Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reconsider its $2.1 billion bailout to debt-ridden Pakistan as it allows terrorists to use its soil for launching state-sponsored attacks against Indian citizens.

The IMF announced the funding while the Indian military as part of Operation Sindoor launched strikes at terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). At that time, Pakistan was busy launching drone and missile strikes on civilian and military areas in northern India.

"The IMF's aid to Pakistan is a form of indirect funding to terror," the Defence Minister said today while addressing Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel in Gujarat's Bhuj IAF station.

This military installation was also targeted by Pakistani missiles and drones, all of which were intercepted by India's robust air defence network.

Donald Trump - undeterred by India's six-point rebuttal Thursday in response to the United States President's many claims for credit for the ceasefire with Pakistan - is at it again.

Trump told American soldiers at a base in Qatar he "sure as hell helped settle the problem between India and Pak last week", and that he had resolved a "more and more hostile situation".

"I don't want to say I did... but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile and, all of a sudden, you'll start seeing missiles of a different type, and we got it settled," Trump, on a tour of West Asia, said.

He also claimed the ceasefire had been facilitated by the prospect of the US increasing trade with both countries. "... we talked to them about trade. 'Let's do trade instead of war', I said, and Pak was very happy with that and India was very happy with that. I think they are on the way."

The Indian Army in two separate operations successfully neutralised six terrorists within 48 hours in vastly different terrain in Jammu and Kashmir, senior officers told reporters today.

One of the terrorists was involved in the killing of a sarpach in the Union Territory in March.

"Wherever the terrorists hide, we will find them and neutralise them," Major General Dhananjay Joshi, GOC V Force, told reporters.

He said the army got information on May 12 on the possible presence of a terrorist group in the higher reaches in Kelar.

The next morning, on seeing some movement, the security forces challenged the terrorists but they responded with gunfire, he said, adding the security forces soon neutralised the threat.

The second operation in Tral was conducted in a border village.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that even Pakistan has accepted the power of BrahMos missile. 

"There is an old saying in our country 'Din mein taare dekhna' (Seeing stars in the day). Made in India BrahMos missile showed 'raat ke andhere mein din ka ujala' to Pakistan (Indian missiles were like sunlight in the dead of the night in Pakistan)," he said.

#WATCH | Gujarat: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "...Even Pakistan has accepted the power of BrahMos missile. There is an old saying in our country, "Din mein taare dekhna." Made in India BrahMos missile showed 'raat ke andhere mein din ka ujala' to Pakistan..."… pic.twitter.com/7iCwQ9X9fS

— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) funding to Pakistan, saying it is an "indirect funding to terror". 

"Any assistance given to Pakistan is terror funding. IMF should reconsider," he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing from the Bhuj Airbase, told officials, "Whatever you did during Operation Sindoor has made all Indians proud - whether they are in India or abroad. Just 23 minutes were enough for the Indian Air Force to crush terrorism being nurtured in Pakistan."

Addressing the brave Air Warriors at the Air Force Station in Bhuj (Gujarat). https://t.co/3TGhBlyxFH

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 16, 2025

Propaganda - ostensibly from a reputed British publication, The Daily Telegraph - declaring the Pakistan Air Force 'the undisputed king of the skies' has been junked by the government.

In a fact-check post on X Friday morning the government called out the image circulating on social media and said the photograph had been altered or edited with AI (Artificial Intelligence).

The Daily Telegraph "has never carried any such article", the government stressed.

A screenshot of the image - a front-page story from May 10, the date Pak reached out to India for a ceasefire - said "experts" described the PAF as "feared, respected, and remarkably efficient".

The Indian Armed Forces on Friday said that timely intelligence inputs helped in capturing six terrorists in two separate encounters. "We are committed to ending terror. Terrorists had fled to higher regions. Operations were conducted in difficult areas. We had an intensified focus," they said.

Three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora. The terrorists were killed in a fierce gun battle after Police and army launched a joint operation. The encounter started at Nader and Tral area of Awantipora, which is a sub-district of Pulwama, in south Kashmir.

According to the armed forces, the terrorists had fled to higher regions. "We are committed to ending terror," they said.

