Congress MP and former United Nations diplomat Shashi Tharoor today said the surgical strikes carried out by the army across the LoC were 'very very sensible, measured and proportionate retaliation'.

Killing 19 soldiers was a provocation, he said referring to the Uri terror attack.

"What India did is very very sensible, measured and proportionate retaliation," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram .

Tharoor said 'a real message' has been sent to Pakistan that they cannot send troops to 'our country to attack our targets', people and jawans'.

"All seem to be well done...I am proud of the armed forces. They seem to have gone and conducted a successful strike, returned causalities...A real message has gone," he said.

The United Nations on Thursday asked India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and encouraged them to continue their effort to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue, UN secretary general's spokesperson said.

"We are obviously following the situation with great concern concerning the increase of tensions across the Line of Control," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Thursday.

The UN military observer group for India and Pakistan is aware of the reports of ceasefire violations and right now is liaising with the concerned authorities to obtain further information, he said.

"The UN calls on the government of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and encourage them to continue their effort to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue," he said.

One Indian soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles has inadvertently crossed over to other side of the Line of Control. Pakistan has been informed about it by the Director General of Military Operations on hotline, the Indian army sources said.

They said that such inadvertent crossing by army personnel and civilians is not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms.

About the reports of killing of eight Indian army personnel in a section of Pakistani media they said it is completely false and baseless.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is to attend the funeral of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres on Friday, Abbas' office said.

Tejas, Hamsafar, Antodaya and Udaya Express trains are among 30 new services which are part of the new railway timetable.  

Former Union minister M M Pallam Raju has cautioned the NDA government not to "pat its back" for the "surgical strike" across Line of Control, saying it should be prepared for possible retaliation from Pakistan. 

More updates on the military strikes across the LoC: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the Indian Army's surgical strike targeted 5-6 terrorist locations across the Line of Control along Kupwara and Poonch.  

The all-party meeting called by the government begins. Home Minsiter Rajnath Singh called the meeting to brief the parties in the the wake of the surgical strikes across the India-Pakistan border late on Wednesday night.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said, "Details of the surgical strikes were shared in the all party meeting."

Meanwhile, leaves of Army officers and jawans serving in the Western Front have been cancelled. 

Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has convened an emergency meeting in view of escalating situation on India-Pakistan border. 

The Indian Army has started evacuating people living near the border areas of Punjab in anticipation of a possible retaliation by Pakistani troops.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal over the phone and requested him to start the evacuation of people in villages within 10 km of the border in view of the escalating tensions.

All schools within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border have been shut down, informed the District Education Officer in Ferozepur, Punjab.

Top defence experts today termed the 'surgical strikes' on terror launch pads across the Line of Control in PoK as an "operational necessity" and said those were necessitated as the "levels of tolerance" were crossed.


Former top guns of the military lauded the bravery and calibrated approach of the Indian security forces as also the government for allowing the military to carry out the task and said "a long pending debt has been paid back today".


They justified the strikes, saying the forces had entered into Indian territory occupied by Pakistan. "I am very pleased that the government is letting the Army do what it needs to do. Let Pakistani military know that this is what we have done and we will continue to do it (if) they do not behave themselves. We need a big heart for doing this."

@ShivAroor  One Indian Army commando injured in the #IndiaStrikesPak covert strike. He's stable. Will update on his condition. Thoughts with him & unit.

The family of soldier SK Vidyarthi, who was killed in the Uri attack of September 18, hailed the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army along the LoC in Pakistan on Thursday.


"Really happy that the Indian Army took the initiative and conducted these strikes," Vidyarthi's daughter Aarti told reporters.


"This (surgical strike) is very good, but we would have been happier had it been done before," said Vidyarthi's wife. The Uri martyr's family lives in Gaya district of Bihar.


Also read: Their father died in Uri, but they still appeared for their exam the next day

Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit received threatening calls,, we have shared the details with the MEA: Pak High Commission sources.

In Patna, people celebrate the Indian Army's surgical strikes in the Line of Control. 

More cheer for India: Hockey U-18 Asia Cup: India defeat Pakistan 3-1 in Dhaka. 

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's statement: "We stand with the govt in its actions to protect country's security. Party hopes Pakistan will recognise that it bears a great responsibility in continuing cross-border terrorist attacks against India. Congress expects that Pakistan will take effective action to dismantle infra of terrorism that it has supported."

