SOURCE: ANI

Expressing his reservations over engaging the defence forces in a political slugfest, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi has said the army should not be involved in politics.

“I think the political answer has been given by Raksha Mantri ji (Rajnath Singh) in the form of a tweet and the Defence Ministry has given a description which has been given out. But things which I learned – it is important that I must make an endeavour that the army should not be involved in politics,” General Dwivedi told ANI in an exclusive interview.

SOURCE: PTI

Four Naxalites, including three women cadres, were killed on Wednesday in an encounter with the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, an official said.

The anti-Naxal Hawk Force of the state police and local police teams took part in the operation in a forested area, said additional superintendent of police Vijay Dabar. Weapons were also recovered from the encounter site, police said.Balaghat shares borders with Gondia district of Maharashtra and Rajnandgaon, Khairagarh and Kawardha districts of Chhattisgarh with both adjoining states facing Left-wing extremism in certain pockets.

SOURCE: PTI

Indian and Egyptian troops are undergoing rigorous combat conditioning and tactical training under the ongoing joint special forces exercise Cyclone-III at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, officials said on Wednesday.

The military drill is aimed at strengthening joint operational capabilities, defence spokesperson Col Amitabh Sharma said in a release. The third edition of 14-day exercise, which started on February 10, includes joint training on close quarter battle (CQB) drills, survival techniques, demolition training and combat medical skills, among others, he said.

SOURCE: ANI

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, reaffirmed on Tuesday that Jammu and Kashmir is and will always remain an integral part of India and strongly condemned Pakistan’s misinformation campaigns.

He also emphasised the democratic choice made by the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the legislative assembly elections after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raised the Kashmir issue at the UNSC.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan’s parliament on Tuesday passed a resolution urging New Delhi to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir, invoking again a demand rejected long back by India. Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam moved the resolution reaffirming Pakistan’s “unwavering moral, political and diplomatic support” for the Kashmiri people’s “right to self-determination”, according to Radio Pakistan.

The scarred India-Pakistan bilateral ties nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019, revoking the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating it into two Union Territories.

SOURCE: PIB

The 13th meeting of Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM) took place in Kuala Lumpur on February 19, 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Secretary General of Ministry of Defence, Malaysia Mr Lokman Hakim Bin Ali. Both sides expressed happiness at the growing bilateral defence cooperation with regular engagements between the two Armed Forces in recent years.

The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on effective & practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional & global issues. Both chairs identified steps to further enhance cooperation in emerging areas such as cyber security and AI. They identified ways to deepen existing collaboration, particularly in the defence industry, maritime security, and multilateral engagements. They agreed to form a joint focus group to address non-traditional maritime security threats.

SOURCE: ANI

Following the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decision to cancel USD 21 million fund marked for ‘Voter Turnout in India’, President Donald Trump said that India, with its growing economy and high taxation rates, did not need such financial support. While he acknowledged his respect for India and its Prime Minister, Trump criticised the idea of funding voter turnout initiatives in the country.

While signing executive orders at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday (local time), Trump said, “Why are we giving USD 21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us; we can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high.