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organisation founded by Masood Azhar and headquartered in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has claimed responsibility for the attack.&nbsp;

It should be borne in mind that organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jaish-al-Adl (which carried out a similar suicide attack on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard on February 13, killing 27 soldiers), the Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban are all creations of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI.&nbsp;

These organisations must be considered as armed wings of the ISI to wage undeclared war on its neighbours and to give the Pakistan state a strong element of deniability.&nbsp;

It should also be recognised that since the 1980’s, Pakistan has been a state sponsor of terror and has consistently used terror as an instrument of state policy.&nbsp;

The ISI has been using such organisations to carry out Pakistan’s objectives, mainly in India, but also in Afghanistan and Iran.&nbsp;

In India, the main aim is to wrest away the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir by terror and force, while in Afghanistan it is to have a client government, which will carry out the bidding of Islamabad and provide it with strategic depth in a possible conflict with India.&nbsp;

The Jaish-e-Mohammed in general and Masood Azhar, in particular, have been considered as strategic assets and very important to Pakistan’s regional aspirations.&nbsp;

Unlike foot soldiers, who take the risk of entering India by crossing the Line of Control (LOC), Masood Azhar was sent to India on a Portuguese passport and arrived in Delhi from Dhaka in 1993 pretending to be Adam Issa, a Portuguese of Gujarati descent.&nbsp;

In February 1994, he and Sajjad Afghani, the then Chief Commander of Harkat-ul-Ansar were captured by the J&amp;K police near Anantnag, South Kashmir.&nbsp;

Pakistan almost immediately started making attempts to free him. In June that year, two British nationals – Kim Housego and David Mackie — were kidnapped for the same purpose. However, Kim’s father, David Housego, who was the Financial Times New Delhi correspondent, was able to use his contacts in the UK and the USA to secure the release of these two without harm after a 17- day custody.&nbsp;

In October 1994, a Britisher of Pakistani descent, Ahmed Omar Sheikh, was sent from England and he successfully kidnapped three Britishers and an American from the backpackers paradise of Paharganj, New Delhi, to force the government of India to release Masood Azhar.&nbsp;

However, this plan did not succeed as the UP police were able to rescue the hostages from Ghaziabad, UP. Two policemen and a terrorist were killed in this rescue operation, but all the tourists were freed unhurt. Ahmed Omar Sheikh was sent to Tihar jail where he remained till December 1999.&nbsp;

The infamous hijacking of IC 814 from Kathmandu was also done for the same purpose and the ISI finally succeeded in getting Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Sheikh and a small time Kashmiri youth Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar freed in December 1999.&nbsp;

Zargar’s family ran a small shop called Latrum store in downtown Srinagar and he was added to the list of those to be released only to give a Kashmiri touch to the entire episode.

It should be borne in mind that Pakistan has never been a friend of the Kashmiris and distrusts them thoroughly. However, it covets their land for its strategic location and water resources.&nbsp;

Pakistan does not have any border with China except through Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of J&amp;K, which has been under its illegal occupation since 1947. The people living here do not have any political or human rights and the original Shia inhabitants are now a minority due to the settling of Pathan and Afghan refugees and presence of thousands of Chinese for construction activity along the Karakoram highway.&nbsp;

The fight, against terrorism and militancy, is being fought primarily by the Jammu and Kashmir police since 1988. The Army, BSF, CRPF and other security agencies are playing a very significant role, but it is the J&amp;K police which bears the brunt of the attacks and is usually the first responder to any terrorist attack.&nbsp;

Similarly, a large chunk of the Kashmiri population is pro India, but not very vocal about it.&nbsp;

The Pulwama attack poses a serious challenge to India and cannot be allowed to go unanswered. Not just the perpetrators, but also their handlers and masters in GHQ, Rawalpindi, have to be brought to book through all available means at the disposal of the Indian government.&nbsp;

Just as the Jaish-e-Mohammed is an auxiliary of Pakistan, stone pelters and those who interfere in anti-terror operations are their auxiliaries and must be dealt with sternly.&nbsp;

However, the rest of the Kashmiri population must be treated with honour and respect. This calls for careful calibration of the security forces response and J&amp;K police can play a major role in that. &nbsp;

There have been unanimous parliamentary resolutions asserting that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. The Indian state must work resolutely to make that happen. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-pak-and-its-proxy-warriors-2722647">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

&nbsp;

