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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Live Updates
- 16 May 2025 12:14 PM IST
India to launch global diplomatic outreach over cross-border terrorism: Sources
The Indian government plans to send teams of political leaders, former diplomats and experts to countries in key regions of the world to articulate India’s point of view on the Pahalgam terror attack late last month and the subsequent clashes with Pakistan, Hindustan Times reported.
The government is understood to have plans to form up to eight separate groups that will fan out to different regions of the world such as Europe, North America and West Asia and visit key capitals, especially India’s strategic partners. The outreach will also include countries of the Global South, sources said.
The groups will engage with lawmakers, officials and think tanks to convey India’s position on “cross-border linkages” to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 civilians, India’s military strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan and the subsequent escalation of tensions, the people said.
Though there was no official word on the development from Indian officials, greater clarity about the visits is expected within a short while and the groups are expected to begin travelling to different countries as early as next week, sources said.
Such an outreach is being mounted by the government after a long gap. Immediately after India’s nuclear tests in May 1998, the government had sent experts and political leaders to key North American and European capitals to explain the rationale for the blasts.
- 16 May 2025 11:57 AM IST
Delhi: Fruit traders to halt apple imports from Turkey
Azadpur Mandi, Asia's largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, has decided to stop importing apples from Turkey, citing the current diplomatic situation.
Azadpur Fruit Mandi chairman Meetha Ram Kriplani said, "We have decided to discontinue all new imports of apples from Turkey. While consignments ordered earlier will still arrive, no further trade in apples or other produce will take place going forward." Kriplani said that the decision was taken after a careful review of the situation, adding that no fresh orders will be placed in the future.
According to Kriplani, Azadpur Mandi had long prioritised Turkish apples, with imports reaching 1.16 lakh tonnes in 2024. However, he said recent developments in Turkey's approach towards India had led to disappointment.
"We have supported Turkish trade for years, but the current circumstances have left us with no choice," he added. The move marks a significant shift in the mandi's sourcing strategy, as it looks to explore alternative suppliers to import apples in the coming months, he said.
- 16 May 2025 11:40 AM IST
Tiranga Yatra in Bhubaneswar
#WATCH | Bhubaneswar | Rashtriya Suraksha Nagarik Samaj organises ‘Tiranga Yatra’, in honour of the Indian armed forces and #OperationSindoor pic.twitter.com/hXBE49u2YC
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025 - 16 May 2025 11:11 AM IST
Delhi postpones Turkish envoy’s presentation of credentials
The Ministry of External Affairs postponed indefinitely the event that was to take place on Thursday (May 15) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where Turkish Ambassador-designate Ali Murat Ersoy was to present his Letter of Credence to the President of India.
The Ambassador-designate of Thailand and the High Commissioner-designate of Bangladesh were also scheduled to present their credentials at the event.
The Ministry cited “scheduling issues” as the reason for the postponement.
- 16 May 2025 10:50 AM IST
Dharmendra Pradhan leads Tiranga Yatra in Odisha's Sambalpur
#WATCH | Odisha | Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan leads the Tiranga Yatra rally in Sambalpur in solidarity with the Indian armed forces.#OperationSindoor pic.twitter.com/3vUcsCndUL
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025 - 16 May 2025 10:32 AM IST
War between India and Pakistan would mean disaster: PDP
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has said that a war between India and Pakistan was no longer an option as it would mean a disaster for the two neighbouring countries.
In its monthly newsletter 'Speak Up', the opposition party said it was time to show restraint, de-escalate, and hold dialogue.
"War is no more an option; it is a disaster for the two neighbours if the leadership does not rise to the occasion. Now is not the time for triumphalism. Now is the time for restraint - for de-escalation, for dialogue, for the quiet courage it takes to pull back from the edge," the party said.
Commenting on the events of the past two weeks, the PDP said that for a few harrowing days this month, the subcontinent stood on the edge of catastrophe.
"Missiles flew, drones buzzed across borders, and entire villages along the Line of Control braced for impact. It wasn't just a skirmish - it was a brush with full-fledged war. Civilians on both sides paid the price. Children died. Families fled. Farmland turned into military outposts overnight. And for what?" the party asked.
It said while the aim of the escalation was to avenge terror and defend sovereignty, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were once again caught in the crossfire.
"We are told it was to avenge terror. To send a message. To defend sovereignty. But even sovereignty has limits when the stakes are nuclear. Once again, the people of Jammu & Kashmir were caught in the middle - squeezed between the ambition of men in power and the tragedy of geography. It didn't matter that Kashmiris, too, were burying their dead," it added.
The party said it did not matter that ordinary people, still healing from decades of loss, were pleading for peace.
- 16 May 2025 10:06 AM IST
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits Bhuj air force station
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday will visit the Bhuj air force station in Gujarat, which was one of the installations targeted by Pakistan military last week.
Singh's visit comes a day after he travelled to Jammu and Kashmir and reviewed the overall security situation along the Line of Control and International Border.
- 16 May 2025 10:04 AM IST
After Op Sindoor, defence budget may get Rs 50,000 Cr boost: Sources
India's defence budget may get a Rs 50,000 crore boost as a result of Operation Sindoor, government sources told NDTV. The boost, which will likely be provided through the supplementary budget, will take overall defence allocation past Rs 7 lakh crore, source said.
Rs 6.81 lakh crore had been set aside for the armed forces in the 2025/26 budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. This year's allocation was already a significant 9.2 per cent increase from the Rs 6.22 lakh crore in 2024/25. The current allocation is the highest of all ministries and is 13 per cent of the total budget.
The increased budget - approval for which will be sought in Parliament's Winter Session - will likely be used for research and development, and the purchase of weapons, ammunition, and other necessary equipment, sources told NDTV.
India's defence readiness and the (likely) increased budget allotment comes amid continuing tension with Pak, particularly after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's military response - Operation Sindoor - that targeted terror camps in Pak and Pak-occupied Kashmir.
The spotlight has also been on homegrown elements in that network, including the Akash missile defence system. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pushed for greater domestic production of defence equipment, arguing it is the long-term solution.
