Days after Indian navy chief said that JeM is training terrorists to carry out an underwater attack, security alert has to issued in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.

WION Gravitas: Indian intelligence alert: Pak-trained commandos may enter Indian waters

Government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved and cross-border infiltration in has reduced by 43 per cent after the Balakot airstrike.

Responding to a written question whether infiltration has come down in the state after India carried out an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/130-170-terrorists-died-following-balakot-airstrikes-says-award-winning-italian-journalist-217030">airstrike on terror camps in Balakot</a>, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, "Due to concerted and synergized efforts of security forces, the security situation in the state has witnessed an improvement in the first half of this year over the corresponding period of 2018. Net infiltration has reduced by 43 per cent."

The minister said the government in tandem with the state government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards cross-border infiltration, which included multi-tiered deployment along the International Border/Line of Control, border fencing, improved intelligence and operational coordination, equipping Security Forces with improved.

Meanwhile, MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha that the terrorists initiated incidents has also seen a decline of 28 per cent.&nbsp;

"Terrorist initiated incidents saw a decline of 28 per cent, net infiltration reduced by 43 per cent, local recruitment declined by 40 per cent and neutralisation of terrorists has increased by 22 per cent," Reddy said.&nbsp;

On July 1, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/1248-ceasefire-violations-by-pakistan-in-last-six-months-defence-minister-rajnath-singh-232062">Defence Minister Rajnath Singh</a> had told the Rajya Sabha that Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,248 times along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last six months. Giving details of the CFVs, the minister said - 203 ceasefire violations took place in January, 215 in February, 267 in March, 234 in April, 221 in May and 108 in June.&nbsp;

"Appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required has been carried out by Indian Army," the Defence Minister had said. 
 
Last month, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/internal-security-on-top-of-home-minister-amit-shahs-kashmir-visit-agenda-230359">Home Minister Amit Shah </a>had chaired a security meeting to take stock of internal security in the country and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Intelligence Bureau chief.

Shah has asserted that the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government of zero tolerance towards terrorism will continue in Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
India’s had carried out an airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

 
&nbsp;

Government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved and cross-border infiltration in has reduced by 43 per cent after the Balakot airstrike.

Government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved and cross-border infiltration in has reduced by 43 per cent after the Balakot airstrike. Responding to a written question whether infiltration has come down in the state after India carried out an airstrike on terror camps in Balakot, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, "Due to concerted and synergized efforts of security forces, the security situation in the state has witnessed an improvement in the first half of this year over the corresponding period of 2018. Net infiltration has reduced by 43 per cent." The minister said the government in tandem with the state government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards cross-border infiltration, which included multi-tiered deployment along the International Border/Line of Control, border fencing, improved intelligence and operational coordination, equipping Security Forces with improved. Meanwhile, MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha that the terrorists initiated incidents has also seen a decline of 28 per cent. "Terrorist initiated incidents saw a decline of 28 per cent, net infiltration reduced by 43 per cent, local recruitment declined by 40 per cent and neutralisation of terrorists has increased by 22 per cent," Reddy said. On July 1, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had told the Rajya Sabha that Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,248 times along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last six months. Giving details of the CFVs, the minister said - 203 ceasefire violations took place in January, 215 in February, 267 in March, 234 in April, 221 in May and 108 in June. "Appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required has been carried out by Indian Army," the Defence Minister had said. Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah had chaired a security meeting to take stock of internal security in the country and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Intelligence Bureau chief. Shah has asserted that the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government of zero tolerance towards terrorism will continue in Jammu and Kashmir. India’s had carried out an airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir reduced by 43% after Balakot airstrike, says Government

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was killed in an encounter with the security forces in north Kashmir’s Bujthalan Boniyar area in Baramulla district after a brief exchange of fire.&nbsp;

Acting on credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a joint team of the Indian army and Jammu and Kashmir police cordoned the area, to look for the hiding terrorists.&nbsp;

Police said that during the searches, terrorists fired on the joint forces, triggering an encounter.&nbsp;

“In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist was killed and the body was retrieved from the site of encounter. From the incriminating material recovered from the site of encounter, the killed terrorist has been identified as a foreigner from Pakistan and is believed to be from proscribed terror outfit JeM,” police said in a statement.
<img alt="JeM terrorist" data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9dc4e8c6-1d96-43ec-b83d-b4300867c3ba" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/terrorist.JPG" />
&nbsp;According to sources in the police, the slain militant has been identified as Luqman, a Pakistani terrorist, who was associated JeM outfit. He according to sources was active for one year in different areas of north Kashmir after managing to infiltrate.&nbsp;

Police have also recovered incriminating material including arms and ammunition from the site of encounter. The police are also looking at the records of his involvement in different terror crimes in the state. &nbsp;

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was killed in an encounter with the security forces in north Kashmir’s Bujthalan Boniyar area in Baramulla district after a brief exchange of fire.

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was killed in an encounter with the security forces in north Kashmir’s Bujthalan Boniyar area in Baramulla district after a brief exchange of fire. Acting on credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a joint team of the Indian army and Jammu and Kashmir police cordoned the area, to look for the hiding terrorists. Police said that during the searches, terrorists fired on the joint forces, triggering an encounter. “In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist was killed and the body was retrieved from the site of encounter. From the incriminating material recovered from the site of encounter, the killed terrorist has been identified as a foreigner from Pakistan and is believed to be from proscribed terror outfit JeM,” police said in a statement. According to sources in the police, the slain militant has been identified as Luqman, a Pakistani terrorist, who was associated JeM outfit. He according to sources was active for one year in different areas of north Kashmir after managing to infiltrate. Police have also recovered incriminating material including arms and ammunition from the site of encounter. The police are also looking at the records of his involvement in different terror crimes in the state.

Jaish terrorist killed in encounter in north Kashmir’s Baramulla

Sajad Ahmad Bhat was the owner of car which was used in Feb 14 Pulwama attack has been killed in encounter in Pulwama district. Watch this video to know more.

J&K: Jaish Terrorist Sajad Bhat Neutralised

An encounter broke out between terrorists and Indian security forces on Thursday morning in Dalipora area of Pulwama district. Watch this video to know more.

3 Jaish terrorists eliminated in Pulwama

The Indian Air Force(IAF) has given the "Falcon slayer" patch to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/iaf-recommending-wing-commander-abhinandan-varthaman-for-wartime-gallantry-award-vir-chakra-212112">Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman</a> after he reportedly shot down a Pakistani F-16 during an air duel on February 27th with the Pakistan Air Force(PAF) post the Balakot strikes a day earlier.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman’s unit also calls itself "AMRAAM dodgers" as MiG-21 evaded 4-5 AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles fired by Pakistani F-16. The Pakistani F-16 is fitted with AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles with pinpoint strike accuracy which is considered far superior to MiG-21's R-73 missile.