The Pulwama attack has once again brought the spotlight on Pakistan and it’s proxies operating in India. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organisation founded by Masood Azhar and headquartered in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pulwama attack has once again brought the spotlight on Pakistan and it’s proxies operating in India. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organisation founded by Masood Azhar and headquartered in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has claimed responsibility for the attack. It should be borne in mind that organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jaish-al-Adl (which carried out a similar suicide attack on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard on February 13, killing 27 soldiers), the Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban are all creations of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. These organisations must be considered as armed wings of the ISI to wage undeclared war on its neighbours and to give the Pakistan state a strong element of deniability. It should also be recognised that since the 1980’s, Pakistan has been a state sponsor of terror and has consistently used terror as an instrument of state policy. The ISI has been using such organisations to carry out Pakistan’s objectives, mainly in India, but also in Afghanistan and Iran. In India, the main aim is to wrest away the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir by terror and force, while in Afghanistan it is to have a client government, which will carry out the bidding of Islamabad and provide it with strategic depth in a possible conflict with India. The Jaish-e-Mohammed in general and Masood Azhar, in particular, have been considered as strategic assets and very important to Pakistan’s regional aspirations. Unlike foot soldiers, who take the risk of entering India by crossing the Line of Control (LOC), Masood Azhar was sent to India on a Portuguese passport and arrived in Delhi from Dhaka in 1993 pretending to be Adam Issa, a Portuguese of Gujarati descent. In February 1994, he and Sajjad Afghani, the then Chief Commander of Harkat-ul-Ansar were captured by the J&K police near Anantnag, South Kashmir. Pakistan almost immediately started making attempts to free him. In June that year, two British nationals – Kim Housego and David Mackie — were kidnapped for the same purpose. However, Kim’s father, David Housego, who was the Financial Times New Delhi correspondent, was able to use his contacts in the UK and the USA to secure the release of these two without harm after a 17- day custody. In October 1994, a Britisher of Pakistani descent, Ahmed Omar Sheikh, was sent from England and he successfully kidnapped three Britishers and an American from the backpackers paradise of Paharganj, New Delhi, to force the government of India to release Masood Azhar. However, this plan did not succeed as the UP police were able to rescue the hostages from Ghaziabad, UP. Two policemen and a terrorist were killed in this rescue operation, but all the tourists were freed unhurt. Ahmed Omar Sheikh was sent to Tihar jail where he remained till December 1999. The infamous hijacking of IC 814 from Kathmandu was also done for the same purpose and the ISI finally succeeded in getting Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Sheikh and a small time Kashmiri youth Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar freed in December 1999. Zargar’s family ran a small shop called Latrum store in downtown Srinagar and he was added to the list of those to be released only to give a Kashmiri touch to the entire episode. It should be borne in mind that Pakistan has never been a friend of the Kashmiris and distrusts them thoroughly. However, it covets their land for its strategic location and water resources. Pakistan does not have any border with China except through Gilgit-Baltistan, a part of J&K, which has been under its illegal occupation since 1947. The people living here do not have any political or human rights and the original Shia inhabitants are now a minority due to the settling of Pathan and Afghan refugees and presence of thousands of Chinese for construction activity along the Karakoram highway. The fight, against terrorism and militancy, is being fought primarily by the Jammu and Kashmir police since 1988. The Army, BSF, CRPF and other security agencies are playing a very significant role, but it is the J&K police which bears the brunt of the attacks and is usually the first responder to any terrorist attack. Similarly, a large chunk of the Kashmiri population is pro India, but not very vocal about it. The Pulwama attack poses a serious challenge to India and cannot be allowed to go unanswered. Not just the perpetrators, but also their handlers and masters in GHQ, Rawalpindi, have to be brought to book through all available means at the disposal of the Indian government. Just as the Jaish-e-Mohammed is an auxiliary of Pakistan, stone pelters and those who interfere in anti-terror operations are their auxiliaries and must be dealt with sternly. However, the rest of the Kashmiri population must be treated with honour and respect. This calls for careful calibration of the security forces response and J&K police can play a major role in that. There have been unanimous parliamentary resolutions asserting that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. The Indian state must work resolutely to make that happen. (This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pulwama attack cannot be allowed to go unanswered

Terrorist activities of Jehadi Islamic organisations in a part of Jammu and Kashmir has reached a new and crucial stage that calls for decisive and conclusive response from the Indian state. &nbsp;

The recent terrorist act in Pulwama, causing the death of 40 CRPF jawans travelling in a bus and not engaged in battle, makes it the turning point. It is “now or never” for ending terrorism in these parts of J&amp;K.&nbsp;

Violence to overawe a civilian population to attain political goals is terrorism. This type of violence is also a tool for dismembering a nation. The concern today is how, we as Indians, deter this terror and safeguard national integrity?&nbsp;

In Tamil Nadu, I was in charge in the Chandrashekar government [1990-91] and the process began by dismissing the Karunanidhi government. Tamils fully cooperated and we were able to decimate the LTTE without any civilian death. In the ensuing Assembly elections, the DMK won only two seats in the 224-seat House. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The dismemberment of Kashmir and the religious cleansing of Hindus from the state are the goals of J&amp;K Islamic terrorism.

In a cassette distributed in a mosque in Srinagar on June 8, 2007, Al Qaeda [now morphed into ISIS] confirmed that for Islam, India as presently constituted, is the target for terrorist acts and religious cleansing. The forced exodus of five lakh Hindu Kashmiris, principally the Pandit community, was beginning of religious cleansing in the Kashmir Valley.&nbsp;

In J&amp;K, terrorism today is a premeditated, politically motivated and Jehadi Islamic religion-inspired violence perpetrated against the non-combatant target population, primarily those of Hindu faith, by clandestine agents to secure compliance by intimidation, to overawe the Hindu civilian population. &nbsp;

Terrorism in the state,&nbsp;thus, is a strategy of violence to generate fear and disruption, with the ultimate aim to secure the balkanisation of the Indian nation, the rubbishing of its ancient Hindu civilisation, secured through capitulation of law-abiding civilian citizens.&nbsp;

J&amp;K is thus today a terrorist-challenged state, which has profound national security implications.&nbsp;

Combating such terrorism has, however, become extremely complicated and multi-dimensional. Hence, we need to understand it’s nature and scope clearly before an effective strategy to deter terrorism can be formulated. There has been a paradigm change in terrorism’s character since 1968, caused by three specific innovations of the 20th century.&nbsp;

First, the invention of television with instant satellite relay, which has suddenly given small unknown groups the possibility of worldwide publicity. &nbsp;

Internet has raised that publicity potential manifold. The fact that most terrorist incidents take place in democratic states, may in part, be due to its availability.&nbsp;

Under an authoritarian regime like China, terrorists can be cut off from their media audience in the target country, thereby reducing to a minimum all the expected impact of their actions.

