Sanjha Morcha

Suicide bomber kills 15 outside polio centre in Pak

Karachi, January 13

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At least 15 people, mostly security officials, were killed and over 10 others injured today as a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside a polio vaccination centre in restive Balochistan’s capital Quetta, the latest attack on the anti-polio campaign in the country.The blast ripped through a police van outside the vaccination centre as security officials gathered there to escort polio workers for the third day of a vaccination campaign in Balochistan.”The blast was apparently carried out by a suicide bomber,” Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti told media.Later, an intelligence official confirmed that it was a suicide attack.”Body pieces of the suicide bomber have been collected by security agencies to initiate a probe into the incident,” an official was quoted as saying by the Dawn.The deceased include 12 policemen, one paramilitary offcier and two civilians, a police official said.The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the attack on Facebook and in an email sent to journalists.Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Police Quetta Syed Imtiaz Shah said seven to eight kilogramme of explosives were used in the blast.Eyewitnesses at the site said they heard firing after a loud blast rocked the area. The glass windows of nearby buildings shattered due to intensity of the blast.The injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital, Quetta, where an emergency has been imposed.Police and rescue workers reached the site soon after the blast, while security forces have cordoned off the area.Today was the third day of a three-day anti-polio campaign which was launched in Quetta and other districts of Balochistan on Monday. The campaign in Quetta was temporarily suspended following the blast.The campaign was launched to target 2.4 million children under the age of five. Over 55,000 children of Afghan refugees are to be immunised under the campaign.Polio teams were being dispatched from the polio centre targeted today in the blast, security sources said.Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation.Polio workers have long been targeted in the country by Islamist groups including the Taliban militants which claim that the polio immunisation drive is a front for espionage or a conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast in Quetta.In his statement, Sharif said the government is committed to stamp out extremism from the country and operation will continue till elimination of all terrorism.Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also strongly condemed the blast and directed police to submit a report about the incident promptly.”We cannot tolerate the terrorism,” he said in a statement. —PTI


Armymen mistaken as terrorists, triggers panic

Anirudh Gupta,Ferozepur, January 12

Panic gripped this border town after a terror alert was sounded in the cantonment area. Two persons in Army fatigue were spotted jumping the wall of a house near the Golden Arrow Officers Institute this morning.Sources said a person, identified as Ashwani Kumar, noticed the movement of two persons in Army uniform whom he erroneously took as terrorists and informed the local military authorities.An alert was sounded and all entry and exit points of the cantonment were sealed. The quick reaction teams cordoned off the area while police and Army personnel launched a search operation.The two persons later turned out to be soldiers belonging to the Signals Regiment who were repairing a communication line.Hardyal Singh Mann, SSP, said the movement of the Army men was recorded in a CCTV camera installed at the house of a local businessman that sorted the matter. He said two signal persons were also identified who admitted to have gone in the area to check a telephone line.The incident, however, triggered panic in the entire area. Hundreds of panic-stricken parents thronged schools to pick their wards. Many schools were closed following which the district education office issued an advisory to all schools telling them not to succumb to rumours. At several places, police officials had to make public announcements, asking people not to panic and ignore the messages being spread on social media.

The incident

  • Sources said a resident noticed the movement of two persons in Army uniform whom he mistookas terrorists
  • An alert was sounded and all entry and exit points of the cantonment were sealed

Identification must to buy army uniforms

LUDHIANA: The deputy commissioner (DC)-cumdistrict magistrate, Rajat Agarwal, has banned the sale of the army uniform without valid identification in all areas of the district (excluding the areas under the Ludhiana police commissionerate) with immediate effect.

The ban order has been issued under Section 144 of the CrPC and it will remain enforced till March 5 this year. Agarwal informed that any person, who wants to buy this uniform, would have to submit a self attested copy of his identity card and phone number to the shopkeeper and this record would be duly maintained along with the date of sale by the traders.

The order states that the senior superintendent of police of Ludhiana rural and Khanna would be responsible for enforcing the ban strictly.

It may be recalled that during the recent attack on the Pathankot Air Force base, the terrorists were in army fatigues.

HT had raised the issue on the second day after the Pathankot terror attack.