Apart from AK Antony, Sonia Gandhi is the only opposition leader to laud the government. Most other opposition leaders have congratulated and thanked the Army, but stopped short of the extending the felicitations to the government. 

-- All party meeting at MHA to begin shortly, security enhanced in the area.

-- All schools within 10 km of India-Pak border to be closed till further orders. Punjab asked to immediately start evacuation of people residing in villages within 10 kms of international border.

-- Terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed (responsible for the Uri attack), Laskhar-e-Toiba (responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes) and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were killed, numbering between 35 and 40. Nine Pakistan Army men killed.

The first opposition leader to congratulate the government on its decision to go in for surgical strikes. While most parties thanked the Indian army and said the country stood with them, not a single party lauded the government. Except for senior Congress leader AK Antony. The former defence minister said, "We support the Govt and its endeavour to protect our national security. There is a strong message in this, we fully support the action by Indian Army."

Senior journalist Praveen Swami tweets: In the bad old days, journalists used to ask to see some evidence of claims at briefings. So glad we're done with that.

As Pakistan rubbishes surgical strikes by India, ABP News reports say that a video of the strike has been recorded by the Army as proof. But it will not be made public.


Pakistan on Thursday dismissed as "fabrication of truth" India's claim that it has conducted a military operation across the Line of Control to target terrorist launching pads, terming it as a "quest" by India to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as surgical strike.

"There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India which is existential phenomenon," Pakistan army said in a statement.

"As per rules of engagement same was strongly and befittingly responded by Pakistani troops. The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects. This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth," it said.

Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded, the statement said.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that India's claim was not true.

"For every act of terrorism on Indian territory for which there is credible evidence pointing to the Pakistan army and the ISI's involvement, carefully calibrated military strikes must be launched against the Pakistan army," says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).

If you haven't read this column yet, do read it now.

@BDUTT "Mass anger after #Uriattacks was like massive anger after Nirbhaya rape" says one source. "It called for Action, not diplomatic tinkering."

Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor Proud of our Armed Forces for their successful strike against terrorist launch pads. Now Govt must ensure the world understands &stands w/us. 

It has been a matter of serious concern that there has been continuing and increasing infiltration by terrorists across Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. This is reflected, amongst others, in the terrorist attacks on 11 and 18 September 16 in Punch and Uri respectively. Almost 20 infiltration attempts have also been foiled by the Army at or close to the Line of Control during this year.



During these terrorist attacks and infiltration attempts, we have recovered various stores including GPS and items that clearly indicate their origins in Pakistan. Furthermore, captured terrorists hailing from Pakistan or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have confessed to their training and arming in Pakistan or territory under its control. The matter had been taken up at highest diplomatic levels and through military channels. India has also offered consular access to these apprehended terrorists for Pakistan to verify their confessions. Furthermore, we had proposed that fingerprints and DNA samples of terrorists killed in Punch and Uri could be made available to Pakistan for investigation.


Despite our persistent urging that Pakistan respect its January 2004 commitment for not allowing its soil or territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India, there has been no let up in infiltration and terrorist actions from across the Line of Control. If damage was limited, this was primarily due to the efforts of our soldiers deployed in our multi-tiered counter-infiltration grid that has been effective in neutralizing infiltrating terrorists. The Indian Armed Forces have been extremely vigilant in the face of this continuing threat.


Based on receiving specific and credible inputs that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along Line of Control to carryout infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other states, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes at several of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists. The operations were focussed on ensuring that these terrorists do not succeed in their design to cause destruction and endanger the lives of our citizens.


During these counter terrorist operations significant casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing support to them. The operations aimed at neutralizing terrorists have since ceased. We do not have any plans for further continuation. However, the Indian Armed Forces are fully prepared for any contingency that may arise.


I have been in touch with Pakistan Army DGMO and have informed him of our actions. It is India's intention to maintain peace and tranquillity in the region. But we cannot allow the terrorists to operate across the Line of Control with impunity and attack citizens of our country at will. In line with Pakistan's commitment in January 2004 not to allow its soil or territory under its control to be used for attacks against India, we expect the Pakistani army to cooperate with us to erase the menace of terrorism from the region.