Abhinandan has the unique distinction of being the only pilot in the world to have <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bengaluru-artist-creates-typewriter-portrait-of-wing-commander-abhinandan-204743">shot down an F-16 combat</a> aircraft from a MiG-21 Bison aircraft.&nbsp;

IAF had earlier lauded the fighter pilot's exploits in the MiG 21 Bison against the far superior Pakistani F-16 aircraft saying he "hunted the hunter".

Posting a poem on its official Twitter handle @IAF_MCC, 'Sabke Bass Ki Baat Nahi', written by Bipin Allhabadi, the IAF described the fighter pilot's feat as something that is not possible for everyone.

What Abhinandan Varthaman did is not everyone's cup of tea. He hunted the hunter, the poem said.

After being shot down over Pakistan air space during a dogfight with Pakistani jets, Wing Commander Abhinandan spent two days in Pakistan's custody after which he was released, walking through the Attari-Wagah border escorted by Pakistani officials and commandos as India rejoiced.

The Indian Air Force operation took place in the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack on February 14th in which 40 CRPF soliders were killed. On Februrary 26th, Indian fighter jets led by Mirage 2000 bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) terror camps in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Indian Air Force(IAF) has given the "Falcon slayer" patch to Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after he reportedly shot down a Pakistani F-16 during an air duel on February 27th with the Pakistan Air Force(PAF) post the Balakot strikes a day earlier.

The Indian Air Force(IAF) has given the "Falcon slayer" patch to Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after he reportedly shot down a Pakistani F-16 during an air duel on February 27th with the Pakistan Air Force(PAF) post the Balakot strikes a day earlier. Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman’s unit also calls itself "AMRAAM dodgers" as MiG-21 evaded 4-5 AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles fired by Pakistani F-16. The Pakistani F-16 is fitted with AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles with pinpoint strike accuracy which is considered far superior to MiG-21's R-73 missile. Abhinandan has the unique distinction of being the only pilot in the world to have shot down an F-16 combat aircraft from a MiG-21 Bison aircraft. IAF had earlier lauded the fighter pilot's exploits in the MiG 21 Bison against the far superior Pakistani F-16 aircraft saying he "hunted the hunter". Posting a poem on its official Twitter handle @IAF_MCC, 'Sabke Bass Ki Baat Nahi', written by Bipin Allhabadi, the IAF described the fighter pilot's feat as something that is not possible for everyone. What Abhinandan Varthaman did is not everyone's cup of tea. He hunted the hunter, the poem said. After being shot down over Pakistan air space during a dogfight with Pakistani jets, Wing Commander Abhinandan spent two days in Pakistan's custody after which he was released, walking through the Attari-Wagah border escorted by Pakistani officials and commandos as India rejoiced. The Indian Air Force operation took place in the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack on February 14th in which 40 CRPF soliders were killed. On Februrary 26th, Indian fighter jets led by Mirage 2000 bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) terror camps in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan.

IAF gives Wing Commander Abhinandan 'falcon slayer' patch for striking down Pak F-16

JeM chief Masood Azhar was listed as a "global terrorist" by the UNSC last week in a major diplomatic victory for India over Pakistan.

How India plans to isolate Pakistan after Azhar's listing at UN

Italian journalist and author Francesca Marino, in a piece published in StringerAsia, said the strike carried out by India in the wee hours of February 26 “immediately killed a large number of JeM cadres.”

Report: Over 130 JeM terrorists killed in Balakot air strike, 45 still under treatment

How India moved at UNSC to designate Masood Azhar a global terrorist

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday designated Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin confirmed the development on Twitter. He said, "Big, small, all join together. Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist in UN Sanctions list."

Indian Foreign Ministry press briefing over Masood Azhar blacklisting

In a major diplomatic victory for India on Wednesday, Jaish-e-Mohammad founder and Pakistani citizen Masood Azhar has finally been listed as an international terrorist by the United Nation Security Council's 1267 committee. China, earlier on Wednesday, removed its hold on the listing of Masood Azhar, the man behind several terror attacks in India.

JeM chief Masood Azhar designated global terrorist by UN

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack.

Masood Azhar ban efforts at final stage after positive result from China

Terrorist Masood Azhar was designated a global terrorist by the UN Security Council in a huge diplomatic win for India. China, which had blocked moves to blacklist Masood Azhar four times, finally dropped its objections.

JeM Chief Masood Azhar Designated Global Terrorist In UN

India's Envoy to UK Syed Akbaruddin speaks exclusively to WION. He tells that the listing was supported by many countries, its a win for India and years of pressure and Diplomatic efforts have paid off. he, however refused to share backroom chats on what Pakistan had to say about the listing

India's Envoy to UN Syed Akbaruddin speaks exclusively to WION

The Minister of the State in the PMO Jitender Singh speaks exclusively to Wion

A decision on whether Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar will be listed as a global terrorist by the United Nations will be known on May 1 as the world body’s Sanctions Committee holds a crucial meeting, amid indications that China could lift its hold on the proposal to blacklist Azhar.

Masood Azhar listing: All eyes on China, will Beijing lift technical hold?

China said on Tuesday that the vexed issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline

'Will be properly resolved': China on Masood Azhar's listing as global terrorist by UN

China is likely to release its technical hold at the UN, paving the way for Masood Azhar- responsible for Mumbai and Pulwama attacks, among others- to be declared a global terrorist.

Pakistan to detain Masood Azhar after UNSC listing: Sources

China said on Tuesday that on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, "positive progress" had been made.

China says 'positive progress made' on Masood Azhar listing; Diplomatic win for Inda

Top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commanders have been eliminated in targeted action by India post the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/post-pulwama-attack-government-grants-emergency-powers-to-armed-forces-to-buy-weapon-systems-210971">Pulwama terror attack</a>, sources said on Monday.

Of the 66 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year, 27 belong to the Pakistan-based terror outfit out of which 19 were eliminated after the February 14 Pulwama attack, sources added.

Within 45 days of the Pulwama attack, the entire JeM team involved in the attack was "neutralised"&nbsp;through a combination of technical and human intelligence-based operations.

This also includes arrest and deportation of Jaish cadre who were involved in the operation, sources mentioned.

After the Pulwama attack, sources said, four Jaish terrorists involved directly in the attack were killed while four others were arrested in different operations.

Sources said inputs were gathered after the interrogation of around 40 Jaish overground supporters in the Kashmir valley.

