New Delhi, February 21

D S Hooda, a former Northern Army commander and main architect of the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, will head a Congress task force on national security.

Party president Rahul Gandhi met Hooda and discussed the modalities of the panel.

“The Congress president is setting up a ‘task force on national security’ to prepare a vision paper for the country,” a party statement said.

Hooda will lead the panel and prepare the paper in consultation with a select group of experts, it said.

Hailing the step, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, “Yet another positive and welcome step towards a strong nation and stronger national security by Congress President @RahulGandhi. The experience that Lt Gen (Retd) D S Hooda brings in, will benefit the nation in the long run.”           

In another tweet, she said, “The only thing they will find is Surgical Strike and How’s the josh?! :))”

Reacting to the development, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said the Congress couldn’t have had a better officer to advise them on national security.

“Lt Gen Hooda is a credit to the uniform he has worn. I had the privilege of having him as my security advisor when he headed 16 corps in Nagrota,” he tweeted.

The Congress has been accusing the Modi government of politicising the surgical strikes.

On September 29, 2016, the Army had carried out the strikes on seven terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in retaliation to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month.

Last December, responding to a question during a panel discussion at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh, Hooda had said that in hindsight, it would have been better had “we done it (surgical strikes) secretly”.

He had also said the initial euphoria about the success of the surgical strikes was natural but the constant maintenance of the hype around the military operation was unwarranted. PTI

Lt Gen Hooda to lead Congress panel

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 17

Notwithstanding heavy casualties in the Pulwama blast, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has come to the aid of Kashmiris living outside the state.

After the deadly suicide bombing that left at least 40 CRPF men dead, there are reports pouring in from various parts of country that Kashmiris are facing backlash and are being targeted and harassed.

The CRPF, which is running a round-the-clock helpline ‘Madadgaar’ in Kashmir, tweeted on Saturday evening stating if any Kashmiri needed help, he or she should contact them.

“Students and public, presently out of Kashmir can contact @CRPFmadadgaar on 24×7 toll-free number 14411 or SMS at 7082814411 for speedy assistance in case they face any difficulties or harassment,” the tweet read.

After the tweet was posted, the CRPF said it had received many calls from students who needed help.

Assistant Commandant Gul Junaid Khan, who is heading the ‘Madadgaar’ helpline, said they got calls from Kashmiri students.

“Mostly the students calling us have a lot of apprehensions. We got calls from Jammu with Kashmiri residents telling us that their ration supplies had finished. We provided them supplies through our local unit,” Junaid, a Kashmiri himself, said. “We also got calls from students from Dehradun and they wanted to come to Kashmir for some days. We are talking to the local police about the issue.” The officer said they were providing assistance to the people who were calling the helpline through their local units.

CRPF Director General Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, who arrived in Kashmir on Friday a day after the deadly blast, said the helpline for Kashmiri students at this point was a service to the nation.

“The ‘Madadgaar’ helpline has been doing excellent work for almost a year and a half now and we will continue to do our service to the nation,” Bhatnagar told The Tribune.

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Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 14

In the wake of the dastardly terror attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama, NIA team with suitable forensic component is leaving on Friday morning for Kashmir to assist the J&K Police in forensic evaluation of the scene of crime.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has cancelled his visit to Bihar scheduled for Friday. He is now expected to travel to Kashmir tomorrow, details of which are being worked out.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba who was in Thimpu in Bhutan for the secretary level talks also cut short his visit to rush back. Following the attack, the Ministry of Home Affairs is closely monitoring the situation.

In a series of tweets condemning the suicide attack claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Rajnath Singh wrote, “Today’s dastardly attack on crpf in Pulwama (J&K) is extremely painful and disturbing. I bow to each and every CRPF jawan who has sacrificed his life in service to the nation. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

The Home Minister also dialled Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik and held conversations with DG, CRPF, and Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba who are apprising him of the situation.

Senior intelligence and CRPF officials are also briefing National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, said sources.

Earlier calling the attack as despicable Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on twitter, “Attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama is despicable. I strongly condemn this dastardly attack. The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the families of the brave martyrs. May the injured recover quickly.”

In a pre-recorded chilling video message released by JeM, the alleged suicide bomber Adil Ahmad, reportedly a resident of Pulwama, is seen confessing his plans to carry out the strike while bragging about other attacks perpetrated by the Jaish, including one on the Parliament in 2001 and the Uri and Pathankot strikes.

Jaish remains a banned terrorist group designated by the UN Security Council. However, India-led proposal and supported by majority members to ban the Jaish supremo Masood Azhar continues to be blocked by a veto wielding China. Diplomatic sources told the Tribune that at the moment a fresh attempt in moving the proposal again is unlikely as China will continue to advocate the old argument demanding of terror links traced directly to Azhar and not just JeM.

Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria pays tributes to the martyr in Amritsar on Sunday. Tribune Photo: Vishal Kumar

The state government observed the 173rd death anniversary of Sikh General Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala at his memorial near the India Gate, Naraingarh, and at his samadh at Attari village on Sunday.

Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria was the chief guest and paid tributes to the martyr. An Army contingent also paid tributes to the martyr by reversing their arms. On behalf of the General Officer Commanding, Western Command, Capt Abhishek Shukla paid tributes at the memorial of the martyr.

Sarkaria said General Attariwala had valiantly fought against the British forces during the first Anglo-Sikh war at Sabraon in 1846.

He announced a grant of Rs5 lakh for the Attariwala Trust. Besides, the minister said he would discuss the matter of incorporating the sacrifice of General Attariwala in school textbooks with the Education Minister.

At his samadh in Attari village, the ‘Bhog’ of ‘Akhand Paath’ was performed and religious ‘diwan’ was held. Family members of General Attariwala were also felicitated on the occasion.

Attari MLA Tarsem Singh DC, Brig APS Chahal, Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha and Police Commissioner SS Srivastava were present.

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 10

The 300-km Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained shut for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday due to accumulation of snow and landslides along its mountainous stretches.

The highway is unlikely to be completely restored in the coming days as the Srinagar Meteorological Centre issued a fresh forecast of more snowfall in the region.

The highway — a crucial route for supply of essentials to the Kashmir valley — continued to remain shut even as the administration said it was working on a “war footing” to restore it.

A traffic department official said the highway remained shut as a thick layer of snow had accumulated in the area around Jawahar Tunnel and intermittent landslides and shooting stones were further blocking the mountainous stretches in the Ramban-Banihal area.

“We are working on a war-footing basis, (but) it will take more time,” the official said.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Khan, however, said most of the debris had been removed from the highway and it was expected to be restored by Sunday night.

“We are hopeful that the traffic will resume on Monday if there are no fresh landslides,” Khan said.

The intermittent closure of the highway in the past more than three weeks has created a humanitarian crisis in the Valley. Hundreds of passengers have not been able to travel to Kashmir and many residents have not been able to leave the Valley due to the highway closure. High airfares and frequent flight cancellations have also compounded the situation.

During the recent snow spell, dozens of flights, including 28 from New Delhi to Srinagar, were cancelled in three days. The shutdown of the highway has also led to the shortage of essentials in markets across Kashmir.

IAF airlifts 186 persons to Srinagar

• The IAF on Sunday airlifted 186 passengers, including 170 students, from Jammu to Srinagar. The GATE aspirants had been flown by the IAF from Srinagar to Jammu in the past two days
• Students said they were relieved that they could appear in GATE on time. They expressed gratitude to the IAF for the help

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31

In a judgment that has implications for thousands of officers from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), the Delhi High Court today struck down rules that prescribe different retirement age for different ranks and directed the Union Government to fix a uniform age of superannuation for all ranks.

At present, the retirement age of officers of the rank of Commandant and below in CAPFs, earlier known as paramilitary forces, is fixed at 57 years while officers of the rank of Deputy Inspector General and above retire at 60. Incidentally, retirement age is different for different ranks as well as for various branches in defence forces too and certain contentions on this issue are pending for adjudication.

Disposing of a bunch of petitions, a Division Bench comprising Justices S Muralidhar and Sanjeev Narula directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take all consequential steps within four months to decide a uniform retirement age for all members of CAPFs irrespective of their rank, thus bringing them all on par and fix the date from which the changed retirement age will take effect.

The Bench observed rules prescribing retirement age of 57 for those of the rank of Commandant and below in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as against 60 for officers above rank of Commandant were discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 16 of Constitution.

The Bench observed that the retirement age for all officers in Assam Rifles and Central industrial Security Force, which too are part of CAPFs, is already 60 years. Further, the Seventh Pay Commission and each of the CAPFs themselves had already opined that discrimination in the matter of retirement age must be done away with.

Although 19 officers from the ITBP, BSF and the CRPF had filed petitions challenging the rules, the Bench directed that its orders will be implemented across the board for all members of the CAPFs without the respondents insisting on each of them approaching the court for identical relief. The judgment will also apply to members of other CAPFs like the Sashastra Seema Bal if they are identically placed as the petitioners.

Rules out reinstatement of retirees

• Observing that most of the petitioners have since retired, HC clarified judgment won’t have the effect of their reinstatement
• In view of the principle of no work, no pay, it will also not have effect of their being entitled to any arrears of pay for any further period beyond retirement
• However, they will benefit in terms of calculation of retirement benefits, including pension and gratuity
• Differential period in event of enhancement of retirement age will be added to period of service actually rendered by each of them

New Delhi, February 15

The terrorists might have got the information about the movement of a large number of CRPF personnel in Pulwama district, which led to the high number of casualties, officials suspect.