With freely available media, small groups of terrorists can attain heavy leverage against powerful opponents by getting wide publicity on small political events. The impact is mostly psychological and meant for media coverage. But it has the desired effect of promoting fear, shock and awe in the civilian population.

Hence, democratic India now need&nbsp;to formulate their counter-terrorist strategy keeping this in view, by imposing reasonable restrictions permitted in the Constitution on democratic freedom without destroying the basic structure of democratic practice itself.

Second is the incredible sophistication of hand-held weapons, especially it’s miniaturisation and proliferation that have enabled a small number of criminally-minded persons to do great harm.&nbsp;

Third, easy communication through internet and cell/satellite phones-enabled networking between various disparate terrorist groups. The ISI of Pakistan is engaged in assisting this enterprise to unravel India, and push it toward balkanisation. Hence, a terror cartel and networking has emerged in India.&nbsp;

A counter-terror strategy for India thus requires a paradigm shift from the traditional law &amp; order approach of providing more personnel and sophisticated weapons.&nbsp;

What then are the elements of this counter-terror strategy? &nbsp;In my view, there are three steps for an effective strategy to eliminate terror in J&amp;K.

First, all remaining traces of so-called “disputed status” of Jammu and Kashmir must be erased. For that, India must write to the United Nations withdrawing the illegal application filed by then Prime Minister Nehru.&nbsp;

It is illegal because it violated the 1935 British Indian Constitution on the Instrument of Accession Clause, which the J&amp;K Maharaja had signed merging the state into India. &nbsp;Also Nehru never took Cabinet approval for the application. Hence, it is illegal and not binding on successive Indian governments since the Cabinet had not cleared it.

Second, Article 370 of the Constitution labelled as “temporary” by the Constituent Assembly, should be deleted as per procedure laid out in the Constitution itself, which is that a notification prepared by the Cabinet for its abolition is issued by the President of India. With that, Article 35 A will also fade away.&nbsp;

Third, 10 lakh former servicemen should be liberally provided with funds and weapons and requested to go to the Valley and settle down there with their families. After five years, they can return and the houses they acquire can be occupied by the expelled Hindu Kashmiris.&nbsp;

Fourth, liberally help the Kashmiri Muslim youth with clean credentials, and even surrendered extremists, to get education and jobs anywhere in India.&nbsp;

I know many who are today more patriotic and able than the average citizen.

Finally, for five years, impose AFSPA all over the state, introduce POTA and have no election for the first two years. The success of these proposals will be obtained only in the next two years. Pakistan, which is ripe for dismemberment, needs to be broken into four — Baluchistan, Pakhtoonistan, Sindh, and residual West Punjab.&nbsp;

For this, India has to obtain the tacit support of China and US by their non-interference. For doubting Thomases remember, China did not interfere in 1965, 1971 and 1999 Indo-Pak wars.

(This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-india-s-moment-to-act-is-here-2722269">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Terrorist activities of Jehadi Islamic organisations in a part of Jammu and Kashmir has reached a new and crucial stage that calls for decisive and conclusive response from the Indian state.

