India-Pak conflict LIVE | Pakistan: Will respond to any 'aggression' from India
Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan is a responsible state and remains committed to the ceasefire and taking necessary steps towards de-escalation and regional stability
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (May 16) said Operation Sindoor was a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's firm determination, pin-pointed intelligence gathering by various agencies and infallible fire power of Indian armed forces. He said this after inaugurating a new multi-agency centre in Delhi for intelligence sharing among various agencies.
Shah said Operation Sindoor reflected Modi's firm determination, the pinpointed intelligence gathering by various agencies, and the infallible firepower of our Armed Forces.
The multi-agency centre, under the Intelligence Bureau, was created in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks with an aim to share timely inputs among various stakeholders involved in law enforcement.
What Rajnath Singh said
As India and Pakistan inch closer to achieving normalcy at the borders following an aggressive military clash in the wake of India's Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the killing of 26 people by terrorists in Pahalgam, the prime minister of the latter country has said that he is ready to engage in dialogue with New Delhi for the sake of "peace."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the statement during his visit to the Kamra air base in the country's Punjab province on Thursday (May 15), where he interacted with officers and soldiers involved in the recent military confrontation with India.
On Wednesday, Sharif visited Pasrur Cantonment in Sialkot where he interacted with the soldiers and officers present.
Conditions for peace
"We are ready to talk with it (India) for peace,” he said. He, however, stressed that the "conditions for peace" include discussions on the Kashmir issue.
Sharif was accompanied to the airbase by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Army Chief General Asim Munir, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.
This was the Sharif's second visit to a defence facility following the understanding reached between India and Pakistan on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Operation Sindoor
India has maintained since Independence that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh "are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India".
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 where 26 people were brutally murdered, India launched a retaliatory mission, 'Operation Sindoor' on May 6 and 7 (Tuesday and Wednesday), wiping out several terror camps and infrastructure with precision strikes.
Indian armed forces targeted terror sites specific to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) among others in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists.
Counterattack
Pakistan then attempted to attack several Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.
The Indian armed forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations, including Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian. Several indigenous technologies and defence systems were used to ensure minimal damage from the Pakistani attack.
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- 16 May 2025 10:38 PM IST
Pak, India should sit down at the table like peaceful neighbours and settle their outstanding issues: PM Shehbaz
Pakistan and India should sit down at the table like peaceful neighbours and settle their outstanding issues, including Kashmir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday night, as the country observed 'Youm-e-Tashakur' (Day of Thanks) to pay homage to the military.
Addressing a special 'Youm-e-Tashakur' event at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad, Shehbaz said that India and Pakistan fought three wars and got nothing.
"The lesson is to sit down as peaceful neighbours and settle all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. Without resolution of our issues, we cannot have peace in this part of the world,” Shehbaz said.
India has made it clear that it will only have a dialogue with Pakistan on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the issue of terrorism.
"If peace comes, we can also cooperate in counterterrorism,” said the Prime Minister, who was the chief guest at the event, attended by top army officials.
- 16 May 2025 9:35 PM IST
Pakistan says it would respond to any 'aggression' from India
Pakistan on Friday said it would respond to any "aggression" from India, nearly a week after the two sides agreed to end the military conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
“The recent announcement of a Pakistan-India ceasefire is a positive development. We urge India to faithfully adhere to its implementation,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said while addressing the weekly press briefing, the first since the four-day of clashes.
However, he asked international partners to ensure India follows its commitments to avoid "aggression".
"Should India resume hostilities, Pakistan will have no choice but to respond,” he warned.
Khan said that the internal community was promoting regional peace and stability, but India was still showing a "tendency to distort facts".
“India’s rhetoric reflects a persistent tendency to distort facts, justify aggression and cast unwarranted aspersions on Pakistan's nuclear assets,” he said.
The spokesperson said Pakistan is a responsible state and remains committed to the ceasefire and taking necessary steps towards de-escalation and regional stability.
Khan also appreciated the role of friendly countries in facilitating the ceasefire.
"India’s portrayal of Pakistan as acting out of despair and frustration of Pakistan is baseless,” he added.
He reiterated support for US President Donald Trump’s announcement on engaging with Pakistan and India to seek a resolution to the Kashmir issue.
On May 10, Trump said that he would work with India and Pakistan for a “solution" on Kashmir. India has always maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter and there is no space for any third party.
Khan said that the Director General Military Operations of both countries had maintained periodic contact since May 10 and both had agreed on a “structured mechanism for phased de-escalation”.
The spokesperson said Pakistan always believed in dialogue and the restoration of peace and wanted a solution to all issues, including occupied Kashmir, through negotiations.
- 16 May 2025 8:08 PM IST
Celebi moves Delhi HC against govt order revoking security clearance
Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd on Friday moved the Delhi High Court agianst the decision of aviation watchdog BCAS revoking its security clearance in the "interest of national security".
The security clearance of the firm was revoked days after Turkey backed Pakistan and condemned India's strikes on terror camps in the neighbouring country.
A lawyer associated with the case confirmed the filing and the plea is likely to be listed next week.
Celebi, operating in the Indian aviation sector for over 15 years and employing over 10,000 people, offers its services at nine airports.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in an order, said, "... the security clearance in r/o Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd is hereby revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security." The security clearance to the company, part of Turkey's Celebi, was given in November 2022.
Celebi handles around 58,000 flights and 5,40,00 tonne of cargo annually in India, according to its website.
It is present at Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Chennai airports.
Pakistan had also used Turkish drones on a large scale in the military conflict with India.
In a statement issued earlier, Celebi Aviation India said it remains in full compliance with Indian aviation, national security, and tax regulations, and operates with complete transparency.
It rejected all allegations regarding the company's ownership and operations in India and reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the country's aviation sector.
- 16 May 2025 5:57 PM IST
Maulana Azad National Urdu University cancels MoU with Turkish institute
Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has announced the cancellation of its academic memorandum of understanding with a Turkish institute, following the countr'ys support of Pakistan in the wake of tensions with India.
MANUU, a central university, announced cancelling the arrangement with Yunus Emre Institute, Turkiye for a diploma course, with immediate effect.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the varsity's registrar said the decision was taken in protest against Turkiye's "support" for Pakistan’s terrorist activities in the backdrop of India-Pakistan tensions.
The central university said it signed a MoU with the Turkish institute in 2020 for a period of five years under which a diploma in Turkish language was started at the School of languages, linguistics and Indology in MANUU.
A visiting professor who was appointed for the course has already returned to his country, the official informed.
Following Turkiye's support to Pakistan amid heightened tensions with India, multiple educational institutions here, including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), have either suspended their collaboration with universities from there, or are considering such a move, officials had said recently.
Meanwhile, Azad United Students' Federation (AUSF) in a statement posted on social media said it strongly condemned the decisions of MANUU, JMI, and JNU to cancel or suspend their academic MoUs with institutions in the Republic of Turkiye.