Top Indian security brass feels Pakistan trying to obfuscate its role in terrorist activities by projecting Jammu and Kashmir as part of a larger global jihadi narrative and next battleground after Afghanistan, sources added.

The terrorists killed include Kamran, Mushashir Ahmed Khan and Sajjad Bhat, sources said.

Two terrorists, including Nisar Ahmed Tantray and Sajjad, are in NIA custody for their role in the terror attack, it added.

Sources revealed that Tantray helped the suicide bomber Aadil Ahmed Dar by getting a vehicle-based improvised explosive device (IED) from Yasir, a Pakistan-based JeM terrorist.

On February 14 this year, over 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a JeM-orchestrated terror attack in South Kashmir's Pulwama district.

The incident took place when a CRPF convoy, consisting of around 2,500 personnel, was attacked by a suicide bomber who rammed a car laden with explosives into one of the buses on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.&nbsp;

Top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commanders have been eliminated in targeted action by India post the Pulwama terror attack, sources said on Monday. Of the 66 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year, 27 belong to the Pakistan-based terror outfit out of which 19 were eliminated after the February 14 Pulwama attack, sources added.

Top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commanders have been eliminated in targeted action by India post the Pulwama terror attack, sources said on Monday. Of the 66 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year, 27 belong to the Pakistan-based terror outfit out of which 19 were eliminated after the February 14 Pulwama attack, sources added. Within 45 days of the Pulwama attack, the entire JeM team involved in the attack was "neutralised" through a combination of technical and human intelligence-based operations. This also includes arrest and deportation of Jaish cadre who were involved in the operation, sources mentioned. After the Pulwama attack, sources said, four Jaish terrorists involved directly in the attack were killed while four others were arrested in different operations. Sources said inputs were gathered after the interrogation of around 40 Jaish overground supporters in the Kashmir valley. Top Indian security brass feels Pakistan trying to obfuscate its role in terrorist activities by projecting Jammu and Kashmir as part of a larger global jihadi narrative and next battleground after Afghanistan, sources added. The terrorists killed include Kamran, Mushashir Ahmed Khan and Sajjad Bhat, sources said. Two terrorists, including Nisar Ahmed Tantray and Sajjad, are in NIA custody for their role in the terror attack, it added. Sources revealed that Tantray helped the suicide bomber Aadil Ahmed Dar by getting a vehicle-based improvised explosive device (IED) from Yasir, a Pakistan-based JeM terrorist. On February 14 this year, over 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a JeM-orchestrated terror attack in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. The incident took place when a CRPF convoy, consisting of around 2,500 personnel, was attacked by a suicide bomber who rammed a car laden with explosives into one of the buses on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

Post Pulwama terror attack, top JeM commanders eliminated in targeted action by India

Pakistan will not be "pressured" by anyone on the issue of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/firmly-oppose-forcing-new-resolution-through-unsc-on-masood-azhar-china-211140">banning Masood Azhar,</a> a top official here said on Thursday, a day after China dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" on designating the JeM chief as a global terrorist by the UN.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan has a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/masood-azhar-listing-as-global-terrorist-us-calls-for-public-voting-at-un-security-council-206170">clear stance on Azhar</a>.

India says Pakistan-based Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was behind the deadly February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Asked about China putting a technical hold to prevent Azhar from being designated a global terrorist at the UN, Faisal said: "Whatever decision Pakistan takes in this regard will be in its national interest. Pakistan will not be pressured by anyone".

China on Wednesday had dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France had served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" by April 23 on branding Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN but claimed the vexed issue was "moving towards settlement".

After the Pulwama attack, a fresh proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the US and the UK.

However, China, a close ally of Pakistan, blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US, backed by the UK and France, moved directly to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar.

China, a veto-wielding member of the UNSC, opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body.

China, which has previously blocked bids to blacklist Azhar thrice, stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". 
&nbsp;

Pakistan will not be "pressured" by anyone on the issue of banning Masood Azhar, a top official here said on Thursday, a day after China dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" on designating the JeM chief as a global terrorist by the UN.

Pakistan will not be "pressured" by anyone on the issue of banning Masood Azhar, a top official here said on Thursday, a day after China dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" on designating the JeM chief as a global terrorist by the UN. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan has a clear stance on Azhar. India says Pakistan-based Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was behind the deadly February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Asked about China putting a technical hold to prevent Azhar from being designated a global terrorist at the UN, Faisal said: "Whatever decision Pakistan takes in this regard will be in its national interest. Pakistan will not be pressured by anyone". China on Wednesday had dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France had served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" by April 23 on branding Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN but claimed the vexed issue was "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the US and the UK. However, China, a close ally of Pakistan, blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US, backed by the UK and France, moved directly to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto-wielding member of the UNSC, opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. China, which has previously blocked bids to blacklist Azhar thrice, stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold".

Will not be pressured by anyone on Masood Azhar: Pakistan foreign office

Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM)<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/masood-azhar-listing-as-global-terrorist-us-calls-for-public-voting-at-un-security-council-206170"> chief Masood Azhar's nephew</a> Mohammad Umar has been killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral district, WION has learned.

Azhar's nephew was gunned down on March 11th in south Kashmir, sources have told WION.

JeM used the codename, Khalid, to identify Umar. Sources said JeM even conducted a funeral for him in absentia.

During the encounter a local terrorist named Mudasir Ahmad Khan was also killed. Mudasir was involved in an attack on CRPF camp in Lethpora last year.

Mudasir was also one of the key conspirators of the Pulwama attack in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a suicide bomber on February 14th.

After India conducted the air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against JeM terror targets on February 26th, there were reports of JeM chief's brother-in-law Maulana Yousuf Azhar being killed, however, it could not be confirmed.

In the past two months, India has pushed for Azhar to be designated as a global terrorist, however, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/masood-azhar-and-chinas-new-great-game-203678">China in a recent vote</a> at the UNSC vetoed the decision of US and France due to "technical reasons", but added that &nbsp;"positive progress" has been made to resolve the issue.

China has so far blocked the move four times in recent years. It recently blocked the US, UK and France resolution in the counter-terrorism 1267 committee with "technical hold" saying that it provides time and space for the relevant parties to hold talks after the Pulwama terrorist attack.

"We believe under the current circumstances forcing a draft resolution at the Security Council is not a constructive move and set a bad example", China's foreign ministry had said.

Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) chief Masood Azhar's nephew Mohammad Umar has been killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral district, WION has learned. Azhar's nephew was gunned down on March 11th in south Kashmir, sources have told WION.

Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) chief Masood Azhar's nephew Mohammad Umar has been killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral district, WION has learned. Azhar's nephew was gunned down on March 11th in south Kashmir, sources have told WION. JeM used the codename, Khalid, to identify Umar. Sources said JeM even conducted a funeral for him in absentia. During the encounter a local terrorist named Mudasir Ahmad Khan was also killed. Mudasir was involved in an attack on CRPF camp in Lethpora last year. Mudasir was also one of the key conspirators of the Pulwama attack in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a suicide bomber on February 14th. After India conducted the air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against JeM terror targets on February 26th, there were reports of JeM chief's brother-in-law Maulana Yousuf Azhar being killed, however, it could not be confirmed. In the past two months, India has pushed for Azhar to be designated as a global terrorist, however, China in a recent vote at the UNSC vetoed the decision of US and France due to "technical reasons", but added that "positive progress" has been made to resolve the issue. China has so far blocked the move four times in recent years. It recently blocked the US, UK and France resolution in the counter-terrorism 1267 committee with "technical hold" saying that it provides time and space for the relevant parties to hold talks after the Pulwama terrorist attack. "We believe under the current circumstances forcing a draft resolution at the Security Council is not a constructive move and set a bad example", China's foreign ministry had said.

JeM chief Masood Azhar's nephew Mohammad Umar killed in J&K encounter

An Indian defence spokesperson in Jammu said on Wednesday that Pakistan did not violate Indian air space on Wednesday.

He issued the statement after media reports earlier had suggested an airspace violation near&nbsp;the&nbsp;Line of Control&nbsp;(LoC).

The news agency ANI quoted him as saying there "was no air space violation by Pakistan along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch."

Indian radar had early on Monday detected <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-radars-catch-four-pakistani-f-16s-flying-close-to-the-border-in-punjab-207239">four Pakistani F-16s flying close to the Punjab border</a>.&nbsp;

The incident had taken place at 3 am Monday morning, when Indian radars detected a large-sized UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and four F-16s flying close to the Indian border in Punjab's Khemkaran sector.&nbsp;

India scrambled Sukhoi 30MKIs and Mirage jets in response after which the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory.&nbsp;

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high ever since the Indian Air Force conducted an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakote in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunwa province on February 26.&nbsp;

A day later, on February 27, Indian and Pakistani jets engaged in a dogfight after Pakistan dropped bombs on Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the Line of Control. India says the bombs were targeting military installations but that they missed their targets.&nbsp;

It was the first time in over 40 years the air forces of the two countries had engaged in combat. Both sides lost a plane each — India a MiG-21 and the Pakistanis an F-16.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

An Indian defence spokesperson in Jammu said on Wednesday that Pakistan did not violate Indian air space on Wednesday. He issued the statement after media reports earlier had suggested an airspace violation near the Line of Control (LoC).

An Indian defence spokesperson in Jammu said on Wednesday that Pakistan did not violate Indian air space on Wednesday. He issued the statement after media reports earlier had suggested an airspace violation near the Line of Control (LoC). The news agency ANI quoted him as saying there "was no air space violation by Pakistan along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch." Indian radar had early on Monday detected four Pakistani F-16s flying close to the Punjab border. The incident had taken place at 3 am Monday morning, when Indian radars detected a large-sized UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and four F-16s flying close to the Indian border in Punjab's Khemkaran sector. India scrambled Sukhoi 30MKIs and Mirage jets in response after which the Pakistani jets retreated further into their territory. Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high ever since the Indian Air Force conducted an air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Balakote in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunwa province on February 26. A day later, on February 27, Indian and Pakistani jets engaged in a dogfight after Pakistan dropped bombs on Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the Line of Control. India says the bombs were targeting military installations but that they missed their targets. It was the first time in over 40 years the air forces of the two countries had engaged in combat. Both sides lost a plane each — India a MiG-21 and the Pakistanis an F-16. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan did not violate Indian air space on Wednesday: Defence spokesperson

A day after Indian Air Force(IAF) <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-air-force-scrambles-sukhoi-30-jets-after-sighting-pakistani-drone-207336">scambled Sukhoi-30 jets</a> after sighting Pakistani drones, IAF planes have been flying over Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri area.

Locals in the area witnessed jets flying over Mendhar in Poonch.

On Tuesday, India officials had spotted two Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft close to the LoC(Line of Control). Sources had told PTI that Sukhoi-30 MKI jets were deployed soon after the Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were seen hovering over the border.

The incident which took place on Tuesday afternoon comes just over a month after India conducted air strikes on&nbsp;Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) terror facilities at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Last month, a Pakistani UAV which intruded into Rajasthan's Ganganagar was shot down by the Army, another Pakistani military drone was shot down by IAF's Sukhoi-30 fighter jet.

Tensions have escalated at the international border in the past month with Pakistan opening fire on Indian troops. On Tuesday, seven Pakistani posts across the LoC was destroyed by the Indian Army during cross-border shelling as Pakistan targeted Indian posts in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

On Monday, a BSF inspector and a five-year-old girl were among three persons killed while 24 others were injured as Pakistani troops heavily shelled forward areas along the LoC&nbsp;in Poonch district.

A day after Indian Air Force(IAF) scambled Sukhoi-30 jets after sighting Pakistani drones, IAF planes have been flying over Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri area.

A day after Indian Air Force(IAF) scambled Sukhoi-30 jets after sighting Pakistani drones, IAF planes have been flying over Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri area. Locals in the area witnessed jets flying over Mendhar in Poonch. On Tuesday, India officials had spotted two Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft close to the LoC(Line of Control). Sources had told PTI that Sukhoi-30 MKI jets were deployed soon after the Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were seen hovering over the border. The incident which took place on Tuesday afternoon comes just over a month after India conducted air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) terror facilities at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Last month, a Pakistani UAV which intruded into Rajasthan's Ganganagar was shot down by the Army, another Pakistani military drone was shot down by IAF's Sukhoi-30 fighter jet. Tensions have escalated at the international border in the past month with Pakistan opening fire on Indian troops. On Tuesday, seven Pakistani posts across the LoC was destroyed by the Indian Army during cross-border shelling as Pakistan targeted Indian posts in Rajouri and Poonch districts. On Monday, a BSF inspector and a five-year-old girl were among three persons killed while 24 others were injured as Pakistani troops heavily shelled forward areas along the LoC in Poonch district.

Day after Pak drone sighting, Indian Air Force jets seen over J&K

Wanted JeM terrorist arrested by Delhi Police from Srinagar

A draft US resolution that would designate a Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist threatens to be China’s, and possibly Pakistan’s showdown at the OK Corral.&nbsp;

The draft is supported by Britain and France.

The resolution, if formally tabled in the full United Nations Security Council, could force China to justify its ten-year long blocking of efforts to designate Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Jaish-e-Mohammed is believed to be responsible for last month’s suicide attack in Jammu&nbsp;and Kashmir.

