Pak troops continue shelling along LoC in J&K, Indian Army responds proportionately: Officials
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Jammu/Srinagar (PTI): The Pakistan Army continued shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in four sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, officials said on Thursday.
Compared to Wednesday, when the Pakistan Army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting the forward villages in J-K following missile strikes by India as part of 'Operation Sindoor', the intensity of cross-border firing was less and restricted to four sectors on Thursday, the officials said.
"On the intervening night of May 7 and 8, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing using small arms and artillery guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor sectors in J-K. The Indian Army responded proportionately," a defence spokesman said in Jammu.
The officials said there was no report of any casualties in the skirmishes.
The worst-hit Poonch sector in Jammu, which recorded 13 deaths in Wednesday's intense shelling, remained by and large peaceful at night, they said.
Hundreds of border residents have already moved to safer areas in view of the flare up.
Among the 13 persons killed in the Pakistani shelling was Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 5-Field Regiment.
"The GOC (general officer commanding) and all ranks of White Knight Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on May 7 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in Poonch sector," the Army said in a post on X.
The Indian armed forces carried out missile attacks on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday to avenge the April 22 terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.
In view of the escalating tension, the authorities have ordered that all educational institutions in five border districts of Jammu region will remain closed for the second day on Thursday.
In a post on X, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said that all schools, colleges and educational institutions in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts will remain closed for the second day on Thursday in view of the prevailing situation.
The administration in Jammu division has also set up 24x7 control rooms in all the 10 districts of the region.
Thursday's shelling was the 14th consecutive night of firing along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir amid heightened tension following the Pahalgam attack.
Ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border have been very rare after India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
