Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 14

The Army continues to send its men and cannons to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in a bid to keep its men ready for battle after the Defence Ministry flagging the issue of dearth of field firing ranges in Jammu and Kashmir due to non-renewal of lease by the state government.“The cumbersome process of sending troops and artillery to Bobina and Mahajan field firing ranges in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, respectively, is still on,” said Army sources.The sources said the practice of moving troops and arms and ammunition, including cannons, to field firing ranges in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has not only put an avoidable burden on the state exchequer, but hampered operational preparedness and counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir as well.“After the state government refused to renew lease of field firing ranges, the Army has been sending troops and canons via train to Bobina and Mahajan ranges since January 2015,” they added.Under such circumstances, the Army had no option but to send men and machinery outside the state for perfecting artillery fire and other warfare tactics, the sources said.Jammu and Kashmir shares its borders with China and Pakistan, the two countries which have fought wars with India. “Firing ranges are an indispensable requirement of the Army to keep its men ready. The Northern Command has been time and again flagging the issue before the Defence Ministry,” said a defence source.“Even the Defence Ministry has said restrictions imposed by successive state governments vis-à-vis firing ranges have compounded problems of the Army. There are no such restrictions for our adversary on the other side of the western border,” the source added.On February 12, the Northern Command chief, Lt Gen DS Hooda, said the Garhi field firing range was notified to the Army and he was hopeful of getting Kalith and Hirangar ranges soon. He had hoped for forward movement on ranges in Ladakh and wished that things moved faster in Kashmir as well.A rider by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on May 28 last year of a 10-km safety zone around field firing ranges had made things difficult for the Army in re-notification of 10 firing ranges.A fleet of over 25 multi-axle vehicles of the Army moved from Punjab into the Jammu region on Friday night to relocate tanks in the border state.

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Islamabad, May 7

Pakistan needs modern F-16 fighter jets for the war against terrorism but rejects the conditions the US has attached with the sale, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said on Saturday.Chaudhary said no conditions should be attached to the sale of F-16s because Pakistan planned to use the jets only for the purpose of fighting terrorists, Dawn online reported. The US State Department earlier this week said Pakistan would have to pay from its own funds if it wanted to buy F-16 fighter jets, after the US Congress last month withdrew funds for the deal to force Islamabad to act against the Haqqani network.Chaudhry said diplomatic efforts were underway to convince the Congress to subsidise the sale of the fighter jets. Pakistan had earlier reached an understanding with the US for buying eight F-16 planes. Under the deal, Pakistan was to pay about $270 million from its national funds. The US was supposed to provide the rest from its Foreign Military Financing fund. — IANS

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 1

The first of the six indigenous Scorpene-class submarines set out for sea trials today. Named Kalvari—sea tiger shark—the 66-m-long vessel is set to be inducted into the Navy in October-November this year.The submarines are being built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in collaboration with French company DCNS. The remaining five vessels are set to be inducted by 2020.The submarine sailed out around 10 am today using its own propulsion for the first sea trial off the Mumbai coast. It completed a number of preliminary tests on propulsion system, auxiliary equipment and systems, navigation aids, communication equipment and steering gear. Various standard operating procedures were also validated for it. The submarine then returned to harbour in the evening, the India Navy said tonight.The Scorpene is equipped with weapons launching tubes (WLT) and can carry weapons on board that can be easily reloaded at sea through special handling and loading equipment. The array of weapons and complex sensors fitted on board the Scorpene are managed by an advanced combat management system, which integrates various diverse systems fitted onboard.However, despite today’s good news, the submarine’s plan to purchase heavyweight torpedoes for the vessel remains stuck due to the VVIP chopper scam. Over the past 15 years, India’s submarine arm is the slowest growing in the otherwise fast-growing war machinery.

To be inducted into Navy by year-end
The 66-m-long vessel is set to be inducted into the Navy in October-November this year
Kalvari is the first of the six indigenous Scorpene-class submarines being built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited in collaboration with French company DCNS
The remaining five vessels are set to be inducted by 2020

Retd army general who served in J&K urges for greater use of ‘soft power’ in the Valley and reiterates the need to engage with the people and change how they perceive India

As debate rages over the death of five protesters in the Kashmiri town of Handwara, Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain feels that the army needs to ease up on using its power arbitrarily against citizens.

