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A belated decision Renaming an airbase after Arjan Singh is a welcome step

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It is not unusual for the Services to take in-house decisions to name many buildings and institutes located in various cantonments and bases around the country after gallantry award winners. But last week the government took the unprecedented decision of naming a functional air base after Arjan Singh, the nonagenarian Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF), who till now is the Air Force’s most distinguished and seniormost officer. Following an announcement made on the eve of his 97th birthday last Thursday, the Panagarh air base located in Durgapur district of West Bengal stands renamed Air Force Station Arjan Singh.The decision is to be welcomed entirely, a fitting recognition of Arjan Singh’s contribution and distinguished career. The Padma Vibhushan recipient’s most stellar contribution is his display of leadership as a 46-year-old Air Chief during the September 1965 Indo-Pak War in which the IAF, equipped with vintage Vampires and Gnats, fought against Pakistan, then equipped with superior US supplied fighter jets. Notwithstanding this limitation and other odds against it, the IAF performed fairly well and assisted in checking the advance of the Pakistani Army. In January 1966, Arjan Singh became India’s first Air Chief Marshal in recognition of the IAF’s contribution to the war under his leadership. Earlier, as a young 23-year-old Squadron Leader, Arjan Singh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the British for successfully leading his fighter squadron against the advancing Japanese forces in the Imphal Valley during World War-II.  In January 2002, 33 years after he had retired, Arjan Singh was belatedly conferred the five star rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force, equivalent to Field Marshal in the Army, making him the only IAF officer to be accorded this honour. The government’s decision is a step in the right direction. Every society needs to find ways of honouring its heroes. It is important to build narratives about the legends of our heroes. In this age of growing cynicism, the soldiers need to be particularly reassured that the society and its governing organs do appreciate and honour those who are willing to make sacrifices in defence of the national borders.


2 ‘RAW agents’ held in Pak

Karachi, April 16

Pakistan today claimed to have arrested two alleged RAW agents from the southern Sindh province.SSP Counter Terrorism Department Naveed Khawaja said the two were arrested from Thatta city during a raid on a tip-off, a report said.Khawaja identified those arrested as Saddam Hussain and Bachal who, he said, were working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in the guise of fishermen in the area.At a press conference, the police officer claimed India had provided codes to Saddam and Bachal. The police claimed they seized photographs of sensitive installations from the possession of the “spies”, he said.Khawaja claimed the alleged agents were planning to disrupt the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. — PTI


Wagah replica for Agartala-Akhaura border with B’desh

Agartala, April 16

The Tourism Ministry has sanctioned Rs 18-crore project for the Tripura government to create a variety of infrastructure along the India-Bangladesh border similar to that at the Attari-Wagah border with Pakistan, a state minister said.“Wagah-like infrastructure, including a mini-stadium, will be created at the Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) border to organise a Beating the Retreat ceremony like that at the Wagah border with Pakistan” Tripura’s Tourism Minister Ratan Bhowmik said. He said the Union Tourism Ministry recently sanctioned Rs 18 crore and 20 per cent of the sanctioned funds have already been released for the project.“Under the Tourism Ministry’s ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme, the Centre sanctioned Rs 99 crore for Tripura to implement several tourism projects in the state. The Rs 99 crore ambitious project includes building of a mini-stadium, open theatre, cafeteria and other infrastructure at the Agartala-Akhaura border at a cost of Rs 18 crore,” he said.The Tripura government’s Public Works Department (PWD) will execute the project.The Agartala-Akhaura checkpost is the second largest trading point between India and Bangladesh after the Benapole-Petrapole post with West Bengal.The Beating the Retreat ceremony, which marks the closing of the Attari-Wagah border near Amritsar every evening, is a military routine that the India-Pakistan border guards —the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers — have jointly conducted since 1959.People travel specially to the border to witness the ceremony in which the flags of the two countries are lowered by security personnel with a number of aggressive gestures and a mutually coordinated performance.“To build a Wagah-like infrastructure at the Agartala-Akhaura border, official-level meetings between Bangladesh and India were held and the Bangladesh government has no objection to the project,” Bhowmik said.“However, the Bangladesh government has not yet taken any decision to make a similar infrastructure on their side at Akhaura. The Agartala-Akhaura border is not only a big trading point between India and Bangladesh. It is also an important tourist spot,” he added. — IANS