Joint forces briefing on Jammu and Kashmir encounter underway.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reached Gujarat. He will visit the Bhuj Air Force Station where he will interact with "courageous Air Warriors." Air Force Chief Air Marshal AP Singh is accompanying him.

#WATCH | Gujarat: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Bhuj. He will interact with Air Warriors at Bhuj Air Force Station. Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has also arrived here with him. pic.twitter.com/wTNQL5i0yK

— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025

This #fake claim was further amplified by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his statement to the Senate on 15 May 2025.
By endorsing a completely fabricated image and headline, #Pakistan intentionally lent official weight to a piece of digital deception.… pic.twitter.com/k2s8LT5YJh

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 16, 2025

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended an offer of talks to India, saying Pakistan is ready to engage "for peace".

Shehbaz made the comments during a visit to the Kamra air base in the country's Punjab province where he interacted with officers and soldiers involved in the recent military confrontation with India.

"We are ready to talk with it (India) for peace," he said.

The prime minister added that the "conditions for peace" include the Kashmir issue.

India has maintained that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh "are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of it".

India's defence budget may get a Rs 50,000 crore boost as a result of Operation Sindoor, government sources told NDTV Friday morning. The boost, which will likely be provided through the supplementary budget, will take overall defence allocation past Rs 7 lakh crore, source said.

A record 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 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. Read more here

The Centre is unlikely to hold a special session of the Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and India-Pakistan tensions, a long-standing demand of the Opposition, according to sources.

All questions regarding the cross-border situation and the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people, can be asked during the Monsoon Session in July, sources told NDTV.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Bhuj Air Force Station today to interact with personnel of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Border Security Force (BSF), and other security agencies.

He will be briefed on the current security situation and operational preparedness by senior commanders.

Lt Gen Dheeraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, will be present during the visit and will brief the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri on the exemplary role being played by the Indian Army and BSF operating under the Bhuj-based Independent Infantry Brigade.

The visit highlights the coordinated efforts of all security forces in ensuring the safety and security of critical assets in the region.

Indian Army Air Defence units, deployed near Bhuj and Naliya, have successfully neutralized multiple hostile Pakistani drones in recent days, effectively foiling attempts to target vital military installations.

The Raksha Mantri's interaction with the troops is aimed at acknowledging their courage, operational excellence, and high morale in the face of emerging threats, especially in the domain of drone warfare.

India and Pakistan will continue the confidence-building measures agreed between their two top military officers to end the brief conflict following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, sources have said. The Pahalgam terror attack was the "original escalation", India said during a briefing on Operation Sindoor last week.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of cross-border drone and missile strikes.

While India first struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir using precision cruise missiles and glide bombs, the neighbouring country - whose territory is used as a launchpad for terrorists and where Osama bin Laden was found hiding in 2011 - responded by launching drone and rocket strikes on Indian civilian areas and military installations.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan has been extended till May 18, with the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of New Delhi and Islamabad set to hold talks soon, sources said.

According to sources, the DGMOs of both countries will review the situation along the border during the meeting. Follow LIVE updates

This comes a day after India and Pakistan decided to continue their confidence-building measures to gradually reduce the high alertness levels on the Line of Control and border areas. "Further to the understanding between the two DGMOs on 10th of May 2025, it has been decided to continue the confidence-building measures so as to reduce the alertness level. As the situation develops further, we shall intimate you," the Indian Army said in a statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Bhuj Air Force Station in Gujarat today, where he will interact with "courageous Air Warriors." Air Force Chief Air Marshal AP Singh is accompanying him.

Leaving New Delhi for Bhuj (Gujarat). Looking forward to interact with our courageous Air Warriors at Bhuj Air Force Station.
Also, I shall be visiting Smritivan - a memorial and museum envisioned by PM Shri @narendramodi as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the 2001…

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 16, 2025

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit the Bhuj airbase in Gujarat today, days after India's Operation Sindoor.

Amid military tensions, the Pakistani Army had attempted to target India's Bhuj using drones.

During his visit, Mr Singh is expected to evaluate the operational preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces in the region and examine the effectiveness of strengthened security measures following Pakistan's recent unsuccessful drone incursions.