X accounts of some Pakistani journalists learnt to be working for the ISI have also been suspended

The suspension followed a formal demand by the Indian government, X said on its update. The account was suspended in the wake of disinformation and fake news being spread through Asif’s official handle and in the wake of Asif’s confession on camera that Pakistan has been backing terror groups at the behest of the West.

X accounts of some Pakistani journalists learnt to be working for the ISI have also been suspended.

Earlier on Monday, India announced a ban on 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative and communally sensitive content and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror incident.

Last week, the Pakistani Defence Minister made a huge admission by stating that Pakistan has been funding and backing terror groups in a viral video clip.

How India can punish Pakistan after Pahalgam attack:Praveen Swami speaks to Lt Gen H S Panag (retd)

INDIA’S GENERAL SYED ATA HASNAIN COUNTERS PAKISTAN’S GENERAL ASIM MUNIR.

Ban on sale of Army uniform in Kishtwar

Defence Ministry warns against fake WhatsApp messages seeking donations

16 Pakistani YouTube channels blocked; Centre writes to BBC on its Pahalgam coverage

India-France ink pact sealing Rs 64,000 crore deal to procure 26 Rafale jets 

Pakistan violates ceasefire in Poonch, Kupwara sectors  

ICYMI #TribuneOpinion: Pahalgam terror attack has the entire nation on the edge

Pahalgam & Pak army’s business interests

India rejects BBC’s depiction of terrorists as ‘militants’ in Pahalgam attack reporting

Pakistan ex-cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Basit Ali’s YouTube channels banned in India

As tensions escalate, India’s military spend outpaces Pakistan’s by nearly 9 times

Authorities have ordered prohibition on sale, stitching and storage of army uniforms and combat pattern dresses in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to check their misuse by anti-national elements. Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Kumar Shavan ordered the prohibition. “Whereas, this…

Authorities have ordered prohibition on sale, stitching and storage of army uniforms and combat pattern dresses in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to check their misuse by anti-national elements.

Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Kumar Shavan ordered the prohibition. “Whereas, this threat posed by subversive elements is an imminent danger to public safety, peace, tranquillity and security that warrants immediate preventive …,” he said in an order issued on Saturday.

Issuing a set of regulations and restrictions, the district magistrate said all authorised private firms and shops procuring, storing and selling combat clothes shall immediately inform in writing to the nearest police stations regarding their authority to carry on with this business.

The time limit for such information will be 15 days from the date of issuance and publication of this order. All authorised persons private firms/shops dealing in such articles shall submit fortnightly reports of all the sales of combat/Khadi dress/cloth made by them along with detailed particulars of the Army/paramilitary/police personnel to whom such sales have been made,” the order said.

The list shall be provided by the dealer or dealers to Station House Officer’s concerned on fortnightly basis.

“The register carrying all such details will be maintained properly by each dealer and shall be made available as and when the inspection of the shop is conducted by competent authorities,” the order said, directing all such authorised firms to sell such articles to bonafide members of armed forces after verifying their identity and recording the names and the units where ever employed on the register.

Tehsildar, executive magistrate first class or an officer of the police of the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector or above shall have the authority to check and inspect such registers, the order said.

Lists correct process and bank accounts

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned that a WhatsApp message seeking donations for the modernisation of the Indian Army and for the welfare of soldiers’ families is fake.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the MoD clarified that the message, which mentions a bank account for donations, is fraudulent and not linked to the ministry. It falsely claims a Cabinet decision and invokes actor Akshay Kumar’s name as the prime mover behind the initiative.

“The account details in the said message are wrong, leading to online donations being dishonoured. People must remain cautious and not fall prey to such fraudulent messages,” the MoD said.

The ministry also outlined the legitimate process for making donations towards the welfare of soldiers killed or disabled in active operations. Donations can be made to the Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund (AFBCWF), which provides immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The fund is maintained by the Indian Army on behalf of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. Contribution can be made directly in the account of Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund.

Details of the bank accounts are: Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund, Canara Bank, South Block, Defence Headquarters New Delhi – 110011. Its IFSC code is CNRB0019055 and the account number is 90552010165915.

There is another account: Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund

State Bank of India, Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110011.

Its IFSC Code is SBIN0000691 and the account number is 40650628094.

Alternatively, donations can be made via demand draft drawn in favour of AFBCWF payable at New Delhi, and sent by post to: Accounts Section, Adjutant General’s Branch, Ceremonial & Welfare Directorate, Room No 281-B, South Block

IHQ of MoD (Army), New Delhi – 110011.

This action comes in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror incident

The Centre has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News and Geo News, for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives, and misinformation against India, its Army, and security agencies.

The decision was taken following recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack at Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

The government has also sent a formal letter to BBC over it terming terrorists “militants” in its reportage on the Pahalgam tragedy.

“On the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India has banned Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives and misinformation against India, its Army and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir,” officials said.

The National Investigation Agency teams, stationed at the attack site since April 23, have intensified the search for evidence. The Army is on a high alert, launching several search operations to neutralise the terrorists following the attack.

The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, the Ministry of Defence said

Tribune News Service

India and France on Monday inked an inter-governmental agreement to procure 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore for the Indian Navy. The pact was sealed at a virtual event.

The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, the Ministry of Defence said.