Just in: BSF cancels beating retreat ceremony at Wagah border for today.  Just before sunset every day, India's BSF and the Pakistan Rangers across the border lower flags to close the border post in a ceremony that attracts huge crowds on both sides.


The last time the hugely popular ceremony was cancelled was in November 2014 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd on the Pakistan side, killing at least 55 people. The BSF cancelled the ceremony at the request of Pakistan.

As part of government's efforts to take all political parties on board, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today informed Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab and Bihar and several opposition political leaders about the Army's surgical strike across the Line of Control.


Soon after the announcement of the surgical strike on the terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the Home Minister informed Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik, Parkash Singh Badal and Naveen Patnaik about the surgical strikes.


Singh also spoke to former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury and informed them about the military action on terror launch pads, official sources said.


India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads last night across the LoC and inflicted significant casualties and heavy damages. The announcement of the sudden action by the army to target terrorists was made by DGMO Lt Gen Ranveer Singh.

Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister on surgical strikes by Indian Army on Pak territory:


"India has been repeatedly urging Pakistan that its territory should not be allowed for terror activities. These ops are a part of the mandate of the Indian Army to foil any attempts of infiltration into our soil. 


"At least now Pakistan will stop terrorism against India. The country is safe in hands of PM Modi and the Army, thats why people in different parts of world are appreciating steps taken to counter terror.


"The Army operation was a part of their responsibility in defending unity, safety and security of the country. PM Modi said that befitting measures will be taken to ensure the safety and security of the country.


"After the Uri terror attack, people of India were outraged. PM has reassured nation that such acts will not be tolerated. Our positive gestures were only reciprocated with further encouragement to terrorists (by Pakistan). "

Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat  Looks like someone justified his chest size today. This is India. You don't mess with us. Ever. #surgicalstrike.

Amit Shah: It is for the first time, in this frontal fight against terrorism, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi is feeling secure. I again salute the valour of Indian Army for giving befitting reply to those attacking innocent Indians & ensuring zero tolerance on terror.

Venkiah Naidu: These ops are a part of the mandate of the Indian Army to foil any attempts of infiltration into our soil.

Ahmed Patel (Cong): We congratulate the Indian army for undertaking surgical strikes on terror launch pads.We stand completely behind our Armed Forces

Randeep S Surjewala (Cong): INC wholeheartedly supports the surgical strike on terror pads in POK by Indian Army. Salute the valour of our armed forces.

Mustafa Kamal (NC). Our govt should make J&K, a bridge of peace and friendship but unfortunately we took the other way. If you are crossing the border, it means you are declaring a war.

Update on the military strikes across the LoC: India conducted surgical strikes on at least seven terror launch pads between 500 metres to three kilometres inside Pakistani territory across the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.


The strikes inflicted significant casualties among the terrorists, their  guides and handlers in the terror camps and heavy damages.  All the terror launch pads attacked were under surveillance for a week. The army said that the surgical strikes were a combination of heliborne and land troops. 

The Home minister has briefed chief ministers of all states about the midnight strike.

Villages in Punjab which are 10 km from the international border with Pakistan are being evacuated, additional BSF troops move in.

The announcement of the midnight action by the army to target terror camps in Pakistan was made by the Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Ranveer Singh at a hurriedly called news conference during which external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup was also present.

The government has also called for an all-party meeting at 4 pm today.

Mayank Gandhi: Unfortunately markets falling on surgical strikes. Businessman, trust our country, do not panic sell. Bharat mata ki jai #surgicalstrikes


Kiran Bedi ‏@thekiranbedi  A time comes in the life of a country when offence becomes the right defence. Precious brave lives of our soldiers ought never go in vain..


Aaditya Thackeray ‏@AUThackeray  Thank you #IndianArmy for your action, on the terror camps, to protect peace in the region! This was a long time coming. @adgpi Jai Hind.


Ram Madhav ‏@rammadhavbjp  PM Modiji has walked the talk. Punishing the perpetrators of terror from across has begun.


Dr Nirmal Singh, J&K Depy CM: Pak was behaving like a terrorist state; befitting reply was needed.These strikes boosted morale of our army:


Arvind Kejriwal: Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The entire country is with the Indian Army.