The deadliest terror attack on CRPF in recent times in Jammu and Kashmir claiming at least 39 lives so far took place when over 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir around 3.15 pm.

Usually, about 1,000 personnel are part of a convoy but this time it was a total of 2,547 personnel.

Not ruling out violation of Standard Operating Procedures when such a huge movement of central forces is taking place in the troubled state, officials requesting anonymity said a clear picture on loopholes, if any, will be known after a thorough probe. 

“Such a large movement of troops must have been known to a lot of people. There is a possibility of this information reaching to terrorists,” a security official suspect.

Moreover, the number of personnel travelling back to the Valley was high as there was no movement on the highway for the last two to three days because of bad weather and other administrative reasons, they said.

The experts of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and NSG have been asked to assist Jammu and Kashmir police in the investigation of the attack.

All aspects of the attack will be probed by the concerned agencies, they said.

The security forces have not faced such a severe terror attack in recent time in the Valley.

On September 18, 2016, four terrorists had attacked Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri at 5.30 am in which 19 soldiers were killed.

It is the second deadliest attack faced by the CRPF since 2010 when a team of naxals had ambushed its troops in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh killing 76 personnel of the force.

Seven years later, the force again lost 25 of its men to a similar attack by naxals on April 24, 2017 in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.

In the Valley, the force had faced an ambush on June 25, 2016 when Lashkar-e-Taiba militants attacked its convoy in Frestabal area of Pampore on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway killing eight of its personnel. PTI

Rs 3,18,931 cr defence budget (Rs 1,12,080 cr has been separately allocated for pensions to veterans)

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 10

Though the Narendra Modi government has, in the Interim Budget, allocated the highest-ever sum of over Rs 3 lakh crore for the defence sector, it would still fall short by around Rs 17,000 crore to meet the existing liabilities of purchase of new weapons and equipment and also for future needs.

The liabilities are fixed installments to be paid periodically for new equipment or works and projects to be executed. The budget, announced by interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on February 1, allocated a whopping Rs 1,08,248 crore as capital expenses for the 2019-20 fiscal. This is meant for new equipment, weapons, aircraft, naval warships and Army vehicles.

The allocation would need to be augmented, said sources, adding Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had been informed and the Finance Ministry was aware of the matter too.

A hike probably would be affected once the new government was elected and full budget presented again sometime in June. The existing sum allocated for capital for the forces is some 32 per cent of the total Union Government’s capital expenditure.

For the coming year, the Army needs another Rs 6,300 crore over and above its capital allocation of Rs 29,700 crore. The Navy has been allotted Rs 22,227 crore. The existing liabilities for capital acquisition alone stand at Rs 25,461 crore, a shortfall of Rs 3,000 crore.

The Air Force needs Rs 47,413 crore for the forthcoming fiscal while the allocation is Rs 39,347 crore. The IAF will be paying for Rafale jets, the Chinook helicopters and also the Apache attack copters.

In all, Rs 3,18,931 crore ($44.74 billion), including the capital, has been allocated to the Ministry of Defence. A sum of Rs 1,12,080 crore has been separately allocated for defence pensions. The combined budget for operations, salaries, pensions and capital stands at Rs 4,31,011 crore, which constitutes 15.5 per cent of the government’s spending.

The salaries and establishment expenses and pensions continue to add a burden on the resources. The services are literally weighed down by bulging “establishment” costs—salaries and pensions. The salaries of the three services and the civilians work out to be Rs 1,19,559 crore and now form 37 per cent of the budget. The salaries and pensions, as such, take up more money than what is allocated for modernisation.

Chandimandir Military Station gets 2 MW solar power plant

Lt Gen Surinder Singh, general officer commanding-in-chief, Western Command, during the inauguration of a 2MW solar power plant in the Chandimandir cantonment on Tuesday. The ₹10-crore project is the largest in the Western Command. The plant will generate about 29 lakh electricity units annually.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 5

A two megawatt solar power plant has been set up at Chandimandir Military Station, which is stated to be the largest solar power project within the Army’s Western Command.

Involving an investment of Rs 10 crore, the plant will generate at least 29.5 lakh units of electricity annually or about 2.45 lakh units per month resulting in approximate savings of more than Rs 2 crore annually.

Spread over an area of 9.5 acres, the plant consists of a total of 6,250 Indian-origin solar panels and solar cells. It was inaugurated by Lt Gen Surinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, today.

The Military Engineering Services (MES) tendered a 2 MW solar project to be developed at Chandimandir in Haryana. The bid-submission deadline is June 28, 2017. The estimated project cost is Rs.136.5 million (~$2.11 million).

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, the MNRE has allocated 356 MW of solar to be developed by defense sector in India at premises of defense establishments or on land occupied by cantonments and other military establishments inside the country.