At least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel died in the attack that briefly brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war.

China, earlier this month, blocked a French draft resolution presented to the council’s 1267 committee, saying it needed more time to study evidence against Azhar.

Known as the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, the committee was established on the basis of Security Council resolution 1267 adopted in 1999 to create a sanctions regime for Al Qaida and the Taliban.

China has in the past said there was insufficient proof to list the Pakistani militant. In response to the US draft, China’s foreign ministry said this week that a “comprehensive and thorough” assessment was needed before blacklisting Azhar.

The United States, by circulating the draft weeks after the failed French attempt, is in effect saying that China can no longer buy time. The US draft amounts to an effort to put on public display seeming contradictions in Chinese as well as Pakistani policy.

To be sure, China, as a permanent Security Council member, is likely to veto the US draft if it were to be put to the vote.

The veto, however, would put to rest Chinese assertions that Beijing had so far not vetoed Azhar’s blacklisting but “put a hold on the application” to promote “proper settlement of the issue through dialogue.”

The Chinese position was supported by Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, who cautioned that the Security Council’s terrorism sanctions regime and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international anti-money laundering and terrorism finance watchdog, should not be used by powers as a tool to score geopolitical points. Lodhi was pointing fingers at the United States but stopped short of explicitly mentioning it.

“Pakistan has been the principal victim of terrorism, including that supported, sponsored and financed from abroad. But this has not diminished my country’s resolve to eliminate this scourge,” Lodhi insisted.

Pakistan’s support of Chinese obstruction of Azhar’s designation casts, however, a further shadow over the Islamabad government’s so far unsuccessful efforts to convince FATF that it is addressing the group’s criticism. FATF has threatened to put the South Asian state on its blacklist.

FATF’s regional affiliate, the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, this week, took Pakistan to task for its allegedly weak implementation of measures against proscribed groups.

A failure to satisfactorily address FATF concerns could impact Pakistan’s application for a financial aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan denies Indian claims that Jaish-e-Mohammed is one of several militant groups supported by the Pakistani military.

Pakistan says it has intensified its crackdown on militants in the wake of the Kashmir attack. The government announced earlier this month that it had taken control of 182 religious schools and detained more than 100 people, including Azhar’s brother, as part of its push against banned groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed.

In response, Azhar has denied government claims that he was seriously ill, ridiculed the government’s assertion that it was truly cracking down and warned that the crackdown would spark jihad across South Asia.

He also goaded India in his regular column in Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Al-Qalam weekly. “India’s brain is not working. They are trying to threaten us. But are their threats making us scared? Certainly not. In fact, their threats encourage us. Their threats do the same trick as public appreciation does for a poet reciting his poetry,” Azhar wrote.

China, perhaps inadvertently, helped increase pressure on Pakistan to meet FATF’s requirements by voting this week in favour of a Security Council resolution that criminalises funding of political violence and demands that all countries establish legal frameworks to counter the practice.

The US draft could put China in the difficult position of having to square its shielding of Azhar with its effort to convince the international community that its brutal crackdown on Turkic Muslims in the troubled north-western province of Xinjiang is key to its fight against political violence.

China asserted in a white paper published this month that its counterterrorism policies in Xinjiang that amount to a frontal attempt to alter Islamic practices and involve the incarceration of up to one million people in re-education camps dubbed vocational training facilities were producing results. The paper claimed that the policies were in accordance with the rule of law and protecting human rights.

“Hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of Uyghurs are held against their will in so-called re-education camps where they’re forced to endure severe political indoctrination and other awful abuses,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Washington on Friday.

Pompeo was speaking after meeting with a former detainee, Mihrigul Tursun, and three other Uyghur activists. Tursun has spoken publicly about allegedly being abused and tortured in detention.

The meeting and Pompeo’s remarks came against the backdrop of moves in the US Congress to out Chinese companies that facilitate the crackdown in Xinjiang.

Major US institutional investors have recently divested from Hikvision, the world’s largest surveillance company that provides technology used in Xinjiang’s re-education camps.

China’s predicament in squaring its protection of Azhar with the justification of its crackdown is unlikely to crack the Muslim world’s wall of silence about what is happening to their Chinese brethren. Western pressure on China threatens to strike closer to home.

To their credit, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and Indonesian president Joko Widodo have refrained from following in the footsteps of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Kazakh foreign minister Beibut Atamkulov, as well as, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation that all have endorsed China’s crackdown.

But Khan’s repeated assertion over a period of months that he lacks information or knows nothing about the situation in Xinjiang, even if scores of Pakistani nationals have complained about the disappearance of spouses and other relatives, is wearing thin.

Pakistani businessmen travelling last September to Beijing to petition for the release of their wives was headline news.

Khan’s insistence that “I haven't heard about that” is hardly a sustainable position. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

A draft US resolution that would designate a Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist threatens to be China’s, and possibly Pakistan’s showdown at the OK Corral.

