Top news: Day after IAF air strikes, India and Pakistan claim they shot down each other’s jets

India-Pakistan standoff: Islamabad threatens to boycott OIC conclave if Sushma Swaraj participates

Pakistan on Wednesday threatened to boycott a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation scheduled for this week in the United Arab Emirates if India participates in the event. India has been invited to the inaugural plenary of the foreign ministers’ conclave of the OIC in Abu Dhabi on March 1 and March 2. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the meeting as the “guest of honour”.

Full text: India protests Pakistan’s ‘vulgar display’ of injured IAF pilot, demands his safe return

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said New Delhi strongly objects to Pakistan’s “vulgar display” of an injured Indian Air Force personnel in violation of the International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention. India asked Pakistan to ensure that “no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel in its custody”.

Opposition parties criticise government for ‘blatant politicisation’ of air strikes

Opposition parties on Wednesday said they were anguished over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s “blatant politicisation” of the sacrifices made by Armed Forces by leaders. Leaders of 21 political parties who attended a meeting at the Parliament on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning the Pulwama suicide attack and lauding the Indian air strikes against a terror camp across the border on Tuesday.

Nepal: No survivors after helicopter carrying tourism minister, 5 others crashes in Taplejung

A helicopter carrying Nepal’s tourism minister and five other people crashed in Pathibhara in Nepal’s Taplejung district on Wednesday afternoon. The Civil Aviation Authority said all six people on board the chopper died in the crash.

Pakistan ready for dialogue with India on terror, better sense should prevail: PM Imran Khan

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said Pakistan was ready for a dialogue on terror and cautioned against war, saying they are miscalculated. “We understand the grief that you have suffered in Pulwama and are ready for a probe and dialogue,” Khan said in his address to the nation. “Let’s sit together and settle this with talks.” Khan said it was not in Pakistan’s interest that its soil be used for terrorism.

India, Russia, China issue joint communique against those who back extremist groups

Leaders of India, Russia and China issued a joint communique on Wednesday, stating that extremist groups must not be supported and used for political and geopolitical goals. At the 16th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia India and China in Wuzhen, the three countries said that those who back terrorism must be brought to justice, PTI reported.

Full text: One IAF pilot missing after India shot down a Pakistani aircraft, says MEA

India on Wednesday said it had shot down a Pakistani Air Force fighter aircraft, after Pakistan “targeted military installations on India’s side”. In this engagement, an Air Force pilot went missing, the Ministry of External Affairs said. “Pakistan claims he is in their custody,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. “We are ascertaining the facts.”

Pulwama attack: No incidents of violence against Kashmiris since February 22, Centre tells SC

The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no new incident of violence against Kashmiris after February 22, when the top court had taken cognisance of a plea seeking intervention to prevent alleged attacks on Kashmiri students following the Pulwama suicide bombing. The Supreme Court on February 22 sent notices to the Centre and 10 states asking for their responses on the petition filed by advocate Tariq Adeeb.

Six airports in J&K, Punjab, Uttarakhand closed for civilian flights amid India-Pakistan standoff

India on Wednesday shut down airports in Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Amritsar for civilian traffic, and suspended the airspace for security reasons. India’s action came after Pakistani F-16 jets allegedly violated Indian airspace in retaliation for Indian Air Force jets bombing a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Pakistan has shut down domestic and international flights operating Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Islamabad airports.

Eviction of forest-dwellers: SC to hear on Thursday Centre’s plea seeking stay on earlier order

The Centre and the Gujarat government have moved petitions in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on its order evicting more than 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest-dwellers from forest lands across 16 states. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Naveen Sinha agreed to hear the petitions on Thursday.

Pakistan claims it struck across LoC, shot down two aircraft and arrested Indian pilot

Pakistani fighter jets on Wednesday reportedly violated Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Nowshera sectors. An Indian aircraft reportedly pushed back the jets. “The jets entered Indian airspace over Nowshera and Poonch sectors this morning,” officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir: IAF aircraft crashes in Budgam district, two bodies recovered from spot

An aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday morning. It is unclear yet what aircraft it was, or what caused the crash. Budgam police said two bodies were found at the site of the crash, which happened in an open field at Garendkanal village. “The IAF’s technical team will arrive and ascertain facts,” an official said. “Till now, we have found two bodies.”

Sensex falls over 600 points from day’s high amid reports of air strikes by India and Pakistan

Indian share markets declined sharply on Wednesday, after recovering earlier in the day from the previous day’s losses following the Air Force’s strike against a terror camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Amid reports of India and Pakistan shooting down each other’s fighter jets, the BSE Sensex dropped over 600 points from its intraday high levels while the Nifty dropped by nearly 200 points.

‘How is the Jaish? Destroyed, sir’: What front pages had to say about the IAF air strikes

The Indian Air Force strikes targeting the biggest camp of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant outfit across the border in Balakot was covered by all newspapers in the country on The strikes reportedly killed a large number of terrorists and trainers on Tuesday but there is no clarity on the toll. The operation was the first such air strike claimed by India across the Line of Control since 1971.

J&K: Indian forces say they killed two militants belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed in Shopian

Indian security forces on Wednesday killed two militants in a gunfight in Shopian district. The Kashmir Zone Police said the men killed belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammed extremist group. The Kashmir Zone Police said they found arms and ammunition at the site of the encounter. “Searches in the area are going on,” they added.

IAF air strikes: Sushma Swaraj meets Chinese foreign minister, raises Pulwama attack

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited China on Wednesday, a day after Indian aircraft entered Pakistan to bomb Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. India’s act was a response to the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police Force jawans by a Jaish-e-Mohammed extremist on February 14.

Lok Sabha elections: Election Commission says it is monitoring situation after IAF air strikes

The Election Commission of India said it is monitoring developments in the country after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack and the Indian Air Force’s pre-dawn strike on terror camps across the Line of Control on Tuesday. Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa said the poll panel is duty-bound to carry out the mandate given by the Constitution.

IAF air strikes: Pakistan expresses reservation about OIC’s invitation to Sushma Swaraj

Pakistan has expressed its reservation about the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s invitation to India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to attend its meeting later this week in the wake of the Indian Air Force’s pre-dawn strike on terror camps across the Line of Control.

IAF air strikes: France advises restraint but says it stands with India in fight against terrorism

France, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, on Tuesday urged India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” to avert the risk of military escalation, but backed India in its fight against terrorism. France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in a statement said it recognised “India’s legitimacy in ensuring security against cross-border terrorism”.

Manohar Parrikar discharged from hospital, to continue treatment at home: Goa CMO

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was discharged on Tuesday from the Goa Medical College and Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment since Saturday. The Chief Minister’s Office said Parrikar’s health parameters were stable.

IAS officer suspended a day after complaining about Delhi MLA Kapil Mishra’s ‘incendiary’ video

A day after bureaucrat Ashish Joshi complained to the Delhi Police Commissioner about a “highly incendiary” video posted by former Aam Aadmi Party leader Kapil Mishra, the Ministry of Telecommunications on Tuesday has suspended the official and started disciplinary proceedings against him.

India successfully test-fires two surface-to-air missiles in Odisha

India on Tuesday test-fired two indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air missiles from a test range off the Odisha coast. The Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted the trials at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.