Pakistan's ISPR, the media arm of the Pak army posts this statement on it's official Facebook page: There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross-border fire initiated and conducted by India which is an existential phenomenon. As per rules of engagement same was strongly and befittingly responded by Pakistani troops. The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects. This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded."

Reactions from Pakistan:

Pakistan's ISPR (Inter Services Public Relations) says:  "Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded. Notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is illusion deliberately generated by India to create false effects "


Pakistan Air Force says: "This (by Indian Army) was not a surgical strike, we are alert for any eventuality."

Breaking news: News agency ANI quoting Army sources said Indian Army special forces were para-dropped across the Line of Control. Five terror launch pads were destroyed by the Army across the LOC, ANI said quoting Army sources.


Indian army Special Forces op on terror launch pads lasted from 12:30 am to 4:30 am, the location was between 500 meters to 2 Km across the LoC, news agency ANI reported.


India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads in the early hours of Thursday across the Line of Control and inflicted significant casualties and heavy damages.


The announcement of the sudden action by the army to target terrorists was made by the Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Ranveer Singh at a hurriedly called news conference during which external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup was also present.


Gen Singh said India shared with Pakistani army details of the surgical strikes which followed "very specific information" that terrorists were positioning themselves in the launch pads along the LoC.


Details of duration of the surgical strikes or when it was conducted or the place was not immediately given.

"The Indian Army conducted surgical strikes last night on terror launch pads across the Line of Control," Singh said, adding India was ready for any kind of contingency.

Gen Singh said heavy damages were caused to the terror camps and there were significant casualties, adding that as of now there was no plan for further operation.

Sources said that at least two terror camps were struck during the surgical strikes.

"We can't allow terrorists to operate across the LoC. There has been a surge in infiltration," Gen Singh said.


Representational image

Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations says "no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated by India".


This is how the Dawn, Pakistan reported the surgical strike along the LoC. "At least two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed as Indian troops fired across the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.


"The Pakistani military confirmed the deaths of its soldiers and dismissed the Indian claim of 'surgical strikes.'"There had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India which is [an] existential phenomenon", said an ISPR statement released shortly after the Indian DGMO held a press conference making claims about surgical strikes."


"The exchange of fire began at 2:30am, ISPR said, and continued till 8:00am.


"Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring Kel and Lipa sectors," the statement said.


"The latest incident of cross-border firing comes as tensions simmer between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue, days after India accused Pakistan of involvement in the Uri army base attack in India-held Kashmir ─ an allegation that Pakistan has rejected."

If you've just joined us, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes on the LoC last night. The surgical strikes were carried out against three terrorist launchpads along the Line of Control last night. The President, J-K CM, former PM Manmohan Singh have been briefed about the strikes. 


DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh in a joint press conference held with the MEA said, "I spoke to the Pak DGMO, shared our concerns and told him that we conducted surgical strikes last night. During this counter terrorist operation, significant causalities have been caused to terrorists and those who are trying to support them. The operation is aimed at neutralising the terrorists. We expect Pakistan Army to help us wipe out the terrorists," the DGMO said.


Lt General Singh said there were major casualties among the terrorists, who he said were planning attacks on major Indian metro cities including Srinagar.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the "unprovoked and naked aggression of Indian forces resulting in the martyrdom of two Pakistani soldiers along LoC.


"The Pakistan Army can thwart any evil design to undermine our sovereignty," warned Nawaz Sharif and said that Pakistan's intent for peaceful neighborhood shouldn't be mistaken as its weakness.


The Pakistan DGMO was informed about the strikes which were carried out last night at the terror camps along the LoC.

Senior journalist Harinder Baweja tweets: The surgical strikes are only the first move to many that will follow. Be prepared for escalation.

Minutes after India announced that they had carried surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attacks saying, "Our desire for peace should not be interpreted as our weakness. We are ready for the safety and defence of our country."

JUST IN: Sensex falls over 500 points as army announces surgical strikes against terrorists across Line of Control

Minutes after the DGMO confirmed that India had carried surgical strikes across the LoC in PoK, Pakistani newspaper The Dawn carried a report stating that two of their army men had died when troops exchanged fire over the Line of Control. 

PM Narendra Modi chairs Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on situation on the LoC. The meeting that was to be called by the PM to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan has been postponed till next week.


