Jammu: A top Army commander on Thursday said there was a “possibility” that global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) may join hands with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to launch attacks in India.

“Yes, that (IS joining hands with LeT to launch attacks in India) can be a possibility as the motive of the terrorists is to spread their propaganda.

“They want their name and for that, they can do anything. And if they get successful, they can take advantage of it by using any name. Yes it is a possibility,” General Officer Commanding of the 16 corps of the army Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar told reporters here today.

He was replying to a question whether IS can join hands with other terrorists outfits like LeT to launch Paris-type attacks in India.

Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar also said there are around 700 active militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) who.

On a question about the number of terrorist training camps active across the Line of Control in the POK, he said that from the inputs that the captured terrorist Navid has given there are around 37 active camps in that region.

“See, there are a number of launching pads and we are all aware of it as it is in the open domain. So, therefore, I will not exactly say as to how many are there,” he said.

The army commander said,”There are sufficient number of launching pads and if you calculate that way… Take the statement which is given by terrorist captured in Udhampur attack so you can easily co-relate what he said and calculate…

“So to my mind in the entire PoK there may be about 600-700 terrorists.”

He said that out of the 700 militants present in the PoK, half of them are ready and waiting for a chance to infiltrate into the Indian side.
“Out of them, half are ready to be launched so they can come in the launch pad and get launched,” he said.
PTI
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Watch: Indian Army trains for tough times!

vedia Indian Army training

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 18

His colleagues describe the 38-year-old Colonel Santosh Mahadik as a tough soldier always leading from the front while Kupwara residents who knew him remember him as a humane officer.

Locals in frontier Kupwara, where the officer was posted for nearly two years before being killed in the same district during an encounter with militants, say Colonel Mahadik frequently interacted with teachers, youngsters and students, exhorting them to “always be positive in life”.
Colonel Mahadik of the elite Para Commando unit and commanding the counter-insurgency unit of 41 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in a gunfight with militants in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday.
“In the past two years, Colonel Mahadik had started a programme in collaboration with a Pune-based non-governmental organisation to counsel parents and laid stress on having a positive approach in life. He would also interact with teachers from the area and give them suggestions on keeping children happy and helping them develop a positive attitude,” said a lawyer from Kupwara who knew the officer.
Another local resident said the officer was known in the area as Colonel Santo as he had good relations with locals. “For us Colonel Santo was more of an academician than a soldier. He would proudly tell people about his life story on how he was raised by his milkman father, who still supplied milk back home in Maharashtra,” he said. A senior police officer in Kupwara said Colonel Mahadik was grounded to reality and passionate about social development in backward areas.
“He wanted to do something about changing the mindset of public towards the Army. He would often talk of bringing scenic spots of the Kupwara on the tourism map. He saw a great potential in tourism and believed the Army could take a lead in promoting tourism in border areas, particularly those near the Line of Control,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Aijaz Bhat said, adding that the Colonel had also made a documentary on the scenic Lolab valley.
“The Colonel had great stamina and could effortlessly walk uphill. In the operation which consumed his life, he pursued and pushed the militants. He wished to bring laurels to the Army and did so with his supreme sacrifice,” Bhat said.
A senior Army officer said Colonel Mahadik was a brilliant and extraordinary human being. “He was great guy who was always willing to fight terrorists. The Colonel led from the front against Pakistani terrorists and fell fighting,” he added.
The Colonel was supposed to complete his tenure in March. “Colonel Mahadik was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) for his exceptional gallantry and leadership as a young officer while fighting militants in the Lolab valley in 2003,” a Srinagar-based defence spokesman said.
Governor condoles death of Col Santosh Mahadik
Jammu: Governor NN Vohra has spoken to Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda and General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen SK Dua to convey his condolences over the death of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, Commaning Officer, 41 Rashtriya Rifles. Colonel Mahadik, a decorated Special Forces’ officer, was killed in an encounter with militants in Kupwara district on Tuesday. The Governor has conveyed his heartfelt sympathy to the gallant officer’s wife and family.

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday joined the agitating ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar and asked the Centre to implement ‘one rank one pension (OROP) for the veterans in its “true spirit” rejecting its recent notification in this regard.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at Jantar Mantar with ex-servicemen who are demanding One Rank One Pension.Kejriwal spoke to the media near the makeshift stage of the protesting veterans, however, he did not officially address the gathering and was asked not to make any “political statement” by Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, who is spearheading the movement. “The government notification is a farce because it is not in its true spirit. Please don’t fool the veterans. Implement OROP as per its definition. They are not begging but asking for their rights. It is unfortunate that the country’s soldiers are fighting for their rights on the streets,” Kejriwal said.
The chief minister also tweeted his support for the ex-servicemen saying all their demands are “logical” and that the BJP-led Centre has been “unjust” to them. “Centre shud immediately accept their demands.” Few people, mostly in saffron robes, walked past the gathering of the veterans waving black flags and shouting slogans against Kejriwal just after the chief minister reached the spot.