A draft US resolution that would designate a Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist threatens to be China’s, and possibly Pakistan’s showdown at the OK Corral. The draft is supported by Britain and France. The resolution, if formally tabled in the full United Nations Security Council, could force China to justify its ten-year long blocking of efforts to designate Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Jaish-e-Mohammed is believed to be responsible for last month’s suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel died in the attack that briefly brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war. China, earlier this month, blocked a French draft resolution presented to the council’s 1267 committee, saying it needed more time to study evidence against Azhar. Known as the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, the committee was established on the basis of Security Council resolution 1267 adopted in 1999 to create a sanctions regime for Al Qaida and the Taliban. China has in the past said there was insufficient proof to list the Pakistani militant. In response to the US draft, China’s foreign ministry said this week that a “comprehensive and thorough” assessment was needed before blacklisting Azhar. The United States, by circulating the draft weeks after the failed French attempt, is in effect saying that China can no longer buy time. The US draft amounts to an effort to put on public display seeming contradictions in Chinese as well as Pakistani policy. To be sure, China, as a permanent Security Council member, is likely to veto the US draft if it were to be put to the vote. The veto, however, would put to rest Chinese assertions that Beijing had so far not vetoed Azhar’s blacklisting but “put a hold on the application” to promote “proper settlement of the issue through dialogue.” The Chinese position was supported by Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, who cautioned that the Security Council’s terrorism sanctions regime and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international anti-money laundering and terrorism finance watchdog, should not be used by powers as a tool to score geopolitical points. Lodhi was pointing fingers at the United States but stopped short of explicitly mentioning it. “Pakistan has been the principal victim of terrorism, including that supported, sponsored and financed from abroad. But this has not diminished my country’s resolve to eliminate this scourge,” Lodhi insisted. Pakistan’s support of Chinese obstruction of Azhar’s designation casts, however, a further shadow over the Islamabad government’s so far unsuccessful efforts to convince FATF that it is addressing the group’s criticism. FATF has threatened to put the South Asian state on its blacklist. FATF’s regional affiliate, the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, this week, took Pakistan to task for its allegedly weak implementation of measures against proscribed groups. A failure to satisfactorily address FATF concerns could impact Pakistan’s application for a financial aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistan denies Indian claims that Jaish-e-Mohammed is one of several militant groups supported by the Pakistani military. Pakistan says it has intensified its crackdown on militants in the wake of the Kashmir attack. The government announced earlier this month that it had taken control of 182 religious schools and detained more than 100 people, including Azhar’s brother, as part of its push against banned groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed. In response, Azhar has denied government claims that he was seriously ill, ridiculed the government’s assertion that it was truly cracking down and warned that the crackdown would spark jihad across South Asia. He also goaded India in his regular column in Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Al-Qalam weekly. “India’s brain is not working. They are trying to threaten us. But are their threats making us scared? Certainly not. In fact, their threats encourage us. Their threats do the same trick as public appreciation does for a poet reciting his poetry,” Azhar wrote. China, perhaps inadvertently, helped increase pressure on Pakistan to meet FATF’s requirements by voting this week in favour of a Security Council resolution that criminalises funding of political violence and demands that all countries establish legal frameworks to counter the practice. The US draft could put China in the difficult position of having to square its shielding of Azhar with its effort to convince the international community that its brutal crackdown on Turkic Muslims in the troubled north-western province of Xinjiang is key to its fight against political violence. China asserted in a white paper published this month that its counterterrorism policies in Xinjiang that amount to a frontal attempt to alter Islamic practices and involve the incarceration of up to one million people in re-education camps dubbed vocational training facilities were producing results. The paper claimed that the policies were in accordance with the rule of law and protecting human rights. “Hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of Uyghurs are held against their will in so-called re-education camps where they’re forced to endure severe political indoctrination and other awful abuses,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Washington on Friday. Pompeo was speaking after meeting with a former detainee, Mihrigul Tursun, and three other Uyghur activists. Tursun has spoken publicly about allegedly being abused and tortured in detention. The meeting and Pompeo’s remarks came against the backdrop of moves in the US Congress to out Chinese companies that facilitate the crackdown in Xinjiang. Major US institutional investors have recently divested from Hikvision, the world’s largest surveillance company that provides technology used in Xinjiang’s re-education camps. China’s predicament in squaring its protection of Azhar with the justification of its crackdown is unlikely to crack the Muslim world’s wall of silence about what is happening to their Chinese brethren. Western pressure on China threatens to strike closer to home. To their credit, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and Indonesian president Joko Widodo have refrained from following in the footsteps of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Kazakh foreign minister Beibut Atamkulov, as well as, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation that all have endorsed China’s crackdown. But Khan’s repeated assertion over a period of months that he lacks information or knows nothing about the situation in Xinjiang, even if scores of Pakistani nationals have complained about the disappearance of spouses and other relatives, is wearing thin. Pakistani businessmen travelling last September to Beijing to petition for the release of their wives was headline news. Khan’s insistence that “I haven't heard about that” is hardly a sustainable position. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Masood Azhar issue and crackdown on Uighurs put China in a tight spot

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Friday sent alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Sajjad Khan to judicial custody till April 26. Khan is believed to be a close associate of Pulwama attack mastermind <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pulwama-terror-attack-delhi-polices-special-cell-arrests-close-aide-of-jem-mastermind-mudasir-khan-204827">Mudassir Ahmed Khan</a> who was gunned down by the security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on March 11.

Sajjad Khan was produced before the National Investigation Agency special court today.&nbsp;

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal had earlier sent him to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for seven days, till March 29.

He was produced before the special court today at the end of the remand period.&nbsp;

NIA also pressed that they do not wish to interrogate him further, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

On March 22, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Jaish-e-Mohammad operative Sajjad Khan near Red Fort.&nbsp;

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He was produced before NIA Special court today at the end his remand by NIA, where the investigation agency didn't ask for any further remand of him. <a href="https://t.co/yCVEvU0hGx">https://t.co/yCVEvU0hGx</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1111583939162976258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"He was arrested under sections 120B and 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 20, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)," the NIA statement said.

The statement further claimed, "In furtherance of this criminal conspiracy, Sajjad Ahmed Khan was specially sent to Delhi to set up hideouts in Delhi NCR. This was done to select specific targets and also to radicalise and recruit Muslim youths to further terror activities."&nbsp;

Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army in Srinagar held a joint briefing earlier this month. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/key-pulwama-conspirator-killed-in-tral-encounter-today-44-terrorists-eliminated-in-first-70-days-of-2019-army-jk-police-202613">Top officials told media</a> that the security forces had "eliminated" another JeM commander, a key conspirator of the Pulwama terror attack.&nbsp;

The briefing was jointly addressed by Lt General KJS Dhillon, GoC 15 Corps, and SP Pani, IG, J&amp;K Police.

"In last 21 days, we have eliminated 18 terrorists, out of the 14 being from JeM, 6 out of 14 were main commanders. JeM's 2nd commander Mudasir-main conspirator in national highway convoy attack has also been eliminated," Dhillon, Corps Commander of the Chinar Corps, said. Pakistani militant Khalid was also killed in the encounter.&nbsp;

"The main conspirators (of Pulwama) Mudasir and Kamran have been killed. We have gone with all force against JeM. Six terrorists killed since attack are A+ category," he said.&nbsp;

The officials added that in the first 70 days of 2019, security forces have been successful in eliminating 44 terrorists, mainly from Jaish-e-Mohammed. "Against 1629 ceasefire violations along Line of Control in 2018, this year 478 ceasefire violations have already taken place along LoC," the officials stated.&nbsp;

Over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district after a JeM terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus, which was part of a convoy going to Srinagar from Jammu in February.&nbsp;

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Friday sent alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Sajjad Khan to judicial custody till April 26. Khan is believed to be a close associate of Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Ahmed Khan who was gunned down by the security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on March 11.

