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India said on Monday it had responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from Pakistan along the de facto border for the fourth consecutive night, as it intensified its search for militants after last week’s deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir. The April 22 attack, which left 26 civilians dead in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, has heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. India has identified two of the three suspected attackers as Pakistani nationals, though Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for a neutral investigation. Security officials and survivors reported that the militants segregated men by religion at the site — a meadow — and specifically targeted Hindus, shooting them at close range. The attack has sparked outrage and grief across Hindu-majority India, fueling demands for stern action against Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of supporting terrorism in the disputed Kashmir region, a flashpoint for two previous wars. In response, India has suspended the critical Indus Waters Treaty, while Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines. Meanwhile, China urged both countries to exercise restraint and welcomed any steps aimed at reducing tensions. The Indian Army stated it had retaliated against “unprovoked” firing from multiple Pakistan Army posts around midnight on Sunday along the 740-kilometre (460-mile) Line of Control (LoC), but did not report any casualties. Pakistan’s military did not respond to a request for comment. Separately, Pakistan’s army reported killing 54 Islamist militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan over the past two days. These developments add another layer of complexity to the volatile regional situation. In Indian Kashmir, security forces have launched a massive crackdown following the attack. A local police official told Reuters that around 500 individuals have been detained for questioning, after searches of nearly 1,000 houses and forested areas. At least nine houses have reportedly been demolished during these operations. State political leaders have urged authorities to act carefully to avoid harming innocent civilians. “This is the first time in 26 years that I have seen people coming out to say they are not with this attack,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, addressing the legislature. “Militancy will end when people are with us, and today it seems like people are getting there,” he added. Meanwhile, the militant group Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted its statement, blaming a “cyber intrusion” for the earlier post. The group is considered an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba by Indian security analysts.

India and France on Monday signed a major ₹63,000 crore deal for the procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh represented the Indian side during the agreement, with Navy Vice Chief Admiral K Swaminathan also present at the signing. The deal was cleared earlier this month by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The government-to-government contract includes 22 single-seat Rafale-M jets and four twin-seat trainer variants. Along with the aircraft, the deal covers some weapons packages, simulators, crew training, and a five-year performance-based logistics support arrangement. The new jets will primarily operate from the deck of India’s indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. The delivery of the 26 Rafale-M fighters is scheduled between 37 to 65 months from now, with India expected to make an initial payment of 15% of the total contract value. “The new Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) mirrors the one signed for the Indian Air Force’s Rafale deal. All 26 jets are to be delivered by 2031,” an official told TOI. The omni-role, 4.5-generation Rafale-M fighters are capable of performing maritime strike, air defence, and reconnaissance missions, and can also deliver nuclear weapons. The aircraft will be equipped with 70-km range Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles, over 300-km range ‘Scalp’ air-to-ground cruise missiles, and state-of-the-art Meteor air-to-air missiles, which can engage enemy aircraft at ranges of 120 to 150 km. The Rafale-M had emerged as the frontrunner against the American F/A-18 Super Hornet after extensive trials conducted by the Navy in 2022. The French fighter also benefited from logistical advantages and spares commonality, given the Indian Air Force’s earlier induction of 36 Rafales. Currently, the Indian Navy operates only 40 of the 45 MiG-29K jets procured from Russia since 2009 at a cost of $2 billion. These aircraft operate from the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya and the new INS Vikrant. However, the MiG-29Ks have been plagued by poor serviceability and technical issues over the years. With the indigenous Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) expected to take at least a decade to become operational, the Navy had strongly pushed for the acquisition of the Rafale-M jets as an interim solution.

The brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in the death of 26 civilians, marks a serious escalation by Pakistan, according to Lieutenant General DS Hooda (Retd), former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army’s Northern Command. Speaking at an event organized by The Indian Express, Lt Gen Hooda highlighted that such an incident — where a large number of tourists were targeted and killed — had never occurred before in Jammu and Kashmir. Lt Gen Hooda, who had led the 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), emphasized that the Pahalgam attack was meticulously planned. He pointed out that the terrorists carefully chose a location where there was no significant security presence, fully aware that the challenging terrain would delay the response of security forces. “The planning has been done at a fairly high level and when I’m saying a fairly high level, you know, as the government is also saying, the fingers are pointing at Pakistan,” Hooda stated. He further remarked that certain deliberate and disturbing actions during the attack — such as the targeted killing of Hindus, the segregation of Hindus and Muslims, sparing women, and forcing people to recite the Kalma — were stark indicators of the terrorists’ intent. However, Lt Gen Hooda noted that these tactics, while horrifying, were not entirely unexpected given the evolving nature of terror threats in the region.