[Nasheman news] Srinagar A gunfight broke out on Sunday between security forces and holed-up militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

Security forces surrounded Pinglish village in Tral area of Pulwama following information about the presence of militants there.

“As the security forces tightened the cordon around the hiding militants, they fired, triggering an encounter.

“Intermittent firing exchanges are going on,” a police officer said.

[Nasheman news] Jaipur A Pakistani drone attempting to enter Indian territory across the Rajasthan border went back following its detection by the Border Security Forces (BSF), who tried to shoot it down, the BSF said.

This was another of the drones from across the international border that tried to enter Indian territory at around 5 a.m. at Hindumalkot border near Sriganganagar, a BSF official said, adding that the moment it was sighted the troopers started firing, forcing it to return.

Villagers residing along the western border also heard heavy firing.

The drone returned safely across the border to Pakistan, a BSF official said.

[New Delhi India on Saturday said if Pakistan claims to be a “naya Pakistan with nayi soch”, it should show “naya action” against terrorist groups and their infrastructure on its soil and end cross-border terrorism in support of its claims.

“We remain resolute in our determination to persuade the international community of the necessity of compelling Pakistan to move beyond mere words and to show credible, verifiable and sustained actions,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar told the media here.

“We have, and we will continue to act with responsibility and maturity. Our armed forces continue to maintain strict vigil and will remain determined in the defence of the nation and its citizens,” he added.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi  India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria will reach Islamabad on Saturday after having completed his consultations here in the wake of Pulwama terror attack.

“High Commissioner of India to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria is returning to Islamabad after having completed his consultations in India. He will reach Islamabad on March 9 and resume his duties, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a media query regarding Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan’s return to Islamabad.

Tensions increased between India and Pakistan after 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama in a terror attack on February 14 in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) took responsibility for the attack. 

India conducted strikes on a training camp of JeM at Balakot in Pakistan in retaliation over the terror attack.

In the subsequent aerial engagement, both India and Pakistan lost a fighter jet each.

Bisaria’s return comes days before India and Pakistan will discuss modalities of the operationalisation of the Kartarpur Corridor with Pakistan.

The first meeting to discuss and finalise the modalities for the corridor would be held on the Indian side of Attari-Wagah border on March 14.

Bisaria had been called back to Delhi for consultations after the Pulwama terror attack.

[Nasheman news] Thiruvananthapuram  Senior CPI-M leader and former Kerala Minister V.J. Thankappan passed away on Saturday near here, according to his family. He was 84.

Thankappan died following age-related issues at his home in the city suburbs, a family member said.

The four-time Communist party of India-Marxist MLA also served as the Minister for Local Administration in the E.K. Nayanar cabinet of 1987-91. He is survived by his wife and four children.

The Left leader had started off as a clerk in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation but soon quit to plunge into full-time politics.

He first won from the Nemon assembly constituency in 1983 when he was elected in a bye-election. Subsequently he completed a hat trick from the same seat.

In 2006, he won from the suburban Neyattinkara parliamentary constituency, here.

Thankappan was a hugely popular leader and one who rose in the party through the ranks.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi BJP President Amit Shah on Friday hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi soon after Attorney General K. K. Venugopal said he had never told the Supreme Court that Rafale file/documents were stolen, but the photocopies of the same were unauthorisedly taken away.

Shah alleged that Rahul Gandhi lies habitually and has no credibility in Indian politics.

“Rahul Gandhi and falsehood are synonyms of each other. In the series of lies, he has yesterday said that Rafale documents were stolen but now it has been proved that it didn’t happen,” Shah said in a series of tweets.

Shah’s attack came soon after AG sought to clarify that he had never said that the Rafale documents, that were published in a section of the media and used by the petitioners, were “stolen.”

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a tweet quoted the AG saying that he had never said that the Rafale documents were stolen and that all he had told the top court was that the petitioners (Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Prashant Bhushan) in their application used “photocopies of the original” papers, deemed by the government.

The BJP President said that Rahul Gandhi’s lies are in public now. He also claimed that the Congress chief has spoken over a dozen lies on the Rafale issue itself.

“The people of the country have now understood the politics of lies of Rahul Gandhi. For them, Rahul Gandhi has become an instrument of entertainment,” Shah said.

“Sometimes he lies about the foundation stone laying of the Ordnance Factory in Amethi, sometimes he lies about loan waiver…” he added.