The Governments of India and France have signed an agreement for the procurement of 26 Rafale Aircraft (22 single-seater and four twin-seater) for the Indian Navy, the MoD said.

It includes training, simulator, associated equipment, weapons and performance-based logistics. It also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The agreement has been signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu. The signed copies of the agreement, aircraft package supply protocol and weapons package supply protocol were exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

In line with the government’s thrust on Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the agreement includes transfer of technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. It also includes setting up of production facility for Rafale fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engine, sensors and weapons in India. The deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of MSMEs in setting up, production and running of these facilities, the MoD said.

Manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in maritime environment.

Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by IAF. Its procurement will substantially enhance joint operational capability, besides optimising training and logistics for the aircraft for both Indian Navy and IAF.

The induction would lead to the addition of a potent force multiplier to the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, substantially boosting the nation’s air power at sea.

For the fourth consecutive night, the Pakistan Army resorts to firing at the LoC

Our Correspondent

Pakistani troops continued to violate the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) by resorting to unprovoked firing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Kupwara districts, army officials said on Monday.

For the fourth consecutive night, the Pakistan Army resorted to firing at the LoC, officials said on Monday morning.

Army officials said that on the intervening night of April 27-28, the Pakistan Army posts initiated “unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts.”

“Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively,” the Army said.

In the last few days, the ceasefire violation took place mostly in the Kashmir region.

It is the first time that the exchange of fire has been reported in the Jammu region since the Pahalgam terror attack.

This week’s focus was on Pahalgam, domestic issues and the region

The scenic charm of Baisaran, Pahalgam, the famous tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir, was replaced and overshadowed by the tragic news of the killing of 26 tourists. The public angst and the pain of the families who lost their near and dear ones were insurmountable. Giving an in-depth analysis of the terror attack, The Tribune had its OP-ED pages full of information and strategic analysis of what next after the attack.

In ‘Clarion call for action against Pakistan’, Lt Gen Dushyant Singh (Retd) wrote how the Pahalgam attack marked a calculated escalation in the ongoing proxy war. He called for strengthening intelligence-sharing partnerships with the US, Israel and the EU to employ technologically advanced surveillance systems and rerouting regional commerce through alternative trade routes to isolate Pakistan. In a related article by former MEA secretary, Vivek Kajtu, ‘Pahalgam terror: Govt at strategic crossroads‘, he assesses the reasons for the Pak-sponsored terror attack. The Pakistani generals are not happy about two things — the progress of India’s relations with the Afghan Taliban, and the accusation that India is responsible for the attack on the Jaffar Express in Quetta on March 11.

As long as Pakistan exists as a nation where the military has a country and not a country that has a military, state-sponsored terrorism will not go away. That’s the hard reality, writes Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari in his OPED piece ‘India must prepare for Pak endgame‘. As far as the Indian response is concerned, there has to be a broad national and political consensus for the long haul in dealing with Pakistan, he writes. Our neighbour has mistakenly believed that the people of Kashmir will tolerate bloodshed for the love of Islam and the affinity with Pakistan, writes Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd.) in his article ‘Pak’s renewed terror focus is a calculated shift’.

Moving to another neighbour of ours, Nepal’s King Gyanendra is trying to make the most of the public disaffection against KP Oli-led regime, which has been accused of maladministration, crony capitalism and corruption, writes former Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad in his article ‘Nepal can ill afford the return of monarchy’. He believes the Nepalese will overlook his past behaviour when he throttled democracy and take his supposed makeover at face value, and in India too, certain fringe elements favouring ‘Hindutva’ think that monarchy has been the prime defender of the Hindu faith and Gyanendra will continue to represent it.

Meanwhile, after prolonged Manipur violence, finally some good news is coming from the North-east. Sanjoy Hazarika writes in his article ‘Safer roads can spur North-east’s march’ that highways and better road infrastructure have made travel easier, shortened distances, and given a boost to India’s Act East policy.

From roads and infrastructure, let’s shift our focus to education. In a soul-stirring article by sociologist Avijit Pathak, he raises a valid point in his OPED piece ‘Education for sale: Middle-class contradictions’. He questions parents raising slogans against arbitrary fee hikes: did they not know about the commodification of education when they got their children admitted to fancy public schools? Why do we, as a society, never bother to pressure the government to equip government schools with facilities to provide good education to our children?

Due to intense focus on the region, after a long time Donald Trump found himself relegated to the inside pages this past week. He has vowed to prevent Iran from possessing a nuke, while Iran is adamant on exercising its right to nuclear enrichment, says our OPED piece ‘Putting Iranian nuclear genie back is easier said than done’ by distinguished fellow, Observer Research Foundation, Manoj Joshi.

In ‘Good governance is not a show, it’s a daily grind’, former Manipur Governor and ex-J&K DGP Gurbachan Jagat comes down heavily on officers who hold meaningless flag marches, hold press conferences and like to get photographed but fail to coordinate and get things done at the grassroots level.

Senior finance journalist Sushma Ramachandran in her incisive article ‘BluSmart jolt sums up startup blues’ warns the startup ecosystem to maintain their march on the right path after EV-based taxi startup BluSmart had to shut operations following SEBI’s rap for diversion of loan funds to the owners’ personal coffers. The BluSmart saga is being cited as evidence of the dismal state of startups in the country.