Pakistani troops today violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Naugam sector of Kashmir by opening indiscriminate fire towards Indian Army posts. This is the second ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days.


"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts in Naugam sector at around 7 am," an Army official said. He said the Pakistani troops used small fire arms and mortars but there were no reports of any casualty. "Our troops exercised restraint and have not retaliated so far," he added.

Pakistani troops had yesterday targeted Indian positions with small firearms along the Line of Control in Poonch district.

Just in: The meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan postponed till next week.


The decision to review the MFN status comes in the wake of the Uri attack after which India is weighing various options to respond and isolate Islamabad.


Among others, officials from commerce and external affairs ministries are expected to attend the meeting.


The meeting, according to sources, may deliberate upon the option of dragging Pakistan to the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism for not according similar status to India.


India granted the MFN status to Pakistan in 1996 but Pakistan is yet to reciprocate to that. The neighbouring country has missed its own deadline of December 2012 for this.


Under MFN, a WTO member country is obliged to treat other trading nation in a non-discriminatory manner, especially with regard to customs duty and other levies.


According to experts, withdrawal of the MFN status by India is likely to hurt Pakistani industries as it might stop flow of raw materials at competitive prices.


In 2015-16, India's exports to Pakistan stood at $2.17 billion, while imports were $441 million.


As per the WTO rules, India can roll back the MFN status from Pakistan.

Pakistani troops today violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Naugam sector of Kashmir by opening indiscriminate fire towards Indian Army posts. This is the second ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days.

"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts in Naugam sector at around 7 am," an Army official said. He said the Pakistani troops used small fire arms and mortars but there were no reports of any casualty. "Our troops exercised restraint and have not retaliated so far," he added.

Pakistani troops had yesterday targeted Indian positions with small firearms along the Line of Control in Poonch district.

Refusing to support India's decision to pull out from the scheduled 19th SAARC Summit followed by Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Nepal, the present Chair of SAARC, has strongly urged the member countries to ensure the summit was on time.


Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement late Wednesday calling all member states to create a conducive environment for the summit scheduled for November 9 and 10, in Islamabad.


As the current Chair of SAARC, the government of Nepal strongly urged that a conducive environment be created for the summit soon by ensuring participation of all member states in line with the spirit of the SAARC Charter, the foreign ministry said in a statement.


Nepal's statement might not appease India, as other member nations Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan also have not made their position clear on India's decision to pull out from the summit.


The statement further added that the government of Nepal has received communications from the Saarc Secretariat transmitting the diplomatic notes from four Saarc member states Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India, in which they have conveyed their inability to participate in the summit stating that current regional environment was not conducive.


Image: A file picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting Nepalese dignitaries on his arrival at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu for the SAARC summit in 2014.

Rahul Gandhi in Guwahati: "I am against the ideology of the RSS and other organisations that try to divide this nation. I'm fighting against the RSS ideology that divides the country; my work is to fight poverty. Such cases are tactics to put me away from poor and helpless people; my fight is for farmers, laborers and the unemployed youth."


Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrived at a court in Guwahati this morning for a defamation case filed by a RSS volunteer.


Speaking to reporters outside the court room, Rahul said, "I'll not be deterred; Im happy, let them put as many cases as they want, Ill continue to fight for unity of this country."


An RSS volunteer had filed a defamation suit against Rahul Gandhi last year and the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup after examining different witnesses asked Gandhi to appear before the court on September 29.


Rahul is also expected to address a meeting of party workers before returning to New Delhi the same evening.


The case is related to Gandhi's visit to the Barpeta Satra, a 16th century Vaishnavite monastery on December 12 last year. He was supposed to enter the Satra before taking part in a road show, organised nearby, but did not do so and instead hit the roadshow directly.


Later in New Delhi, he told media persons that some RSS workers prevented him from entering the Satra. He also alleged that the RSS have incited the local women to prevent him from entering the Satra.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh's grandson carries soil from Jallianwala Bagh to India Gate in New Delhi on Wednesday in a reenactment of what the iconic freedom fighter did in 1919.

It is believed the Jallianwala Bagh incident inspired Bhagat Singh to join the movement for freedom and he had carried a small bottle filled with the blood-soaked mud from Jallianwala Bagh to his house and vowed to follow in the footsteps of the freedom fighters who had died in the massacre.

