1st Layer Counter-drone & Man-Portable Air Defence Systems MULTI-LAYERED COUNTER DRONE AND AIR DEFENCE GRID CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 2nd Layer Point Air Defence & Short Range Surface to Air Missiles ■ ■ 3rd Layer Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles 4th Layer Long Range Surface to Air Missiles BHUBANESWAR  TUESDAY  MAY 13, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION The ocean, unmoved by polite requests, remained obstinate for three days. Then Lord Rama, in anger, said - without fear, love does not arise - Air Marshal A K Bharti quoting a verse from Ramcharitmanas When the courage is high, even the destination touches your feet 4 3 2 - Rajiv Ghai, DG Military Operations 200 KM AK A S H AI RD E FE NC ES YS T EM 1 IT’S ONLY A PAUSE: MODI SAYS OPERATION SINDOOR NEW NORM; FUTURE TALKS ONLY ON TERROR, RETURNING PoK; NUCLEAR BLACKMAIL WON’T WORK SUSPECTED DRONE ACTIVITY IN PUNJAB, JAMMU Drones were reportedly sighted over Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur in Punjab shortly after PM’s address to the nation. There was blackout in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and parts of Jalandhar. The Amritsar International Airport was also briefly shut for civil operations. Reports said security forces engaged suspected drones in Samba district of Jammu | P10 TARGETS ENGAGED BY IAF IN PAKISTAN Lahore PAKISTAN INDIA Karachi From left: Possible debris of a Chinese PL -15 LR air-to-air missile; long range rockets; loiter munitions and unmanned aerial systems downed by Indian air defence systems Did business-ceasefire tradeoff to avert nuclear conflict: Trump J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that his administration averted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan by brokering a “full and immediate ceasefire” and offering increased trade as an incentive for de-escalation between the neigbours. “On Saturday my administra, tion helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one, between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons. And they were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not go- No reference to trade issues, says India Sources in Delhi denied that the US broached trade issues after Operation Sindoor. “There was no reference to trade in those discussions.” ing to stop,” Trump said in remarks from the White House, calling the halting of military action between two countries was one of the “historic events that took place over the last few days.” Trump claimed that US economic leverage played a key role in persuading the two sides to step back from the brink. “We helped a lot, and we helped also with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.’” Trump went on to brag, “People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you, and all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re going to stop,’ and they have.” He said: “I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that..” Indian sources, however, maintained that the de-escalation agreement was a bilateral initiative between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan sans third-party involvement. Odisha plans Rath Yatra at Maha Kumbh scale this year A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar ODISHA government is planning to scale up this year’s Rath Yatra to a Maha Kumbh level and working on massive security deployment for the annual festival that draws huge footfall of devotees. Taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh which successfully hosted the Maha Kumbh, the state government is look at a grand congregation for the annual chariot festival of Lord Jagannath. Chief ministers of five to six BJP-ruled states would be invited to the Rath Yatra apart from a host of union min- WALKS INTO SUNSET Kohli leaves behind a Virat void E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai AND so, just like that, the king bids adieu. For over a decade, Virat Kohli was synonymous with Test cricket because of the way he lived, breathed and cared for it. He put his heart and soul into the game’s oldest format and it became richer because of it at a time when there were questions aplenty about the primacy of the five-day game. So, it was no coincidence that Kohli engineered India’s rise up the rankings thanks to the way he believed in approaching — 20 wickets first, batters next — Tests. If Kohli the whiteball captain had an asterisk next to it, Kohli’s red-ball leadership was embellished every time he walked out for the toss. There was the time when he instructed his bowlers to give England ‘hell’ at Lord’s in 2021 (India won that game). There was the time when he whipped up the crowd, his bowlers and the fielders in a rabblerousing display of us v. them in an electric Test against Australia at Bengaluru in As I step away 2017 (India won). There were memorable from this format, 100s in winning causes, losing causes as it’s not easy ‘ but well as leading