Pakistan indulges in unprovoked firing at LoC as the US advises India and Pakistan to deescalate the situation. But India looks determined to punish the perpetrators of terror attack in Pahalgam
Our Bureau
New Delhi
As the India-Pakistan border continues to be hot, the Pakistani military is continuing its build-up on the frontier and has deployed air defense and artillery units at forward locations. Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan talked over the hotline on Tuesday to discuss the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan, defense sources said on Wednesday. They said India warned Pakistan against the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LOC) and the International Border.
The Indian Army has effectively responded to the Pakistan Army’s unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control (LoC). The Army responded swiftly to the ceasefire violation on the night of April 27-28 in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K), officials said.
But the Pakistani military has deployed radar systems and air defense weapon systems opposite the Longewala sector, Barner in Rajasthan, defense sources said. The Pakistan Air Force is currently conducting three exercises simultaneously: Fiza-e-Badr, Lalkar-e-Momin, and Zarb-e-Haidari. These exercises involve all major fighter aircraft fleets, including the F-16, J-10, and JF-17. These exercises started on April 29 and are seeing participation of the Saab airborne early warning and control systems aircraft.
The Pakistan Army Strike Corps elements are also carrying out training in their areas of responsibility, they said. The Pakistani military has also deployed the Airport Security Force for the protection of ground assets and the peripheral security of the air bases. The SH-15 howitzers from China continue to be inducted into the Pakistan Army and the units are getting deployed in forward locations.
Amid these developments, on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with US counterpart Marco Rubio and discussed the recent terror attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Jaishankar stated that the perpetrators, backers, and planners of the attack must be brought to justice. “Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US @SecRubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice,” Jaishankar posted on X.
Also, Rubio on Thursday encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia. Jaishankar stated that the attack’s perpetrators, backers, and planners must be brought to justice. “Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice,” Jaishankar posted on X.
During the talks, Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism. Expressing his sorrow for the lives lost in the “horrific terrorist attack” in Pahalgam, Rubio also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to “de-escalate tensions” and maintain peace and security in South Asia, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The talks between the two leaders come as there has been a rise in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the April 22 brutal attack in Pahalgam, where terrorists killed 26 people and injured many others. The Indian Army has effectively responded to the Pakistan Army’s unprovoked small arms firing across the LoC.
As tensions remain high, India has begun more engagement with the world, especially with the US. On Thursday, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who expressed deep condolences over the loss of innocent lives in the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J-K) Pahalgam. Expressing “deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the terror attack,” the US Secretary conveyed strong support of the US government in India’s fight against terrorism.
“Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S. stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. He reiterated the strong support of the U.S. government in India’s fight against terrorism,” it said. Singh told Secretary Hegseth that Pakistan has a history of providing safe havens, training, and funding to terror groups.
This comes amid escalating tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people. Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had met on April 23 and was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The CCS condemned the attack in the strongest terms and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and hoped for the early recovery of the injured.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got the full support from the Trump administration, adding that they are in constant communication with the governments of India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking at the press briefing on Friday, Bruce said that the US is closely monitoring the situation.
State Department spokesperson cited the readout of US State Secretary Marco Rubio’s Thursday conversation with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “We are monitoring closely. Yesterday, the Secretary spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. As President Donald Trump articulated to Prime Minister Modi last week, the United States stands strong with India against terrorism, and Prime Minister Modi has our full support,” she said.
Back home, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday reiterated the Centre’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism, saying the fight against the menace will continue until terrorism is completely uprooted. “Terrorists should not think that they have achieved their big victory. This fight is not over yet. Chun chun ke badla lenge (we will take revenge on all terrorists),” Shah said while addressing an event in the national capital.
“If someone thinks that by their cowardly attack they have their big victory, then understand one thing, this is the Narendra Modi government, no one will be spared. It is our resolve to uproot terrorism from every inch of this country and it will be accomplished. In this fight Not only 140 crore Indians but the whole world is standing with India in this fight, all the countries of the world have come together and are standing with the people of India in this fight against terrorism. I want to reiterate the resolve that until terrorism is eradicated, our fight will continue and those who have committed it will certainly be given appropriate punishment,” Home Minister Shah said.
Meanwhile, in a shocking admission, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has acknowledged the country’s tango with terror operatives, saying that Pakistan has a past. This follows the Defense Minister Khwaja Asif admitting Pakistan’s involvement in backing and funding terrorist groups. Bhutto acknowledged Pakistan’s history with extremism, claiming the nation has suffered as a result and has since reformed.
In a conversation with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim on Thursday, Bhutto said, “As far as what the defense minister said, I don’t think it is a secret that Pakistan has a past… As a result, we have suffered, Pakistan has suffered. We have gone through wave after wave of extremism. But as a result of what we suffered, we also learned our lessons. We have gone through internal reforms to address this problem…”
“As far as Pakistan’s history is concerned, it is history and it is not something that we are partaking in today. It is true that it is an unfortunate part of our history,” Bhutto further said.
A few days ago, in a video clip that went viral, Pakistan’s Defense Minister was in conversation with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, when she asked him, “But you do admit, you do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organizations?”
Khwaja Asif in his reply said, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades… and the West, including Britain…That was a mistake, and we suffered for that, and that is why you are saying this to me. If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record was unimpeachable.”
The admission from Pakistan’s top echelon comes against the backdrop of the deadly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. The Lashkar-e-Taiba, a proscribed terror group with deep ties to Pakistan, orchestrated the attack.
It is a clear signal to the world that Pakistan is not ready to give up its association with terrorists who have been attacking India.