It was the revolutionary leader's 109th birth anniversary yesterday.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrives at a court in Guwahati for a defamation case filed by a RSS volunteer.


An RSS volunteer had filed a defamation suit against Rahul Gandhi last year and the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup after examining different witnesses asked Gandhi to appear before the court on September 29.


Rahul is also expected to address a meeting of party workers before returning to New Delhi the same evening.


The case is related to Gandhi's visit to the Barpeta Satra, a 16th century Vaishnavite monastery on December 12 last year. He was supposed to enter the Satra before taking part in a road show, organised nearby, but did not do so and instead hit the roadshow directly.


Later in New Delhi, he told media persons that some RSS workers prevented him from entering the Satra. He also alleged that the RSS have incited the local women to prevent him from entering the Satra.

A North Korean soldier walked across one of world's most heavily fortified borders today and defected to the South, military authorities said. The man crossed the military demarcation line around 01:00 GMT on the central-eastern part of the border, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. There was no exchange of fire during the defection.


"He is now being held in custody for questioning", the JCS added. It is rare for North Korean defectors to walk across the mine-riddled border, which is guarded by tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides. The last time in happened was June last year when a teenage North Korean soldier surrendered himself to South Korean border guards at Hwacheon, north-east of Seoul. Hundreds of North Koreans flee their isolated and impoverished homeland each year. Most cross the porous frontier with China first before travelling through a south-east Asian nation and eventually arriving in South Korea.


In 2012, a North Korean soldier walked unchecked through rows of electrified fencing and surveillance cameras, prompting Seoul to sack three field commanders for a security lapse. In August 2014, two North Koreans swam across the Yellow sea border to a South Korean frontline island.

If you are wondering why a massive, multi-agency search mounted last week by the Navy, Coast Guard, NSG and Maharashtra ATS for "a group of suspicious men dressed in black and heard mentioning 'school' and 'ONGC- -- near the Uran Naval base in Navi Mumbai, failed to yield anything, it is because their "spotting" was figment of a 12-year-old's fertile imagination.


The Times of India reports that after the second round of questioning two days after Uran was put on high alert and a massive search operation covering land, air and sea failed to trace the suspects, the girl conceded that she had earlier seen pictures of Islamic State terrorists wearing black clothes and flashing automatic weapons, which prompted her to spread the word that she had spotted them in Uran "for some thrill".

Read more


Image: Nakabandis were strictly enforced across Mumbai in the wake of the terror alert.

"The call to isolate Pakistan on the ground of sponsoring and supporting terrorism, particularly when the UN has not even defined terrorism, is a wild goose chase. The responses of various countries to the Uri attack provides testimony to this fact. 'No country, not even Russia, was willing to condemn Pakistan for this dastardly act," says former ambassador TP Sreenivasan. Read more

A second Miss Universe contestant has come forward to claim that she was fat-shamed by Donald Trump. Jodie Seal, who was Miss Australia in the 1996 event, told Inside Edition that the future Republican presidential nominee called the girls "some pretty horrible names.


"He said to me, 'suck your stomach in, or suck your gut in,'' she recalled. "He always wanted us to be sexy."


She also described him as "controlling.' "He'd walk by while we were eating,' Seal said. "He put a lot of the girls down." Read more

"I want justice. I want the death penalty to the convicts in my family's brutal carnage."


Ten years have passed since the Khairlanji massacre of September 29, 2006, and Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, 61, who lost four of his family, was repeating what he has said countless times since. The reiteration on the eve of the anniversary, however, sounded all the more potent as it coincided with the Maratha-Kunbi movement for abrogation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.The case is now in Supreme Court, with all sides having appealed a Bombay High Court (Nagpur bench) verdict that commuted the death penalty to eight accused (one of them since deceased) to life imprisonment for 25 years.  Read more

Image: Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange

JUST IN: Pakistani singer Atif Aslam's concert, which was to be held at the Leisure Valley park in Gurgaon on October 15, called off.

Citing sentiments of armed forces/soldiers at the frontier, the Gurgaon administration yesterday advised organisers of the concert featuring the Pakistani singer to defer the event planned for October 15.