“The army need not come in contact with mobs in Kashmir. We need to use 80 per cent soft power and 20 per cent hard. Instead, we are doing the reverse,” Hasnain said, while speaking on ‘National Security and the Threat of Radicalisation — A perspective’ at Abasaheb Garware College on Sunday. The lecture was organised by Maharashtra Education Society and Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad, Pune.

Hasnain was handpicked as general officer commanding (corps commander) at the Srinagar- headquartered 15 Corps when Kashmir was rocked by the turbulent stone-throwing agitation in 2010. All military operations in the Valley are controlled by them and they are popularly known as the Chinar Corps. His approach had weakened the militants and created an atmosphere of hope in the Valley which saw a major increase in tourist traffic afterwards.

“During the beginning of militancy in 1989-90, it was necessary to use more hard power. But, things have changed now. The number of militants has come down to 250 from over 5,000 during the early 1990s. My experience shows that the army generates only 10 per cent intelligence, while the rest comes from the special operations group of the J&K police. The army should remain in the rural areas and the police and Central Reserve Police Force should deal with mobs,” the general said.

“Soft power involves the army penetrating the villages and helping people in various tasks to create a bridge with them, while ensuring that this approach is not misused by militants and hardliners. When I met the people of J&K, they would hand over small chits mentioning their problems. I found that there had been no effort to connect with the masses in the last 25 years. There is a need to create hope among Kashmiris and change their perception about India,” he further explained.

“Maoists use ideology while terrorist organisations like ISIS use religion to lure people. None of the Indian Muslims joined Al- Qaeda but there have been attempts by at least 27 to join ISIS,” stated the second generation army officer. Without naming Darul- Uloom, Deoband, one of the largest Islamic institutions in the world, Hasnain said, “The Saharanpur-based institution should come out against (Islamic) terrorism more often and not once in three years.”

He also believes that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence is trying to create problems using certain fault lines. “We need Indian nationalism and not subnationalism based on regions within the country. Anti-national elements use social media aggressively to create rifts which we should guard against,” he concluded.

█ We need Indian nationalism and not sub-nationalism based on regions within the country. Anti-national elements use social media aggressively to create rifts which we should guard against

– LT GEN (RETD) SYED ATA HASNAIN

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 29

A team of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) today arrived in Landaura of Haridwar district in connection with four suspected terrorists arrested in January this year. The arrested youths had links with terror groups and were tasked with carrying out bomb blast during Ardh Kumbh.NIA sleuths went to the house of Azimussan, one of the arrested suspects, and questioned his family members. They also conducted a search operation near the house.The sleuths then headed to the Landaura Railway station where another arrested youth Osama had built a temporary room, near a tubewell, above which they used to store ammunition.An NIA expert also drew a sketch map of the railway station, tubewell, Osama’s room and the nearby area.When mediapersons tried to click photographs of the NIA team, an NIA official on account of secrecy and sensitivity of the case told them not to do so and deleted photos taken by a photographer.SP, Rural, Parmendra Dobhal said the NIA works on its own and hence the district police had nothing to do with the case until the central agency approaches them.Notably, four persons were arrested from Roorkee on January 20, when Adh Kumbh had just begun, for allegedly providing information to terrorists about the Ardh Kumbh security, traffic and other aspects.The initial probe had revealed that the arrested persons were in touch with terrorists through the internet, social media and mobile phone chatting. Laptops, mobile phones and other technical equipment were seized from their possession.All four had done a recce of Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar railway station, bus station, important government offices, buildings, Mela Control Building near Har-ki-Pauri, important bridges and the public sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited building. They had also surveyed the Roorkee railway station, the Bengal Engineering Group military cantonment area and the Central Building Research Institute. A special Delhi police team in coordination with the Central intelligence agencies had arrested the suspects after getting substantial intelligence inputs of their links with terrorists.