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.

http://

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

Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa was instrumental in keeping the Indian Army away from politics and attempted to forge an all-inclusive army.

New Delhi: Popular discourse on Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa is often limited to placing him as the first ‘Indian’ commander-in-chief of the Indian Army who took over from Roy Butcher on 15 January, 1949, and the second person to have been conferred the rank of Field Marshal in 1986 after former Army chief Sam Manekshaw.

There are, however, countless other factors that make him a towering figure in the history of Indian military, all of which is still relevant and important on his 120th birth anniversary, which falls today, 28 January.

Field Marshal Cariappa was not only instrumental in drawing a strong dividing line between the Indian Army and politics but he also helped shape the Army into a highly professional force in its formative stage.

He attempted to do away with caste, creed and other barriers in the Indian Army by raising the Brigade of The Guards — a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army — in 1949. Recruitment to it was open to all regions, castes, creeds and all sections of society.

Military historian and national security analyst Mandeep Singh Bajwa says that such was his stature, that Field Marshal Cariappa interacted directly with then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, not allowing anyone in the bureaucracy or others in the corridors of power to take liberties with him.

“But the crucial fact is that he kept the Indian Army away from any kind of political influence, in contrast to the political nature of the Pakistani Army,” Bajwa told ThePrint. “When Ayub Khan was appointed the commander in chief of the Pakistan Army in 1951, the Pakistan Army clearly had a role in shaping the foreign and domestic policies of the state.”

The military coup that followed in 1958 only testified to the political nature of the Pakistan Army.

“He wanted the Indian Army to be an apolitical entity and that’s the reason he decided against inducting former INA personnel into the Army as they had become political soldiers,” Bajwa adds.

A distinguished career and a run-in with a junior

Field Marshal Cariappa had a distinguished career as the Army chief but before that he led Indian forces on the Western Front during the India-Pakistan War of 1947.

He was instrumental in recapturing Zojila, Drass and Kargil and created a linkup with Leh before the then Indian government decided to abide by an UN-brokered ceasefire on 1 January, 1949.

An illustrative anecdote about his character relates to the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Field Marshal Ayub Khan had served under Cariappa in the British Indian Army. In 1965, Cariappa’s son, Flt. Lt. K.C. “Nanda” Cariappa, was taken prisoner of war by Pakistan after his aircraft was shot down. Khan had offered to release him, but Cariappa made it clear to Khan that his son was not to be given any special treatment.

Bajwa says that the interest of the nation was always first with Cariappa. “He accepted pay and ration cuts for the forces because he felt that it would help the cause of nation building,” he says.

Also read: Indian Army chief should know that no one feigns disability

The officer from Coorg

Cariappa was born in Coorg and was educated at the Central High School at Madikeri and the Presidency College in the then Madras state.

He began his Army career under the British and was among those in the first batch of King’s Commissioned Indian Officers at the Daly Cadet College in Indore.

His remarkable career had several firsts.

He was the first Indian officer to undergo the course at the Staff College, Quetta, in 1933. He also saw action in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Burma and became the first Indian officer to be given command of a unit in 1942.

In 1947, Cariappa became the first Indian to be selected to undergo a training course at Imperial Defence College, Camberley, UK.

He also oversaw the division of the British Indian Army between India and Pakistan during Partition.

He was chosen over General S.M. Shrinagesh and Lt General Nathu Singh Rathore to head the Indian Army.

After retirement, he served as the Indian high commissioner to Australia and New Zealand.

He died in Bengaluru in 1993 at the age of 94.

The current army chief General Bipin Rawat has said that Field Marshal Cariappa deserves the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.

Union minister for defence Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday visited the forward areas in Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh along the India-China Border and inaugurated a strategically important bridge in Lower Dibang Valley. The minister was also briefed on the operational situation and defence preparedness of the armed forces.