Terrorist activities of Jehadi Islamic organisations in a part of Jammu and Kashmir has reached a new and crucial stage that calls for decisive and conclusive response from the Indian state. The recent terrorist act in Pulwama, causing the death of 40 CRPF jawans travelling in a bus and not engaged in battle, makes it the turning point. It is “now or never” for ending terrorism in these parts of J&K. Violence to overawe a civilian population to attain political goals is terrorism. This type of violence is also a tool for dismembering a nation. The concern today is how, we as Indians, deter this terror and safeguard national integrity? In Tamil Nadu, I was in charge in the Chandrashekar government [1990-91] and the process began by dismissing the Karunanidhi government. Tamils fully cooperated and we were able to decimate the LTTE without any civilian death. In the ensuing Assembly elections, the DMK won only two seats in the 224-seat House. The dismemberment of Kashmir and the religious cleansing of Hindus from the state are the goals of J&K Islamic terrorism. In a cassette distributed in a mosque in Srinagar on June 8, 2007, Al Qaeda [now morphed into ISIS] confirmed that for Islam, India as presently constituted, is the target for terrorist acts and religious cleansing. The forced exodus of five lakh Hindu Kashmiris, principally the Pandit community, was beginning of religious cleansing in the Kashmir Valley. In J&K, terrorism today is a premeditated, politically motivated and Jehadi Islamic religion-inspired violence perpetrated against the non-combatant target population, primarily those of Hindu faith, by clandestine agents to secure compliance by intimidation, to overawe the Hindu civilian population. Terrorism in the state, thus, is a strategy of violence to generate fear and disruption, with the ultimate aim to secure the balkanisation of the Indian nation, the rubbishing of its ancient Hindu civilisation, secured through capitulation of law-abiding civilian citizens. J&K is thus today a terrorist-challenged state, which has profound national security implications. Combating such terrorism has, however, become extremely complicated and multi-dimensional. Hence, we need to understand it’s nature and scope clearly before an effective strategy to deter terrorism can be formulated. There has been a paradigm change in terrorism’s character since 1968, caused by three specific innovations of the 20th century. First, the invention of television with instant satellite relay, which has suddenly given small unknown groups the possibility of worldwide publicity. Internet has raised that publicity potential manifold. The fact that most terrorist incidents take place in democratic states, may in part, be due to its availability. Under an authoritarian regime like China, terrorists can be cut off from their media audience in the target country, thereby reducing to a minimum all the expected impact of their actions. With freely available media, small groups of terrorists can attain heavy leverage against powerful opponents by getting wide publicity on small political events. The impact is mostly psychological and meant for media coverage. But it has the desired effect of promoting fear, shock and awe in the civilian population. Hence, democratic India now need to formulate their counter-terrorist strategy keeping this in view, by imposing reasonable restrictions permitted in the Constitution on democratic freedom without destroying the basic structure of democratic practice itself. Second is the incredible sophistication of hand-held weapons, especially it’s miniaturisation and proliferation that have enabled a small number of criminally-minded persons to do great harm. Third, easy communication through internet and cell/satellite phones-enabled networking between various disparate terrorist groups. The ISI of Pakistan is engaged in assisting this enterprise to unravel India, and push it toward balkanisation. Hence, a terror cartel and networking has emerged in India. A counter-terror strategy for India thus requires a paradigm shift from the traditional law & order approach of providing more personnel and sophisticated weapons. What then are the elements of this counter-terror strategy? In my view, there are three steps for an effective strategy to eliminate terror in J&K. First, all remaining traces of so-called “disputed status” of Jammu and Kashmir must be erased. For that, India must write to the United Nations withdrawing the illegal application filed by then Prime Minister Nehru. It is illegal because it violated the 1935 British Indian Constitution on the Instrument of Accession Clause, which the J&K Maharaja had signed merging the state into India. Also Nehru never took Cabinet approval for the application. Hence, it is illegal and not binding on successive Indian governments since the Cabinet had not cleared it. Second, Article 370 of the Constitution labelled as “temporary” by the Constituent Assembly, should be deleted as per procedure laid out in the Constitution itself, which is that a notification prepared by the Cabinet for its abolition is issued by the President of India. With that, Article 35 A will also fade away. Third, 10 lakh former servicemen should be liberally provided with funds and weapons and requested to go to the Valley and settle down there with their families. After five years, they can return and the houses they acquire can be occupied by the expelled Hindu Kashmiris. Fourth, liberally help the Kashmiri Muslim youth with clean credentials, and even surrendered extremists, to get education and jobs anywhere in India. I know many who are today more patriotic and able than the average citizen. Finally, for five years, impose AFSPA all over the state, introduce POTA and have no election for the first two years. The success of these proposals will be obtained only in the next two years. Pakistan, which is ripe for dismemberment, needs to be broken into four — Baluchistan, Pakhtoonistan, Sindh, and residual West Punjab. For this, India has to obtain the tacit support of China and US by their non-interference. For doubting Thomases remember, China did not interfere in 1965, 1971 and 1999 Indo-Pak wars. (This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pulwama attack: India's moment to act is here

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India. When it came to Pakistani transfers of Western technology to China’s nuclear programme, the United States was ambivalent — and some in the US government were even tacitly supportive.

Now, when we see Azhar on the rampage, causing incalculable harm to India’s strategic interests, it is worth our while to recall that ever since Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons, they exploited it to the hilt, mounting attack after attack on us with little wherewithal for India either to punish Pakistan or change its behaviour. While Pakistan got away by inflicting a 26/11 on India or mounting an attack on Indian Parliament, or later at Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama — bleeding us to “thousand cuts” — we have thus far remained content with a few symbolic hangings and strikes and unsubstantial, effete cries for revenge.&nbsp;

We took little notice of the implications of Pakistan’s growing nuclearisation for managing the situation in Kashmir since 1991, a fact highlighted by the Subrahmanyam Committee probing the Kargil debacle. Perhaps the fuller implications of Bhutto’s famous pronouncement in 1965, that “If … India builds the atom bomb…. Pakistan will eat grass or leaves, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own” are on display now.

If we are particularly appalled by the carnage at Pulwama unleashed by JeM, and particularly miffed over China’s dogged intransigence, it is important to understand the India-centric foundations for the China-Pakistan relationship seen in the prism of the three crucial wars. The Sino-Indian war of 1962 made the value of strategic cooperation fully apparent to the Chinese and the Pakistanis and brought a rapid resolution to their own outstanding border dispute.