Delhi's Patiala House Court on Friday sent alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Sajjad Khan to judicial custody till April 26. Khan is believed to be a close associate of Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Ahmed Khan who was gunned down by the security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on March 11. Sajjad Khan was produced before the National Investigation Agency special court today. Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal had earlier sent him to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for seven days, till March 29. He was produced before the special court today at the end of the remand period. NIA also pressed that they do not wish to interrogate him further, news agency ANI reported. On March 22, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Jaish-e-Mohammad operative Sajjad Khan near Red Fort. He was produced before NIA Special court today at the end his remand by NIA, where the investigation agency didn't ask for any further remand of him. https://t.co/yCVEvU0hGx — ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2019 × "He was arrested under sections 120B and 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 17, 18, 18A, 18B, 20, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)," the NIA statement said. The statement further claimed, "In furtherance of this criminal conspiracy, Sajjad Ahmed Khan was specially sent to Delhi to set up hideouts in Delhi NCR. This was done to select specific targets and also to radicalise and recruit Muslim youths to further terror activities." Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army in Srinagar held a joint briefing earlier this month. Top officials told media that the security forces had "eliminated" another JeM commander, a key conspirator of the Pulwama terror attack. The briefing was jointly addressed by Lt General KJS Dhillon, GoC 15 Corps, and SP Pani, IG, J&K Police. "In last 21 days, we have eliminated 18 terrorists, out of the 14 being from JeM, 6 out of 14 were main commanders. JeM's 2nd commander Mudasir-main conspirator in national highway convoy attack has also been eliminated," Dhillon, Corps Commander of the Chinar Corps, said. Pakistani militant Khalid was also killed in the encounter. "The main conspirators (of Pulwama) Mudasir and Kamran have been killed. We have gone with all force against JeM. Six terrorists killed since attack are A+ category," he said. The officials added that in the first 70 days of 2019, security forces have been successful in eliminating 44 terrorists, mainly from Jaish-e-Mohammed. "Against 1629 ceasefire violations along Line of Control in 2018, this year 478 ceasefire violations have already taken place along LoC," the officials stated. Over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district after a JeM terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus, which was part of a convoy going to Srinagar from Jammu in February.

Close aide of Pulwama attack mastermind sent to judicial custody till April 26

India has expressed disappointment over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/no-terror-camps-exist-on-22-locations-shared-by-india-pak-on-pulwama-attack-206266">Pakistan's response to the dossier</a> sent by Indian authorities on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JEM) involvement in the Pulwama terror attack.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a release said, "Regrettably, Pakistan continues to be in denial mode and even refuses to acknowledge Pulwama as a terror attack".

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BJvQoCim0q8" width="560"></iframe>

Adding further MEA said, "We are hardly surprised, as this identical script was followed by Pakistan in the past, after the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 or in Pathankot in 2016. It is a well-known fact that the UN-designated terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed and its leader Masood Azhar are based in Pakistan."

On February 27, India had summoned Pakistan's deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah and handed over a detailed dossier of JeM's complicity in the worst terror attack on Indian security personnel in last two decades.

Earlier Pakistani foreign minister SM Qureshi had publically acknowledged Masood Azhar's present in Pakistan in an interview to a western media outlet.

Reacting to Pakistan's request for more evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, New Delhi said, "There's no dearth of sufficient actionable information and evidence in Pakistan itself to take action against them if there is sincerity and intent to do so. "

Pakistan on Wednesday shared its preliminary findings on the dossier and asked New Delhi to provide "credible evidence" for the country to act on. The findings were shared by the Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua with Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Ajay Bisaria.

Meanwhile, reminding Pakistan to abide by 2004 commitment that it will not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India, New Delhi called on Islamabad to take immediate, credible, irreversible and verifiable actions "against terrorists and terror organisations operating from territories under its control."

Earlier on Thursday Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that 54 individuals it detained days after Pulwama terror attack have no link with the attack and the locations provided by New Delhi in the dossier have no terror camps.

India has expressed disappointment over Pakistan's response to the dossier sent by Indian authorities on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JEM) involvement in the Pulwama terror attack.

India has expressed disappointment over Pakistan's response to the dossier sent by Indian authorities on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JEM) involvement in the Pulwama terror attack. The Ministry of External Affairs in a release said, "Regrettably, Pakistan continues to be in denial mode and even refuses to acknowledge Pulwama as a terror attack". Adding further MEA said, "We are hardly surprised, as this identical script was followed by Pakistan in the past, after the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 or in Pathankot in 2016. It is a well-known fact that the UN-designated terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed and its leader Masood Azhar are based in Pakistan." On February 27, India had summoned Pakistan's deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah and handed over a detailed dossier of JeM's complicity in the worst terror attack on Indian security personnel in last two decades. Earlier Pakistani foreign minister SM Qureshi had publically acknowledged Masood Azhar's present in Pakistan in an interview to a western media outlet. Reacting to Pakistan's request for more evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, New Delhi said, "There's no dearth of sufficient actionable information and evidence in Pakistan itself to take action against them if there is sincerity and intent to do so. " Pakistan on Wednesday shared its preliminary findings on the dossier and asked New Delhi to provide "credible evidence" for the country to act on. The findings were shared by the Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua with Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Ajay Bisaria. Meanwhile, reminding Pakistan to abide by 2004 commitment that it will not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India, New Delhi called on Islamabad to take immediate, credible, irreversible and verifiable actions "against terrorists and terror organisations operating from territories under its control." Earlier on Thursday Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that 54 individuals it detained days after Pulwama terror attack have no link with the attack and the locations provided by New Delhi in the dossier have no terror camps.

Pakistan continues to be in denial mode on Pulwama attack: India

US steps up push for UN to blacklist JeM leader Masood Azhar

Did India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, make a historic error by turning down an offer made, first, by the United States in 1950 and then, in 1955, by the Soviet Union to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)?&nbsp;

Were these offers made at all? And if so, were they merely feelers, not a serious reflection of intent by the two superpowers at the beginning of the Cold War?

Two schools of thought have emerged. The first holds that the US and the USSR merely broached the subject of a permanent UNSC seat for India. The offer was a feeler. Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, then India’s representative at the UN, was firmly against India “usurping” China’s claim to a permanent seat. Nehru agreed with her assessment. China, he wrote to her, is a great nation and deserves permanent membership of the UNSC.&nbsp;

Both he and his sister, highly influential in the US and at the UN, felt that India must be a neutral party in the Cold War. By accepting the offer of a permanent seat in the UNSC, however informal the offer was, the two Nehru siblings felt India would need to take sides in international crises like the Korean War. That would compromise India’s position as a founder of the non-aligned movement (NAM).

The second school of thought holds a diametrically opposite point of view. India misread the situation. It dismissed Washington’s overtures in 1950 when the US wanted to contain the influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which had in 1949 won a civil war against Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalists who fled to Taiwan and, as the Republic of China (ROC), represented the PRC at the UN from 1949 to 1971. The Soviets in 1955 too wanted India as a permanent member of the UNSC but Nehru again brushed off the offer as not being a serious one.&nbsp;

This, the second school of thought holds, amounted to compounding the earlier historic error of rejecting Washington’s offer of a UNSC seat in 1950 for which India, nearly 70 years later, is paying a heavy price.