a team to a first series win it feels right in Australia. Virat Kohli, ex-captain Above all, there was an indescribable light around the 36-year-old whenever he strode out to the centre with his whites. It’s no exaggeration to say that that light has now left the building and India will struggle to replace him for multiple reasons. One is Kohli the batter. The next is to find somebody who can transmit that same energy When he announced his retirement on Insta, the . accompanying choice was Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’. “I have lived it My Way, I travelled each and every highway, And P13 more, much more than this, I did it my way”. Islamabad AF GH AN IS @ New Delhi MAP NOT TO SCALE asserting that “nuclear blackmail” will not work against India, and stressed that New Delhi IN a televised address to the na- is no longer restrained by outtion on Monday Prime Minister dated strategic hesitations. Modi , Narendra Modi delivered a clear went on to reinforce the new and uncompromising message paradigm: “This is a new norto Pakistan: the halt in India’s mal. India will strike at the military operations is a pause, heart of terror decisively if our not an end—and going forward, citizens are attacked.” any engagement with Islama“Terror and talk cannot go tobad will be limited to Pakistan- gether; terror and trade cannot occupied Kashmir (PoK) and go together. And water and blood terrorism. also cannot flow to“Operation Singether,” Modi said. door has not ended; “The terrorist it will be a continuwho dared to wipe DAY 6 ing and decisive acthe sindoor from tion against statethe foreheads of sponsored terror our sisters — that’s attacks on Indian w hy I n d i a d e citizens,” Modi asstroyed the very serted in his first headquarters of remarks since the terror in Pakistan,” military strikes on he added. terror infrastrucHe detailed the ture in Pakistan impact of India’s and PoK. military strikes on Modi made clear terror infrastrucThis is not the era of war, that the decision to ture to respond to but it is not the era of pause retaliatory the Pahalgam, sayterrorism either o p e r at i o n s fo l ing that the strikes Narendra Modi, Prime Minister lowed Pakistan’s sent shockwaves assurances to cease through Pakistan’s further terrorist and military leadership. activity “In the coming days, we . While condemning Pakistan’s will measure every step taken retaliation—targeting religious by Pakistan on the basis of the sites, schools, and military and attitude it adopts on terrorism,” civilian installations—Modi he warned. said India struck “strategically ,” Framing the operation as far hitting the core of Pakistan’s more than a military offensive, terror infrastructure. Issuing a the PM described it as a doctri- stark warning to Islamabad, nal shift in India’s national se- Modi said: “The way Pakistan curity posture. “Operation Sin- army and Pakistan government door was not just an operation are encouraging terrorism, it but a doctrinal change and a will one day destroy Pakistan policy against terror,” he said. itself. If Pakistan wants to surHe dismissed Pakistan’s long- vive, it will have to destroy its used tactic of nuclear posturing, terror infrastructure.” TA N RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR isters, sources said. This would attract more footfall to the festival. Given the tension between India and Pakistan, Odisha Police has been asked to amplify security measures as the Rath Yatra is going to be the biggest religious festival af- ter the de-escalation between the two neighbours. “This apart, President Droupadi Murmu could also visit Puri to attend the festival for which elaborate arrangements are being made and security preparedness is in its final stages,” said sources on Monday The Rath Yatra starts . CONTINUED ON P5 on June 27. DGMOs smoke peace pipe in first talks after ‘truce’ M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India on Monday agreed not to initiate aggressive and inimical actions. According to an Indian Army readout, in the talks between Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and Major General Kashif Chaudhry held at 5 pm, “Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against each other were discussed.” During the talks over the hotline, the two military officials also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas, the Army statement added. The talks were initially scheduled for 12 noon on Monday but were deferred to the evening, though the reason for the delay was not conveyed by the Indian armed forces. It was on Saturday that both sides had announced an agreement to cease all firings and military actions on land, air, and sea, effective immediately . Hours later, Pakistan breached the pact. The talks followed the relentless military operations carried out between the armed forces of the two countries. Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 to destroy nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.