Pulwama LIVE: MHA allows entitlement of air travel to all CAPF personnel

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the entitlement of air travel to all the personnel of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces on the Delhi-Srinagar, Srinagar-Delhi, Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Jammu sectors.

The MHA has said that the decision will immediately benefit approximately 7.80 lakh personnel of the CAPFs in the ranks of Constable, Head Constable and ASI who were otherwise not eligible earlier. This includes journey on duty and journey on leave, i.e. while going on leave from Jammu and Kashmir to home and return.

“This facility is in addition to the existing air courier services for CAPFs that have been steadily extended in all sectors by the MHA to help the jawans cut down on travel time during their journey to and fro from home on leave,” MHA has added in a tweet.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has said it is essential that there must be accountability under international law and the perpetrators of terrorist acts be brought swiftly to justice, as he reiterated his strong condemnation of the Pulwama terror strike by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The UN Secretary-General also "urgently" appealed to the governments of both India and Pakistan to exercise "maximum restraint" to ensure the situation does not further deteriorate. (PTI)

PM Modi is on two days trip (to South Korea) even when the country is going through this tragedy. This shows their priority: Congress’ Randeep Surjewala has said in a press conference.

Randeep Surjewala, Congress: When the whole country was mourning the loss of lives of our jawans in #PulwamaAttack in the afternoon, PM Narendra Modi was busy shooting for a film in Jim Corbett park till evening. Is there any PM in the world like this? I have no words really. pic.twitter.com/P5mgnU3drA

— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2019

The Supreme Court of India (SC) may hear tomorrow (February 22) a plea seeking the apex court's direction to protect Kashmiri students being attacked in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, News18 has reported.

Jammu & Kashmir: Curfew relaxed in Jammu from 7 am to 2 pm today. Restrictions under section-144 still remain imposed. All wine shops and bars to remain closed.

— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2019

A Kashmiri shawl trader was beaten up by a mob in Nadia, West Bengal and one person has been arrested in this connection, police said yesterday.

Javed Khan, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, was beaten up at the Taherpur bazar area at around 7 pm on Monday (February 18).

Since Khan was reluctant to lodge a police complaint, a suo motu case was started which led to the arrest, Superintendent of Police (Nadia) Rupesh Kumar said. (PTI)

Congress President Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia have visited family of a martyr in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh.

UN chief AntonioGuterreshas called on India and Pakistan to exercise "maximum restraint" and take "immediate steps” to de-escalate tensions following thePulwamaterror attack, reiterating that his good offices are available if asked by both sides. (PTI)

Pakistan summons Indian diplomat over anti-Pak protest in New Delhi

In a statement, the Foreign Office said that Special Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imtiaz Ahmad summoned the Acting Indian High Commissioner to lodge a "strong protest" against the anti-Pakistan demonstration in New Delhi.

NCP president Sharad Pawar yesterday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for skipping the all-party meeting called by the NDA government in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.

There was no representative of the BJP either as Rajnath Singh was present in his capacity as Union home minister, Pawar said.

Instead of attending the meeting over such a serious issue, Modi chose to address rallies elsewhere, the former Union minister said.

"An all-party meeting was called on Saturday...In fact we were told that PM Modi would chair the meeting. Presuming that Modi would attend the meeting, we all went to Delhi as it (the terror attack in South Kashmir) was an attack on the nation," Pawar told reporters. (PTI)

Jammu & Kashmir: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district at 7 pm today. pic.twitter.com/6yG4SrQ4yV

— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2019