Which of the two schools of thought has greater merit? For the answer, turn to original sources. In painstaking research, Anton Harder, a PhD scholar specialising in Sino-India relations, wrote in 2015: “The issue of India’s right to a seat on the UNSC has centred on Nehru not seizing several alleged opportunities for India to join the UNSC as a permanent member in the 1950s. The question, however, goes beyond Nehru’s reputation, as it provides rare insights into India’s relations with the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the beginning of the Cold War.

“The 1955 offer from the Soviets is well-documented, although perhaps not widely known. The 1955 incident was publicly discussed in 2002 in print by AG Noorani, a major scholar of modern Indian history and politics. However, new evidence of an even earlier offer — by the US in August 1950 — to assist India in assuming a permanent seat at the UNSC has recently emerged, adding substantially to what Noorani earlier wrote. Nehru’s rejection of the US offer underlined the consistency of his conviction that the PRC’s legitimate interests must be acknowledged in order to reduce international tensions. Integrating the PRC into the international community by conceding its right to the Chinese seat at the Security Council was, in fact, a central pillar of Nehru’s foreign policy.

“The documents critical to answering these questions are stowed away in the Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit papers held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML). The importance of Pandit’s papers lies in her relationship with her brother Jawaharlal Nehru. The Pandit papers have not been deployed thus far in studies focused on India’s relationship with China. In late August 1950, Pandit wrote to her brother from Washington, DC, where she was then posted as India’s ambassador to the United States: ‘One matter that is being cooked up in the State Department should be known to you. This is the unseating of China as a Permanent Member in the Security Council and of India being put in her place.’

“Nehru’s response within the week was unequivocal: ‘In your letter, you mention that the State Department is trying to unseat China as a Permanent Member of the Security Council and to put India in her place. So far as we are concerned, we are not going to countenance it. That would be bad from every point of view. It would be a clear affront to China and it would mean some kind of a break between us and China.’”

The Indian establishment had quickly closed ranks around Nehru’s controversial historic decision. K Shankar Bajpai, former secretary in the MEA and ambassador to the US and China, told The Print last week: &nbsp;“It has become a fashion to blame Nehru for everything. To think that India could have taken China’s seat is utter nonsense.”

While the geopolitical imperatives of the 1950s cannot be viewed through a contemporary prism, Nehru’s decision to cede veto-carrying membership of the UNSC to China has led, decades later, to aggressive Chinese behaviour, including supporting Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar at the UNSC. Nehru, were he alive, would be mortified. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-nehru-china-and-the-unsc-2733960">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Did India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, make a historic error by turning down an offer made, first, by the United States in 1950 and then, in 1955, by the Soviet Union to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)?

Did India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, make a historic error by turning down an offer made, first, by the United States in 1950 and then, in 1955, by the Soviet Union to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)? Were these offers made at all? And if so, were they merely feelers, not a serious reflection of intent by the two superpowers at the beginning of the Cold War? Two schools of thought have emerged. The first holds that the US and the USSR merely broached the subject of a permanent UNSC seat for India. The offer was a feeler. Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, then India’s representative at the UN, was firmly against India “usurping” China’s claim to a permanent seat. Nehru agreed with her assessment. China, he wrote to her, is a great nation and deserves permanent membership of the UNSC. Both he and his sister, highly influential in the US and at the UN, felt that India must be a neutral party in the Cold War. By accepting the offer of a permanent seat in the UNSC, however informal the offer was, the two Nehru siblings felt India would need to take sides in international crises like the Korean War. That would compromise India’s position as a founder of the non-aligned movement (NAM). The second school of thought holds a diametrically opposite point of view. India misread the situation. It dismissed Washington’s overtures in 1950 when the US wanted to contain the influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) which had in 1949 won a civil war against Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalists who fled to Taiwan and, as the Republic of China (ROC), represented the PRC at the UN from 1949 to 1971. The Soviets in 1955 too wanted India as a permanent member of the UNSC but Nehru again brushed off the offer as not being a serious one. This, the second school of thought holds, amounted to compounding the earlier historic error of rejecting Washington’s offer of a UNSC seat in 1950 for which India, nearly 70 years later, is paying a heavy price. Which of the two schools of thought has greater merit? For the answer, turn to original sources. In painstaking research, Anton Harder, a PhD scholar specialising in Sino-India relations, wrote in 2015: “The issue of India’s right to a seat on the UNSC has centred on Nehru not seizing several alleged opportunities for India to join the UNSC as a permanent member in the 1950s. The question, however, goes beyond Nehru’s reputation, as it provides rare insights into India’s relations with the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at the beginning of the Cold War. “The 1955 offer from the Soviets is well-documented, although perhaps not widely known. The 1955 incident was publicly discussed in 2002 in print by AG Noorani, a major scholar of modern Indian history and politics. However, new evidence of an even earlier offer — by the US in August 1950 — to assist India in assuming a permanent seat at the UNSC has recently emerged, adding substantially to what Noorani earlier wrote. Nehru’s rejection of the US offer underlined the consistency of his conviction that the PRC’s legitimate interests must be acknowledged in order to reduce international tensions. Integrating the PRC into the international community by conceding its right to the Chinese seat at the Security Council was, in fact, a central pillar of Nehru’s foreign policy. “The documents critical to answering these questions are stowed away in the Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit papers held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML). The importance of Pandit’s papers lies in her relationship with her brother Jawaharlal Nehru. The Pandit papers have not been deployed thus far in studies focused on India’s relationship with China. In late August 1950, Pandit wrote to her brother from Washington, DC, where she was then posted as India’s ambassador to the United States: ‘One matter that is being cooked up in the State Department should be known to you. This is the unseating of China as a Permanent Member in the Security Council and of India being put in her place.’ “Nehru’s response within the week was unequivocal: ‘In your letter, you mention that the State Department is trying to unseat China as a Permanent Member of the Security Council and to put India in her place. So far as we are concerned, we are not going to countenance it. That would be bad from every point of view. It would be a clear affront to China and it would mean some kind of a break between us and China.’” The Indian establishment had quickly closed ranks around Nehru’s controversial historic decision. K Shankar Bajpai, former secretary in the MEA and ambassador to the US and China, told The Print last week: “It has become a fashion to blame Nehru for everything. To think that India could have taken China’s seat is utter nonsense.” While the geopolitical imperatives of the 1950s cannot be viewed through a contemporary prism, Nehru’s decision to cede veto-carrying membership of the UNSC to China has led, decades later, to aggressive Chinese behaviour, including supporting Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar at the UNSC. Nehru, were he alive, would be mortified. (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.)

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