The advisory came hours after members of the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Kranti Dal met Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner T L Satyaprakash, asking him to cancel the event. In a letter handed to the Deputy Commissioner, the outfit warned if the event takes place, and any incident happens because of it, the district administration will be responsible.

Last night, leading industrialist Ratan Tata commended the government's decision to boycott the SAARC Summit in the wake of Uri attacks, in a rare tweet.


"So proud of Indian govt's firm stand on bycot of SARC mtg & overwhelming support by member nations (sic)," Tata tweeted.


The tweet by Tata Group Chairman Emeritus received over 7500 likes and was re-tweeted more than 5000 times.


Amid heightened tension with Pakistan over Uri terror attack in which 18 jawans were killed, India had announced its decision of pulling out of the Summit late last night citing increased "cross-border" attacks.


Apart from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan have also pulled out of the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which is not right for the successful holding of the meet, resulting in its collapse.

"Very few people will have access to the granular detail of what options are available to India and what their costs, consequences and benefits are. While Modi considers all of this, he would do well to do one thing. And that is to ignore the media," says Aakar Patel. Read more


Image: Baloch and Indian activists protest outside the United Nations in New York while Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed the UN General Assembly, September 21, 2016.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will appear before a local court in Guwahati in connection with a defamation case, a party leader said.


An RSS volunteer had filed a defamation suit against Mr Gandhi last year and the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup after examining different witnesses asked Gandhi to appear before the court on September 29.


A spokesman of the Congress' state unit said that Gandhi will arrive in Guwahati around 9 am and will appear before the court at around 10.30 am. Later he is also expected to address a meeting of party workers before returning to New Delhi the same evening.


The case is related to Gandhi's visit to the Barpeta Satra, a 16th century Vaishnavite monastery on December 12 last year. He was supposed to enter the Satra before taking part in a road show, organised nearby, but did not do so and instead hit the roadshow directly.


Later in New Delhi, he told media persons that some RSS workers prevented him from entering the Satra. He also alleged that the RSS have incited the local women to prevent him from entering the Satra.

South Korea, the current chair of Nuclear Suppliers' Group, should reach out to the member countries, to help India get early membership of the grouping, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Wednesday as she met her counterpart.

Mahajan, who is leading Parliamentary delegation to South Korea, also discussed issues related to terrorism and other matters during her meeting with speaker of the National assembly of the Republic of Korea Chung Sye-Kyun.

She thanked South Korea for its support to India's candidature for the membership of the NSG.

The Centre on Wednesday announced a total cash reward of Rs 90 lakh for the medal winners of Rio Paralympics.

Gold medal winners -- paralympic high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu and javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia -- will be rewarded with Rs 30 lakh each while Deepa Malik, who won silver medal in shotput, will get Rs 20 lakh and high jumper Varun Singh Bhati, who won a bronze medal at the Rio games,will be given Rs 10 lakh, an official statement said.

The cash reward will be given by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot under the Awareness Generation and Publicity scheme.

"Indian para-athletes bagged impressive four medals at the Rio Paralympics 2016 and made history. The success of para-athletes has made India proud. The department has decided to give a cash prize of total Rs 90 lakh to the medal winners," Gehlot said.

It was India's best-ever performance in Paralympics history with Thangavelu making a leap of 1.89 metres to bag the gold medal while Bhati jumped his personal best of 1.86m to finish third and won bronze.

Jhajharia clinched gold in javelin throw while Malik bagged silver in short put and became the first Indian women to win a medal at the Paralympics games.

Go to a grocery store in the US and you'll likely find a small area of the produce section marked 'organic', where the options are pricey and scant compared to the 'regular' AKA conventionally produced section. Now, go to India, and you'll find an entire state growing only organic produce. That's right: every farm, every field, every vegetable.

Home to more organic farmers than any other country in the world, India now boasts the first state to receive 100 percent organic certification. Small but mighty, all 75,000 hectares of farmland in Sikkim and its 66,000 farmers have sworn off GMOs, pesticides, and chemical fertilisers.

Read more.

Michelle Obama told a diverse and enthusiastic crowd in Philadelphia on Wednesday that candidates don't change once they become president and that America 'needs an adult in the White House'.

The First Lady never mentioned Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the rally at LaSalle University. But there was no question that she was warning voters that candidate Trump would be the same as President Trump.

"The presidency doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are," she told the cheering crowd.