&nbsp;The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 in which there was a real prospect of Chinese intervention on Pakistan’s behalf formed the basis of China’s status as the “all-weather friend” in the Pakistani public imagination. The 1971 Indo-Pakistani war — in which though Beijing failed to come to Islamabad’s aid — set in motion security cooperation of an even more significant nature. After Pakistan’s devastating defeat, China helped the country develop a set of military capabilities to ensure that it would never face the same fate again. Central to this was China’s backing for Pakistan’s nuclear ambition which, as it stands today, has given Pakistan the near-sovereign right to inflict substantial damage on India without the prospect of incurring any substantial retaliation. In reality, China’s greatest contribution to Pakistan’s security is something more important than that: the ultimate means of self-defence. That’s the reason why India cannot tinker with Pakistan despite grave provocations or can do little even as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists like Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Perhaps that’s also the reason why India’s best bet is not militarism but diplomacy. Rightly, it appealed to all members of the international community to “support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.” Though nations like the US, the UK, Russia, and France have expressed solidarity with India in combating terrorism, China kept its stand on Masood Azhar unchanged perhaps because supporting Azhar could be a handle to needle India and appease Pakistan to extract strategic benefit from it. &nbsp;

Pakistan’s autonomy and even survival as a state have been preserved by its nuclear capacity. But, its dependence on China to achieve this comes with a threat of spillover terrorism to the world community, and this threat arising out of Sino-Pak entente cordiale has to be appreciated by the UNSC. China is a looming threat to the security architecture of Southeast Asia with a verifiable record to trigger irresponsible proliferation if one is mindful of an unchecked fissile material trade as one of the consequences of the break-up of the Soviet Union. It is only a matter of time before terrorists get a nuclear weapon. And the worse fallout of this adventurism is that akin to India having to contend with Kashmir, China has Xinjiang, and Pakistan Baluchistan to deal with, where a ‘nuclear deterrent relationship’ cannot be established with non-state actors, as targeting them with even a small nuclear weapon would be impossible without incurring unacceptable collateral damage and provoking global outrage. We all know what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

(This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India.

However much we feel angry over China’s fresh refusal to back India’s demand to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, which would paralyse his terror network, there is practically nothing that we could do, because we have buckled under Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail, facilitated by China that gave Pakistan nuclear know-how to counter and stunt India. When it came to Pakistani transfers of Western technology to China’s nuclear programme, the United States was ambivalent — and some in the US government were even tacitly supportive. Now, when we see Azhar on the rampage, causing incalculable harm to India’s strategic interests, it is worth our while to recall that ever since Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons, they exploited it to the hilt, mounting attack after attack on us with little wherewithal for India either to punish Pakistan or change its behaviour. While Pakistan got away by inflicting a 26/11 on India or mounting an attack on Indian Parliament, or later at Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama — bleeding us to “thousand cuts” — we have thus far remained content with a few symbolic hangings and strikes and unsubstantial, effete cries for revenge. We took little notice of the implications of Pakistan’s growing nuclearisation for managing the situation in Kashmir since 1991, a fact highlighted by the Subrahmanyam Committee probing the Kargil debacle. Perhaps the fuller implications of Bhutto’s famous pronouncement in 1965, that “If … India builds the atom bomb…. Pakistan will eat grass or leaves, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own” are on display now. If we are particularly appalled by the carnage at Pulwama unleashed by JeM, and particularly miffed over China’s dogged intransigence, it is important to understand the India-centric foundations for the China-Pakistan relationship seen in the prism of the three crucial wars. The Sino-Indian war of 1962 made the value of strategic cooperation fully apparent to the Chinese and the Pakistanis and brought a rapid resolution to their own outstanding border dispute. The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 in which there was a real prospect of Chinese intervention on Pakistan’s behalf formed the basis of China’s status as the “all-weather friend” in the Pakistani public imagination. The 1971 Indo-Pakistani war — in which though Beijing failed to come to Islamabad’s aid — set in motion security cooperation of an even more significant nature. After Pakistan’s devastating defeat, China helped the country develop a set of military capabilities to ensure that it would never face the same fate again. Central to this was China’s backing for Pakistan’s nuclear ambition which, as it stands today, has given Pakistan the near-sovereign right to inflict substantial damage on India without the prospect of incurring any substantial retaliation. In reality, China’s greatest contribution to Pakistan’s security is something more important than that: the ultimate means of self-defence. That’s the reason why India cannot tinker with Pakistan despite grave provocations or can do little even as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists like Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Perhaps that’s also the reason why India’s best bet is not militarism but diplomacy. Rightly, it appealed to all members of the international community to “support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.” Though nations like the US, the UK, Russia, and France have expressed solidarity with India in combating terrorism, China kept its stand on Masood Azhar unchanged perhaps because supporting Azhar could be a handle to needle India and appease Pakistan to extract strategic benefit from it. Pakistan’s autonomy and even survival as a state have been preserved by its nuclear capacity. But, its dependence on China to achieve this comes with a threat of spillover terrorism to the world community, and this threat arising out of Sino-Pak entente cordiale has to be appreciated by the UNSC. China is a looming threat to the security architecture of Southeast Asia with a verifiable record to trigger irresponsible proliferation if one is mindful of an unchecked fissile material trade as one of the consequences of the break-up of the Soviet Union. It is only a matter of time before terrorists get a nuclear weapon. And the worse fallout of this adventurism is that akin to India having to contend with Kashmir, China has Xinjiang, and Pakistan Baluchistan to deal with, where a ‘nuclear deterrent relationship’ cannot be established with non-state actors, as targeting them with even a small nuclear weapon would be impossible without incurring unacceptable collateral damage and provoking global outrage. We all know what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. (This article was originally published on the DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The China-Pakistan entente poses a grave threat to the world