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 13
Two Army jawans were injured in an ongoing operation in Kupwara district on Friday. Sources said the police and Army had been carrying out massive searches in the forest area of Haihama in Kupwara, 110 km from Srinagar, after a brief gunfight on Friday afternoon.
The sources suspected that two or three militants were hiding in the area. “There was a brief gunfight between militants and soldiers when the latter were carrying out searches in the forest area,” the sources said.
Unconfirmed reports said one militant was killed in the gunfight. The Army did not confirm the killing of a militant.
“So far, two of our soldiers have been injured,” said an Army spokesman. He did not disclose the identity of the twoinjured soliders.
It could not be immediately ascertained whether the group of militants trapped inside the forest had infiltrated recently or had been active in the area.Tribune News Service

Har ek cheez mangte hai, wohi agar satisfy hone laga to kabhi khatam nahi hoga, aur koi kuchh aur mangega (even if all demands are satisfied, someone will ask for something else).
MANOHAR PARRIKAR, Defence minister
NEW DELHI: As ex-servicemen threaten to intensify their stir over their demand for one rank-one pension (OROP) being implemented in a diluted form, defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that everyone had a right to make a demand in a democracy but not all demands could be fulfilled.
Two days after the government notified the implementation of the OROP scheme, Parrikar said “maximum demands” of the veterans had been met and a judicial commission would look into problems, if any. Veterans, however, said they would continue with their protest and would discuss their strategy at a “maha rally” being organised at Ambala on November 15.
IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said the government had given directions on the OROP and everyone should accept it. The OROP is supposed to guarantee equal pension to military personnel retiring at the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of the date of retirement.The scheme, a 40-year-old demand of military veterans, is expected to benefit three million pensioners. Veterans are planning to return war honours and observe a “black Diwali” to protest against the government’s failure to address their key concerns. The veterans are particularly upset about OROP not being extended to future premature retirees and the proposal to recalculate pensions every five years instead of annually.

According to the government’s calculations, the scheme will require an annual payout in the range of `8,000 crore to `10,000 crore. It will be effective from July 1, 2014, with arrears amounting to anywhere between `10,000 crore and `12,000 crore.

OFFICIAL LETTER

ये थीं पूर्व सैनिकों की मांग, सरकार से ये मिला
हालांकि अधिसूचना जारी होने के बाद पूर्व सैनिकों के आंदोलन का नेतृत्व कर रहे मेजर जनरल सतबीर सिंह (रिटायर्ड) ने कहा कि जिन नियमों के साथ ओआरओपी को लागू किया गया है, उसे स्वीकार नहीं किया जा सकता।
यह वन रैंक वन पेंशन नहीं बल्कि वन रैंक फाइव पेंशन है। मालूम हो कि ओआरओपी को लागू करने की मांग को लेकर पिछले कई महीने से पूर्व सैनिक जंतर-मंतर पर आंदोलन कर रहे हैं।
केंद्र सरकार ने 5 सितंबर को पूर्व सैनिकों के लिए वन रैंक वन पेंशन का ऐलान किया था लेकिन इस योजना के लागू होने में देरी को देखते हुए पूर्व सैनिकों ने शुक्रवार को अपने आंदोलन को और तेज करने, काली दिवाली मनाने और 9 नवंबर से देशभर में अपने मेडलों को लौटाने की घोषणा की थी।

ये थीं पूर्व सैनिकों की मांग
1. वीआरएस लेने वालों को भी मिले फायदा
2. हर साल नहीं तो हर दो साल में हो पेंशन की समीक्षा
3. वर्ष 2013 की अधिकतम पेंशन को आधार माना जाए
4. पांच सदस्यीय न्यायिक आयोग बने और इसमें तीन पूर्व सैनिक हों तथा एक माह में अपनी रिपोर्ट दे
5. पूर्व सैनिक एक अप्रैल 2014 से ओआरओपी को लागू करवाना चाहते थे

सरकार से ये मिला
1. अब से वीआरएस लेने वालों को ओआरओपी का फायदा नहीं
2. हर पांच साल में होगी समीक्षा
3. वर्ष 2013 की औसत पेंशन को आधार माना जाएगा
4. एक सदस्यीय न्यायिक आयोग का गठन और छह महीने में आएगी रिपोर्ट
5. सरकार ने एक जुलाई 2014 से लागू किया

एंड्रॉएड ऐप पर अमर उजाला पढ़ने के लिए क्लिक करें. अपने फ़ेसबुक पर अमर उजाला की ख़बरें पढ़ना हो तो यहाँ क्लिक करें.

Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. Photo: Twitter

Houston, November 19

In honour of fallen Indian-American Sikh police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, the Houston Police Department has changed its dress code policy to allow the minority community members to represent their faith while on duty.

On September 28, Dhaliwal, a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s office and its first Sikh deputy, was gunned down while conducting a mid-day traffic stop in northwest of Houston.

The 42-year-old trailblazing police officer made national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job.

“@houstonpolice is now the largest law enforcement agency in TX to adopt a policy allowing officers to wear articles of faith on duty,” City of Houston tweeted on Monday.

“Proud to announce HPD (Houston Police Department) will accommodate Sikh officers by letting them wear their articles of faith while on duty—one of the largest police departments in the country to do so. Deputy Dhaliwal taught us all a valuable lesson about inclusion. It was an honour to know him,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted.

“Proud to stand with @SylvesterTurner and so many members of our community to announce our policy and get the word out to our greater community,” Chief of the Houston Police Department Art Acevedo tweeted.

In a news briefing, the Houston Police Department announced that they are changing its uniform policy to allow officers to wear their articles of faith while on duty in order to be more inclusive in honour of the fallen Sikh deputy, Fox News reported.

“I’m honoured,” Dhaliwal’s father, Pyara Singh Dhaliwal, was quoted as saying by the KHOU Television station.

“The honour I got from this community and from the chief, the police department and the sheriff department is … I have no words to say. So, I very much thank all of these bodies. Wonderful moment,” he said.

The New York Police Department, the Chicago Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington and the Riverside Police Department in California are the other law enforcement agencies in the US which have uniform accommodations for the Sikh officers.

Sikh advocacy groups also praised the policy change.

“This policy change shows that no one should ever choose between their faith or their career, and also that these articles of faith pose no barrier to service,” Nikki Singh, policy and advocacy manager for the Sikh Coalition, was quoted as saying by the CNN.

Dhaliwal, worked with United Sikhs, a global humanitarian relief and advocacy nonprofit, to help organise the donation of truckloads of supplies for first responders after Hurricane Harvey.

He was allowed to wear the turban and beard while patrolling the streets to bolster cultural diversity. — PTI

Photo for representation.

Jammu, November 17

A soldier was killed and two more were injured in a suspected IED blast near the Line of Control in Akhnoor sector here on Sunday, a defence spokesperson said.

The explosion took place when an Army team was on a routine patrolling duty in the Pallanwalla area, he said.

The official identified the deceased soldier as Havaldar Santosh Kumar, a resident of Pura Bhadauria village of Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

Both the injured were rushed to the hospital, he said.

Officials said the blast happened near the border fencing in the Indian territory.

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is believed to have been planted from across the border and detonated when some Army personnel were moving towards a forward post, they said, adding that the condition of one of the injured was stated to be “serious”. — PTI

HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

AMRITSAR : Lawyer and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader HS Phoolka on Thursday objected to the term “Sikh cult” used in the addendum of the Supreme Court’s judgment ordering the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

He wrote a letter to Akal Takht, highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, urging it to direct the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to take legal measures to ensure removal of the word “cult” which is not fit for the Sikh religion.

“Here is there is a sense of annoyance amongst many Sikh groups and sangat over this act (sic),” he said in the letter addressed to Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh.

The letter reads, “In the judgment passed by the Constitution Bench there is absolutely no reference to the objectionable term ‘Sikh Cult’. This Addendum is of 116 pages and is not signed by any of the Judges who were members of the Constitution Bench. It is to be noted that this Addendum is not the judgment of the Constitution Bench, but yet, attaching it with the Supreme Court Judgment, accords it importance and it can be relied upon and quoted by historians and media and even by the Courts”.

“The term Sikh cult has appeared in this addendum while quoting the extracts from the examination-in-chief of Mr. Rajinder Singh, who had appeared as a witness in the suit. His statement was recorded by the Trial court more than 25 years ago”, it reads further.

In the main judgement of the Constitution Bench in Para 154 and 155, the Supreme Court has clearly held that ‘the tenets of Sikhism are opposed to Idol worship’

“ It appears that the term may have been used unintentionally, without proper application of mind, and only repeating what the witness Rajinder Singh has said in his evidence”, Phooka writes, adding, “Be that as it may be, it is important to get this term expunged even from the Addendum of the Judgment. I am of the view that it would be appropriate for the SGPC to file an application before the Hon’ble Supreme Court to expunge these remarks (sic).”

The former AAP leader requested acting jathedar to form a team of the top most lawyers of the country to examine the matter in detail.