India slams use of ‘hidden veto’ at UN after China blocks bid to ban Azhar

India slams use of 'hidden veto' at UN after China blocks bid to ban Azhar
aish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. Reuters file photo

United Nations, April 14

Days after China blocked its bid at the UN to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar, India on Thursday slammed the use of “hidden veto” and demanded accountability, saying the world body’s general members are never informed of the reason for not acceding to requests for sanctioning terrorists.

“The procedures of unanimity and anonymity of the Al Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS Sanctions Committees need to be revisited. The procedures of unanimity and anonymity result in a lack of accountability,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin told the UN Security Council in an open debate on ‘Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts’ here.

Against the backdrop of China last month again blocking India’s bid to ban the mastermind of the Pathankot terror attack Masood in the UN Sanctions Committee, Akbaruddin said each of the 15 members in the committee now have a veto.

Without naming China, he said none except these 15 members are told of who is it that has wielded the veto in a specific instance.

“The general membership of the UN is never ever formally informed of how and why requests for listing terrorists are not acceded to. Counter terror mechanisms such as the Sanctions Committees that act on behalf of the international community need to build trust not engender impunity by the use of this form of a ‘hidden veto’,” Akbaruddin said.

After the attack on the airbase in Pathankot in January, India had in February written to the UN calling for immediate action to list the chief of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) under the UN Sanctions Committee.

The Indian submission was considered by the Counter- Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) for technical aspects of the evidence provided.

The technical team then with the support of the US, UK and France had sent it to all the members, sources had said.

All were told that if there are no objections, the designation will be announced after the expiry of the deadline but just hours before the deadline, China requested the UN committee to keep on hold the designation.

When asked at a briefing earlier this month as to why China had put a hold on the listing request by India against Azhar, Chinese envoy and President of the Security Council for the month Liu Jieyi had said that any listing would have to meet the requirements, stressing that it was the Council members’ responsibility to ensure that the criteria were followed. —PTI

 


India’s military spending threat to peace: Pak

short by Arjun Bhatia / 10:45 am on 06 Apr 2016,Wednesday
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasir Khan Janjua on Tuesday said India’s increased military spending and growing arsenal of strategic weapons is a threat to his country as well as regional peace. Addressing a conference titled ‘Pakistan’s role in promoting global peace and security’, Janjua urged India to join Pakistan for “investing” in peace.

Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh To Visit US On April 5

Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh To Visit US On April 5

The visit is part of the ongoing high level exchanges between India and the US.

NEW DELHI:  Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh will be visiting the US on a “goodwill visit” from April 5 to 8 when he will also meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The visit is part of the ongoing high level exchanges between India and the US.

General Dalbir Singh will meet Ban at the UN headquarters to “strengthen the Indian Army’s commitment towards UN Missions”, an official statement in Delhi said.

He will also visit the US Central Command (CENTCOM) that includes countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia including Afghanistan and Iraq in its Area of Responsibility.

He will also visit the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Component Commands of the United States Armed Forces, headquarter 1 Corps and US Army’s Manoeuvre Centre of Excellence (MCoE) where he will hold discussions with commanders of the US Army.

In Washington, General Dalbir Singh will meet US Secretary of Army, Chairman Jt. Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the US Army and Commander US Marine Corps, along with other officials.

The India-US ties have been transformed in recent years with a renewed Defence Framework Agreement, supply of defence equipment, sharing of technology and military-to-military exchanges.


Attachment of Brig’s property ordered

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 31

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sub-zonal office Shimla that comes under the Ministry of Finance yesterday issued provisional order to attach the property and bank balance of Brig (retd) JK Narang worth Rs 2.29 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.In a signed press release issued here, the Assistant Director (ED), Shimla Bhupinder Sing Negi stated the ED has ordered the attachment of property in connection with the ongoing investigation being carried by the sub-zonal office Shimla under the PMLA and the CBI charge sheet filed in the CBI court here on October 18, 2012.