Nasheman News : The death toll in the Jammu bus stand grenade attack increased to two on Friday, police said.

Muhammad Riyaz, 32, who was injured on Thursday when the grenade flung by a militant exploded under a parked passenger bus at the General Bus Stand here, succumbed to his wounds in a hospital early Friday, the police added.

A 17-year-old youth from Uttarakhand was killed on Thursday, with 30 others injured.

Yasir Javaid Bhat alias Arhaan of Kulgam district, who has confessed of carrying carried out the attack, has been arrested.

Yasir Bhat was said to be aligned with the Hizbul Mujahideen terroroutfit. 

State Governor Satya Pal Malik has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the victims’ next of kin and Rs 20,000 each for the injured.

Thursday’s was the third such attack at the Jammu General Bus Stand by militants in the last nine months. 

Nasheman News : One person was killed and 30 others were injured on Thursday when a grenade rolled under a packed parked bus in Jammu’s main bus stand by a militant exploded with a thunderous explosion, police said.

The incident occurred around 11.30 a.m. when the General Bus Stand, as it is known, was teeming with people.

Inspector General of Police Manish Kumar Sinha said the grenade rolled under the parked bus that was headed to Uttarakhand.

The explosion also injured passengers in a nearby parked bus which was set to leave for Amritsar in Punjab.

One of the badly wounded civilians succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, Sinha said. He has been identified as a 20-year-old man from Uttarakhand.

“Four others have suffered critical injuries,” a police officer said.

The area was cordoned off after the explosion but the militant merged into the crowd and escaped.

Some witnesses said they initially thought the sound had been caused by a tyre burst.

“At first, we thought it was a tyre burst. But when we approached the site, we saw people lying injured and in critical condition,” said Sunil Kumar, 26.

Thursday’s is the third such attack at the Jammu General Bus Stand by militants in the last nine months.

[Nasheman news] Amaravati Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday accused the Centre and the Telangana governments of behaving like “economic terrorists”.

He said both governments were targeting the opponents, including those from the corporate sector, by threatening them or by fabricating false cases against them.

Addressing a news conference here, he said both the Narendra Modi-led government and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government were creating an atmosphere of fear by targeting the opponents through raids or by causing mental agony to them.

Naidu also came down heavily on the Centre for threatening to file cases against “The Hindu” and N. Ram, Chairman of the publishing group, under the Official Secrets Act. He termed this as a serious threat to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief referred to the raid conducted by the Telangana Police on an information technology firm providing services to the party. He alleged that the TRS government took away the data of his party and gave it to the YSR Congress to help it in the coming elections.

Naidu said 160 people who were working with the company ran away from Hyderabad as the TRS government created fear through the raid.

“They also filed a false case against us that government data was stolen. In what way are you concerned with this? Do you have so much love for Andhra Pradesh,” he asked.

The Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh would take all steps, including legal recourse, to protect its sovereign rights.

He alleged that the TRS, BJP and YSR Congress had colluded to create chaos in Andhra Pradesh which was on the path of development and prosperity thanks to the efforts of his government during the last five years. He also claimed that they were trying to get the names of eligible voters deleted from the electoral rolls.

Stating that the Central and the Telangana governments forced many opponents, including some industrialists, to surrender before them, he said there was no question of compromising with them.

“They are threatening me of using the CBI, the ED and other agencies, but they can’t do anything. I have done nothing wrong in my 40-year-long political career and I will continue to fight,” Naidu said.

[Nasheman news] Jammu A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Thursday reached Jammu’s main bus stand where a grenade attack left one man dead and left 30 others injured.

Sources in the agency said the team rushed to the spot soon after getting information about the blast that occurred around 11.30 a.m. when a grenade rolled by an unidentified militant under a packed, parked bus exploded. The bus was headed to Uttarakhand.

The explosion also injured passengers in a nearby bus which was set to leave for Amritsar.

One of the badly-wounded civilians, identified as a 20-year-old man from Uttarakhand, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. 

According to police, four others were critically injured. 

Soon after the explosion, the area was cordoned off but the militant merged into the crowd and escaped.

Some witnesses said they initially thought the sound had been caused by a tyre-burst.

The incident was the third attack at the bus stand, commonly known as Jammu General Bus Stand, by militants in the last nine months.