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pulwama-attack-what-we-know-so-far-197443">rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus ferrying CRPF jawans</a> on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.&nbsp;The attack left 40 people dead.&nbsp;

Officials said there were a total of 42 people in the bus including the driver.&nbsp;The attack on the bus — it was travelling in a convoy — took place at 3.15 pm near Awantipora.&nbsp;There had been 70 vehicles in the convoy which had been transporting 2,500 personnel from Jammu to Srinagar.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
K Vijay Kumar, Advisor to J&amp;K Govt to ANI: Death toll in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pulwamaattack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pulwamaattack</a> is around 40 <a href="https://t.co/mUPCRcZnhz">pic.twitter.com/mUPCRcZnhz</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1096051185356820481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The attack also left dozens injured — body parts could be seen strewn around the site of the attack — and a steadily-climbing death toll. The first reports had said eight CRPF personnel had died; that figure quickly turned into 12, and then continued to climb upwards.&nbsp;

The death toll makes this the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in decades. Nineteen Indian soldiers had died in the attack on the army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri in September 2016, which led to India's surgical strikes.&nbsp;

Officials said the terrorist was carrying over a 100 kgs of explosive in his vehicle. He had been driving on the wrong side of the road and rammed head-on into the CRPF bus.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message sent to the Kashmiri news agency GNS.

The terrorist who carried out the attack was identified as <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/adil-ahmad-dar-the-man-who-carried-out-the-pulwama-attack-197476">Adil Ahmad Dar from Kakapora in Pulwama</a>; pictures and video of him began to flood social media soon after the attack.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sacrifices-of-our-brave-security-personnel-shall-not-go-in-vain-modi-says-after-pulwama-attack-197456">"despicable" and "dastardly" attack</a>, saying "the sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain".&nbsp;

Modi added that he had spoken with Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the situation in Kashmir.&nbsp;

He also spoke with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who, ANI reported, was overseeing the situation in Kashmir and being briefed by senior CRPF officials.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, says,"The attack was carried out by Pakistan backed Jaish e Mohammed. A strong reply will be given and I assure the people of the country this." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PulwamaAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PulwamaAttack</a> <a href="https://t.co/OdhLUtNK8h">pic.twitter.com/OdhLUtNK8h</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1096070940755148801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Singh meanwhile said that "the attack was carried out by the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed".

He added that "a strong reply will be given and I assure the people of the country this".&nbsp;

K Vijay Kumar, adviser to the government of Jammu and Kashmir, told ANI that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would join the investigation into the attack.&nbsp;

Sources meanwhile said the Cabinet Committee on Security would meet at 9:15 am on Friday.&nbsp;

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Sources: Cabinet Committee on Security to meet at 9:15 AM tomorrow <a href="https://t.co/N2qMtmezx4">pic.twitter.com/N2qMtmezx4</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1096065840221483008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Mobile internet services meanwhile have been suspended in all of south Kashmir — Pulwama is one of the four districts of south Kashmir — and their speed slowed down to 2G in Srinagar district.

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A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus ferrying CRPF jawans on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The attack left 40 people dead.

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus ferrying CRPF jawans on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The attack left 40 people dead. Officials said there were a total of 42 people in the bus including the driver. The attack on the bus — it was travelling in a convoy — took place at 3.15 pm near Awantipora. There had been 70 vehicles in the convoy which had been transporting 2,500 personnel from Jammu to Srinagar. K Vijay Kumar, Advisor to J&K Govt to ANI: Death toll in #Pulwamaattack is around 40 pic.twitter.com/mUPCRcZnhz — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2019 × The attack also left dozens injured — body parts could be seen strewn around the site of the attack — and a steadily-climbing death toll. The first reports had said eight CRPF personnel had died; that figure quickly turned into 12, and then continued to climb upwards. The death toll makes this the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in decades. Nineteen Indian soldiers had died in the attack on the army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri in September 2016, which led to India's surgical strikes. Officials said the terrorist was carrying over a 100 kgs of explosive in his vehicle. He had been driving on the wrong side of the road and rammed head-on into the CRPF bus. The Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message sent to the Kashmiri news agency GNS. The terrorist who carried out the attack was identified as Adil Ahmad Dar from Kakapora in Pulwama; pictures and video of him began to flood social media soon after the attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the "despicable" and "dastardly" attack, saying "the sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain". Modi added that he had spoken with Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the situation in Kashmir. He also spoke with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who, ANI reported, was overseeing the situation in Kashmir and being briefed by senior CRPF officials. #WATCH: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, says,"The attack was carried out by Pakistan backed Jaish e Mohammed. A strong reply will be given and I assure the people of the country this." #PulwamaAttack pic.twitter.com/OdhLUtNK8h — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2019 × Singh meanwhile said that "the attack was carried out by the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed". He added that "a strong reply will be given and I assure the people of the country this". K Vijay Kumar, adviser to the government of Jammu and Kashmir, told ANI that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would join the investigation into the attack. Sources meanwhile said the Cabinet Committee on Security would meet at 9:15 am on Friday. Sources: Cabinet Committee on Security to meet at 9:15 AM tomorrow pic.twitter.com/N2qMtmezx4 — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2019 × Mobile internet services meanwhile have been suspended in all of south Kashmir — Pulwama is one of the four districts of south Kashmir — and their speed slowed down to 2G in Srinagar district.