She referred to several comments Trump made during and after Monday's debate, including his apparent acknowledgment that hes paid no taxes some years. Trump said that makes him 'smart'.

She said the country needs a leader who is steady and measured because when making war-or-peace decisions, 'the president can't just pop off or lash out irrationally. No, we need an adult in the White House, I guarantee you'.

She cast Clinton as a tough, compassionate fighter who doesn't back down and who loves her country.

Suspected militants fired at the residence of a former legislator of ruling People's Democratic Party in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Wednesday evening, but there was no loss reported in the attack, police said.

"Some unknown militants fired upon the residence of ex-MLA Syed Bashir at Rajpora in Pulwama," a police official said.

He said a security guard posted at the residence of the former legislator, belonging to the ruling PDP, retaliated,forcing the militants to flee.

There was no loss of life on the either side, the official said.

Three people were injured in a shooting at an elementary school today in South Carolina, with a teenage suspect already in custody, a member of the sheriff's office told local media.

The injured are two children and a teacher at Townville elementary, in the west of the US state, the officer told local broadcaster WYFF, adding that the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Image for representation only.

Protesters gathered on Wednesday in a California town following the police shooting of an unarmed black man who was reportedly mentally ill.

The man, identified by a relative as Ugandan native Alfred Olango, 30, was shot on Tuesday in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon after police received a call about a man behaving erratically and walking in traffic.

El Cajon police chief Jeff Davis said Olango had ignored repeated calls by officers to remove his hand from his pocket and one officer used a Taser against him while another fired his weapon as they felt threatened.

'At one point, the subject rapidly drew an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together and extended them rapidly toward the officer taking up what appeared to be a shooting stance,' Davis said in a statement.

'At this time, the officer with the electronic control device discharged his weapon.

'Simultaneously, the officer with the firearm discharged his weapon several times, striking the subject.'

The shooting took place as the United States reels from a string of police killings of black men that have raised racial tensions nationwide.

One woman posted a Facebook Live video after the shooting that showed a distraught woman who identified herself as Olango's sister and said she had called police to help her brother who was mentally ill.

'You guys came and killed my brother,' the woman wails in the video that had been viewed 82,000 times by Wednesday morning. 'I called you guys to help my brother. You killed my brother in front of me.'

Witnesses said they heard five shots as police confronted Olango.

IMAGE: Agnes Hasam, a family friend of the Alfred Olango, speaks to protesters gathered at the El Cajon Police Department headquarters to protest fatal shooting of an unarmed black man on Tuesday by officers in El Cajon, California. Photograph: Earnie Grafton/Reuters

BlackBerry said on Wednesday that it will stop internal development of smartphones, relying on partners for any future hardware efforts.

The move comes as the company has struggled to turn around its phone business.

'The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners,' CEO John Chen said in a statement.

'This allows us to reduce capital requirements and enhance return on invested capital,' it said.

BlackBerry has been setting the stage for such a move for a while now. It has already released one phone, the DTEK50, that was essentially a rebadged Alcatel phone and has started offering up pieces of its phone software for use on other Android devices.

Chen had said BlackBerry would exit the phone business if it could not make it profitable.

Read more.

India's Strategic Forces Command, the entity that manages the nation's strategic and tactical nuclear weapons and decides the warheads' targets, has been without chief for almost a month.

A stalemate between the Army and the Air Force over who should take over the SFC has pushed this worrisome situation at a time when India is contemplating a military response to the Uri terror attack against a backdrop of nuclear threat from Pakistan.

Read more.

Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has 'urged' all the member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to 'create a conducive environment' for the upcoming summit in Islamabad.

'Nepal government urges that a conducive environment be created soon to ensure participation of all member states in 19th SAARC summit,' Nepal MoFA said.

'Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India conveyed inability to participate in SAARC because of current environment, weve taken it seriously,' Nepal, the chair of SAARC, said.

SAARC summit could be postponed, hints Pakistan

Search ops in Pathankot called off, nothing suspicious found

J&K has suffered due to Indus Water Treaty: Mehbooba

Sharif: India can't just walk away from Indus treaty

'Guides' reveal Uri terrorists came from PoK camp

Katju booked for sedition after offering Kashmir and Bihar to Pakistan

Read yesterday's live commentary HERE