Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said it is his responsibility to work with the armed forces and give a "befitting reply" to those who cast an evil eye on India. The comments came amid the tension with Pakistan following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists. India has said the terrorists have cross-border linkages. Read here

Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdeva has backed India's decision to ban imports from Pakistan and urged people in India and across the globe to boycott Pakistan. 

"Now we just have to say some words, and that should be Boycott Pakistan. Our government is boycotting Pakistan, the people of India should boycott Pakistan, the people of the world should boycott the Pakistan government, the world should boycott Pakistan, and the Indian diaspora worldwide should also boycott Pakistan. This will have an impact on Pakistan's trade, economy, as well as its image. No new investments, no new partnerships in Pakistan should be made by any of the countries and our friends," he told news agency ANI.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that during the all-party meeting held following the Pahalgam terror attack, opposition parties had urged the government to take decisive steps. "During the all-party meeting, the opposition asked the government to take action and give justice to the victims' families, and eliminate terrorism. Whatever action the government takes, we are with them, but what they will do and when, they need to say that," he told reporters in Bihar's Darbhanga.

Launching a fresh attack against Pakistani leaders over the war rhetoric in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that those speaking "nonsense" in Pakistan "don't know Islam". He also called the neighbouring country a "failed nation". Addressing Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir, Mr Owaisi said, "I want to tell him that we decided in 1947 that we won't leave India, we rejected (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah's message. India was our land, it is our land, and Inshallah, will remain our land. Those speaking nonsense in Pakistan, I want to tell them you don't know Islam, you are deprived of its teachings."

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India successfully carried out maiden flight-trials of a stratospheric airship platform which is being developed to boost the military's surveillance capabilities.

DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat said the prototype flight is a "milestone" towards realisation of lighter-than-air high-altitude platform systems that can remain airborne for very long endurance at stratospheric heights.

The successful flight trials of the platform came amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Indian government blocked the X accounts of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former Pak Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.

India has already blocked the official X handle of the Government of Pakistan and also the X account of the country's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif. The X account of Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar was withheld in India, days after he had claimed that India was planning to carry out a military strike, citing "credible intelligence".

Among a string of accounts withheld after the Pahalgam terror attack were those belonging to Pakistani celebrities, including Hania Aamir and Mahira Khan, among others.

"For any operation to succeed, you need three elements: speed, surprise, and secrecy. There is an issue of choosing our timing, and that should not be dictated by the public mood...We have to fight this battle on our own. When you escalate, you must be prepared for the worst-case scenario, where you could even be fighting a full-scale war. And have the capacity, the intent, political will, and the national will to be able to do that," Ajay Bisaria, former high commissioner to Pakistan, said during an ANI podcast.

Pakistan could resort to its full military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if India decides to attack or disrupt the water supply, the country's ambassador to Russia has warned. Islamabad has credible intelligence suggesting that India is planning military strikes on Pakistani territory, Muhammad Khalid Jamali said in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT. "There are some other leaked documents whereby it has been decided to strike certain areas of Pakistan. So that makes us feel that this is going to happen and it's imminent," he said.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is holding a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, say sources. The topic of discussion is not known, but it assumes significance amid rising tensios with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. PM Modi had earlier given a free hand to the armed forces to decide the timing and target of their response to the Pahalgam attack.

Cross-border firing was reported at the Line of Control for the 10th consecutive night as Pakistan continued to try and provoke the Indian troops guarding the boundary that separates the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The firing was reported in multiple sectors, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajauri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor. Indian Army units responded promptly and in proportion, said military sources.