Terror attack on CRPF convoy in Jammu & Kashmir's Pulwama: Death toll climbs to 40

Two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members have been arrested on charges of planning to carry out terror strikes in the national capital during Republic Day celebrations, Delhi Police officials said on Thursday.

They were identified as Abdul Latif Ganaie (29), alias Umair alias Dilawar, and Hilal Ahmad Bhat (26) residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Wakura and Batapora areas respectively.

Dilawar was arrested on the intervening night of January 20-21 after police got a tip off from military intelligence that a house in Laxmi Nagar was frequented by suspicious persons, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell P S Kushwah said.

Police learnt that Dilawar would come near Rajghat to meet someone and accordingly a team was deployed there. Subsequently, he was arrested with incriminating material, he said.

A .32 bore pistol and 26 live cartridges were recovered from him. Three rubber stamps of JeM commanders and other material was also recovered from his possession, he added.

It took the Delhi Police a few months to identify Dilawar, the DCP said.

A team was rushed to Jammu and Kashmir to nab his other associates. Two hand grenades were recovered from his house there, Kushwah said.

Bhat, who had carried out the recce of various places for terrorist strikes in Delhi, was also arrested from Bandipora, he said.

During interrogation, they revealed that they were JeM members and that Dilawar is the terror outfit's Ganderbal district commander, Kushwah said.

Dilawar told police that he was in touch with his Pakistan-based handler Abu Mauz through Telegram and WhatsApp, he said.

He further revealed that Mauz had given him more than a dozen hand grenades, a pistol and 30 live cartridges through an Aaqib, the DCP said.

Dilawar was asked to use those grenades on the armed and police forces in Jammu and Kashmir and in parts of Delhi to disrupt Republic Day celebrations, Kushwah said.

He told police that he had given two grenades to one Abid in Jammu and Kashmir and he used them to attack Army personnel of 5 RR in Sumbal, Bandipora on January 4, the officer said.

Dilawar also gave some grenades to one Shahbaz in Srinagar and to Bhat, Kushwah said.

Jammu and Kashmir police was informed about this network, following which Shahbaz was arrested on Tuesday, he said.

Dilawar came in contact with radical elements during a four-year course at a madrasa in Sopore. He started chatting with these fringe elements on various social platforms, the DCP said.

Impressed by Dilawar's posts, Mauz communicated with him and radicalised him by sending various audio and video clips of JeM chief Maulana Azhar Masood, Kushwah said.&nbsp;

He said Mauz also instructed Dilawar to go to Delhi to conduct a recce of VIP areas, places of heavy footfalls in posh markets, vital places and gas pipeline to identify blast targets.

Dilawar was previously arrested in two cases of stone pelting in 2016 in the area of Sadar Ganderbal police station, he said.&nbsp;

Two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members have been arrested on charges of planning to carry out terror strikes in the national capital during Republic Day celebrations, Delhi Police officials said on Thursday.

Two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members have been arrested on charges of planning to carry out terror strikes in the national capital during Republic Day celebrations, Delhi Police officials said on Thursday. They were identified as Abdul Latif Ganaie (29), alias Umair alias Dilawar, and Hilal Ahmad Bhat (26) residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Wakura and Batapora areas respectively. Dilawar was arrested on the intervening night of January 20-21 after police got a tip off from military intelligence that a house in Laxmi Nagar was frequented by suspicious persons, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell P S Kushwah said. Police learnt that Dilawar would come near Rajghat to meet someone and accordingly a team was deployed there. Subsequently, he was arrested with incriminating material, he said. A .32 bore pistol and 26 live cartridges were recovered from him. Three rubber stamps of JeM commanders and other material was also recovered from his possession, he added. It took the Delhi Police a few months to identify Dilawar, the DCP said. A team was rushed to Jammu and Kashmir to nab his other associates. Two hand grenades were recovered from his house there, Kushwah said. Bhat, who had carried out the recce of various places for terrorist strikes in Delhi, was also arrested from Bandipora, he said. During interrogation, they revealed that they were JeM members and that Dilawar is the terror outfit's Ganderbal district commander, Kushwah said. Dilawar told police that he was in touch with his Pakistan-based handler Abu Mauz through Telegram and WhatsApp, he said. He further revealed that Mauz had given him more than a dozen hand grenades, a pistol and 30 live cartridges through an Aaqib, the DCP said. Dilawar was asked to use those grenades on the armed and police forces in Jammu and Kashmir and in parts of Delhi to disrupt Republic Day celebrations, Kushwah said. He told police that he had given two grenades to one Abid in Jammu and Kashmir and he used them to attack Army personnel of 5 RR in Sumbal, Bandipora on January 4, the officer said. Dilawar also gave some grenades to one Shahbaz in Srinagar and to Bhat, Kushwah said. Jammu and Kashmir police was informed about this network, following which Shahbaz was arrested on Tuesday, he said. Dilawar came in contact with radical elements during a four-year course at a madrasa in Sopore. He started chatting with these fringe elements on various social platforms, the DCP said. Impressed by Dilawar's posts, Mauz communicated with him and radicalised him by sending various audio and video clips of JeM chief Maulana Azhar Masood, Kushwah said. He said Mauz also instructed Dilawar to go to Delhi to conduct a recce of VIP areas, places of heavy footfalls in posh markets, vital places and gas pipeline to identify blast targets. Dilawar was previously arrested in two cases of stone pelting in 2016 in the area of Sadar Ganderbal police station, he said.

