Air Chief Marshal AP Singh meets Modi
Islamabad/New Delhi: Pakistan has banned Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports with immediate effect after New Delhi imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on the import of goods and entry of Pakistani vessels into its ports, against Islamabad amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.
India on Saturday imposed a ban on the import of goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan and also the entry of Pakistani ships into its ports even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is committed to taking “firm and decisive” action against terrorists and their backers.
In retaliation, Pakistan late Saturday ordered that any Indian flag carriers will not be allowed to visit any Pakistani port and also barred Pakistani ships from docking at any Indian port.
The ministry of maritime affairs in a notification said that it took the step of banning the Indian ships in the context of the current situation, keeping in mind maritime sovereignty, economic interests and national security.
“Indian-flagged ships will not be allowed to reach any Pakistani port. Similarly, Pakistani-flagged ships will not visit any Indian port,” the ministry said.
It said that the following steps will be taken immediately.
Ties between the two neighbouring countries plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is understood to have discussed the security situation arising out of the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
The meeting came less than 24 hours after Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi apprised the Prime Minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.
The Air chief held a meeting with Modi, sources said without giving further details. There is no official word on the Modi-Singh meeting yet.
Citing “cross-border linkages” to the Pahalgam attack, India has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike.
Besides banning the entry of Pakistani ships into Indian ports, India also barred Indian ships from visiting Pakistani ports, according to the directorate general of shipping (DGS). The restrictions were put into place with immediate effect, officials said.
According to an Indian government order, the complete ban on imports of all goods from Pakistan was imposed on the grounds of national security and public policy.
Though the 200 per cent import duty imposed on Pakistani goods in 2019 after the Pulwama attack had effectively halted direct imports, the latest decision also prohibits the entry of Pakistani goods routed through third countries.
3 soldiers killed as Army vehicle plunges into gorge in J&K
Ramban/Jammu: Three Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer, were killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a 500-metre deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district on Sunday, officials said.
The Army truck was part of a convoy moving from Jammu to Srinagar along national highway-44. The accident occurred near Battery Chashma at around 11.30 am, the officials said.
They said a joint rescue operation was launched immediately by the Army, the police, the State Disaster Response Force and local volunteers.
Three soldiers travelling in the vehicle were found dead on the spot.
The deceased were identified as Naib-Subedar Sujeet Kumar, driver Amit Kumar and sepoy Man Bahadur, said officials, who added that their bodies were retrieved from the gorge after several hours of hectic efforts.
The crash has reduced the vehicle into a mangled heap of metal, they said.
Confirming the death of the JCO and two soldiers, Ramban senior superintendent of police Kulbir Singh said preliminary investigation suggested that the accident was caused by a technical glitch in the vehicle and an investigation was underway to ascertain the exact reason.
