Rush Hour: Pakistan authorises military response to Indian strikes, 22 alleged Maoists killed & mo
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Pakistan's National Security Committee has authorised its armed forces to respond to Indian military strikes on nine sites in the country and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India said the 'focused, measured' action, which it named Operation Sindoor, had targeted terrorist camps in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan acknowledged the strikes but claimed they hit civilian infrastructure. Reports suggested that 26 Pakistanis were killed in the attack.
Ten civilians were later killed in cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch. Ajaz Ahmed Jan, the Poonch Haveli MLA, told Scroll that he visited the Poonch district hospital where nine of those killed were taken. Two of them were children.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said earlier in the day that Islamabad was open to de-escalation if India backed down. More than 200 flights from North and Central Indian airports were cancelled on Wednesday amid changing airspace restrictions.
The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town on April 22 had left 26 dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu. Read on.
At least 22 suspected Maoists were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, during what officials have called India's biggest anti-Maoist operation yet. The clash occurred in the Karregutta hills on the Telangana border, as part of 'Mission Sankalp' – an offensive launched on April 21 involving 24,000 personnel.
The authorities say 26 Maoists have been killed since the operation began, and over 250 explosive devices recovered. Inspector General Sundarraj P said hideouts and bunkers had been destroyed. The offensive comes despite repeated calls from the insurgent Community Party of India (Maoist) for peace talks.
Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that families of those killed in earlier operations have challenged police claims, insisting the dead were civilians. With Wednesday's deaths, over 150 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces. Read on.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government and police not to interfere with the operations of the Bhakra Nangal Dam. The followed allegations that the Punjab Police had forcibly taken control of dam facilities to block the flow of water to Haryana amid a new dispute over the sharing of river water.
The court criticised Punjab's actions as unconstitutional. The water row began after Haryana requested 8,500 cusecs of water (4,500 cusecs more than than its mandated quota) on April 23.
Punjab opposed the decision of the Bhakra Beas Management Board to release it, despite support from other states and the Centre. The High Court said Punjab could take its objections to the Union government but it must follow the Board's decisions. On Monday, Punjab had passed a resolution refusing to release 'a single drop' to Haryana.
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