Delhi: JeM members arrested for allegedly planning attacks on Republic Day

Three terrorists were killed after they entered a Border Security Force camp near the high-security Srinagar airport this morning and started shooting.&nbsp;

An assistant sub-inspector of the BSF was also killed, and three BSF jawans injured.&nbsp;

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Munir Khan said they continued to look for six to seven terrorists and that they needed to &quot;neutralise them very fast&quot;.&nbsp;

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We are looking for 6-7 terrorists and we need to neutralise them very fast: IGP Kashmir Munir Khan <a href="https://t.co/EQsWdd7J8j">pic.twitter.com/EQsWdd7J8j</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/915144686406328321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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PTI reported officials as saying that there had been prior intelligence that a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative identified as &quot;Noora Trali&quot; had brought a suicide squad into the city.&nbsp;

PTI reported Munir Khan as saying the overground network of the terror group had been identified, but that he did not divulge any further information.

Police added that combing operations continued, and that they were looking for any explosives that might have been planted in the camp.&nbsp; 
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Khan blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammed, saying attacks of this type were carried out by them.&nbsp;

The BSF ASI was identified as BK Yadav.&nbsp;

His body was recovered during the combing operations.&nbsp;

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WATCH: Gunfight between terrorists and security forces at BSF camp in Srinagar (WION Web Team)
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Piecing together the chain of events, PTI reported police as saying the militants entered the BSF&#39;s 182 battalion headquarters through a damaged perimeter wall and started firing in all directions.

The three BSF jawans were injured at the beginning of the attack and one militant killed in the retaliatory fire, PTI reported a police official as saying.&nbsp;

After that, PTI reported, the two remaining militants moved in different directions and took shelter in different buildings before being killed by security forces.

Civilian air operations at Srinagar airport, which were shut down for about three hours during the attack, were resumed at 10 am.&nbsp;

 
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Inspector General of Police Munir Khan said they continued to look for six to seven terrorists and that they needed to 'neutralise them very fast'

Three terrorists were killed after they entered a Border Security Force camp near the high-security Srinagar airport this morning and started shooting. An assistant sub-inspector of the BSF was also killed, and three BSF jawans injured. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Munir Khan said they continued to look for six to seven terrorists and that they needed to "neutralise them very fast". We are looking for 6-7 terrorists and we need to neutralise them very fast: IGP Kashmir Munir Khan pic.twitter.com/EQsWdd7J8j — ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2017 × PTI reported officials as saying that there had been prior intelligence that a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative identified as "Noora Trali" had brought a suicide squad into the city. PTI reported Munir Khan as saying the overground network of the terror group had been identified, but that he did not divulge any further information. Police added that combing operations continued, and that they were looking for any explosives that might have been planted in the camp. Khan blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammed, saying attacks of this type were carried out by them. The BSF ASI was identified as BK Yadav. His body was recovered during the combing operations. WATCH: Gunfight between terrorists and security forces at BSF camp in Srinagar (WION Web Team) × Piecing together the chain of events, PTI reported police as saying the militants entered the BSF's 182 battalion headquarters through a damaged perimeter wall and started firing in all directions. The three BSF jawans were injured at the beginning of the attack and one militant killed in the retaliatory fire, PTI reported a police official as saying. After that, PTI reported, the two remaining militants moved in different directions and took shelter in different buildings before being killed by security forces. Civilian air operations at Srinagar airport, which were shut down for about three hours during the attack, were resumed at 10 am.

After attack on BSF camp, Kashmir Police say they're looking for 'suicide squad'

In a big achievement for security forces, three terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation&nbsp;Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed in an encounter in Kashmir&#39;s Tral.

The bodies of all three terrorists have been recovered along with weapons, a police official said, according to a PTI report.

&nbsp;The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area after receiving information about the presence of terrorists there.&nbsp;

&quot;The killing of the militants is a major setback for the outfit which is trying to revive its activities in the valley,&quot; the official said.

The security forces exercised maximum restraint while dealing with the stone pelters who tried to disrupt the operation to help the terrorists flee the spot.

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The encounter started after security forces launched a search and cordon operation after receiving information about presence of terrorists in the area

In a big achievement for security forces, three terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed in an encounter in Kashmir's Tral. The bodies of all three terrorists have been recovered along with weapons, a police official said, according to a PTI report. The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area after receiving information about the presence of terrorists there. "The killing of the militants is a major setback for the outfit which is trying to revive its activities in the valley," the official said. The security forces exercised maximum restraint while dealing with the stone pelters who tried to disrupt the operation to help the terrorists flee the spot.

Three Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists killed in Tral encounter