3 min readMar 31, 2026 06:40 AM IST First published on: Mar 31, 2026 at 06:40 AM ISTThe police and paramilitary forces shot dead two terrorists and made a major breakthrough in the shootouts in Jalandhar district by arresting three of the eight assailants, recovering the jeep and some arms and ammunition. Two suspected terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with a CRPF contingent near Panchhat village in Kapurthala district. Reports said that the terrorists fired at an Army jawan while he was taking a morning walk.Pak facilities for US forcesUnder a secret understanding, Pakistan has provided certain key facilities to the United States armed forces in the strategically important Makran coast, where a number of airstrips are being newly built or strengthened, according to Ataullah Mengal, former chief minister of Baluchistan. Mengal, who is living in exile in London, said that the visit of US warships to Karachi earlier this month was very significant and it highlighted the fact that “our country under Gen Ziaul Haq is mortgaged to Washington”. The visit was obviously linked to the facilities provided by the Zia regime, he added.Advani wants white paperAdvertisementThe Bharatiya Janata Party president-designate, L K Advani, at a press conference in Ludhiana, demanded that the Union should publish a white paper on the role of Pakistan in providing training to terrorists and deputing them to Punjab to indulge in the killing of innocent people. He further said that Rajiv Gandhi had failed to build world public opinion regarding the role of Pakistan in the terror movement in Punjab. He said that talk of “friendly relations with Pakistan should be given up”.Bhandari to visit Sri LankaIndia will resume its mediation efforts in Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict when Romesh Bhandari visits Colombo on April 20 for what has been described as the “final round of discussions”, top government officials said in Colombo. Sri Lanka had extended an invitation to Bhandari to visit Colombo on a mediation mission. Bhandari is to retire on April 1, and hence, he will not be in Colombo next month in the capacity of foreign secretary, but as Rajiv Gandhi’s special envoy. But the change in designation will not mean any change in the extent of his authority as far as the crisis in Sri Lanka is concerned, according to analysts in Colombo.