Do not remember giving any such interview: Doval

Do not remember giving any such interview: Doval

short by Smrithin Satishan / 10:39 am on 11 Jan 2016,Monday
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval denied media reports that claimed on Monday that the Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks scheduled for January 15 have been cancelled, saying “I do not remember giving any such interview”. Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar had earlier quoted Doval as saying until Pakistan takes action against the perpetrators in Pathankot, peace talks will not happen.

Indo-Pak FSs will meet on January 15: Aziz

Islamabad, January 9

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In the midst of uncertainty in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan has said Foreign Secretary-level talks with India are scheduled to take place on January 15.

In reply to a question in Parliament, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz yesterday said Pakistan and India’s foreign secretaries are scheduled to meet on January 15.

He said the two foreign secretaries will decide the time schedule of various meetings under the newly agreed “Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue”.

Aziz said Kashmir will be part of the talks between the two countries along with several other issues.

Aziz’ response came to a query by Pakistan Tekreek-e- Insaf party’s Shireen Mazari, who wanted to know the status of dialogue after India’s outgoing envoy TCA Raghavan’s reported remarks that his country will only discuss PoK in talks.

Putting the ball squarely in Pakistan’s court, India has linked the Foreign Secretary-level talks to Islamabad’s “prompt and decisive” action on the Pathankot terror attack for which it has provided “actionable intelligence”.

Uncertainty prevails on talks scheduled for January 15 in Islamabad between Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry following the terror strike on the Pathankot air base, which originated from Pakistan. —PTI


I will send my grandson to join Indian Army: father of Pathankot martyr

The bodies of two Himachal Pradesh martyrs Rana, 50, and Jagdish Chand, 58, of village Basa Gola in Siyunta area of Chamba district were consigned to flames with full state honours today –

Holding back his tears, Havaldar Sanjeevan Rana’s father Rattan Singh, himself an ex-servicemen, said his son’s supreme sacrifice for the nation while fighting terrorists will not go to waste.

“Let Indian government muster the courage and give a befitting reply to the terrorists’ country (Pakistan). Jab tak Pakistan ko eent ka wajib pathar se nahin diya jayega, hamare jawan shaheed hote rahenge ( Till Pakistan is not given a befitting reply, Indian jawans will keep attaining martyrdom like this,” he said.

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Rana was cremated in his village Sehwan, near Shahpur in Kangra district.The bodies of two Himachal Pradesh martyrs Rana, 50, and Jagdish Chand, 58, of village Basa Gola in Siyunta area of Chamba district were consigned to flames with full state honours today after the Army and Airforce brought the bodies wrapped in tricolour to their native place. Both were retired army personnel and were serving as Defence Security Core at the Pathankot airforce base station. Jagdish Chand, who was transferred to Pathankot from Leh only few days ago, had killed one terrorist by snatching his weapon before other militants gunned him down. Transport minister G S Bali and Col (Rtd) Dhani Ram Shandil were flown from Shimla in a government helicopter to attend the cremation of the Jawans. People numbering in hundreds bade a tearful adieu to the gallant jawans as Shubam, son of Sanjeevan Rana, performed the last rites. A pall of gloom descended on the area and slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki jai’ rent the air. “I have also fought three wars against Pakistan. But my son has outdid me by making a supreme sacrifice. It’s a rare act of heroism and his sacrifice will be remembered. I also feel equally proud for other martyrs who gave their blood to Bharat Mata to protect its dignity and honour. I will send my grandson to the Indian army,” Rattan Singh said. Equally gloomy scenes were witnessed at Basa Gola village where body of Jagdish Chand was consigned to flames with full state and military honour. Forest minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Deputy Commissioner Chamba M Sudha Devi and Local SP were among the hundreds who paid tribute to the martyr. “We are a family of soldiers. Of four brothers, three are serving/and had served the Indian army. Our father was also ex-armymen. It’s a loss to the family but I think with his (Jagdish) sacrifice, nation has gained a pride. He (Jagdish) killed a terrorist before his martyrdom, is not a small thing,” says Budhi Singh, his brother and a retired armymen. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed grief over the death of two soldiers from Himachal Pradesh and announced a financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to the families. “Hav Sanjeevan Rana and Hav Jagdish Chand sacrificed their lives for maintaining the unity, integrity and security of the nation. Brave soldiers of Himachal Pradesh had always made supreme sacrifices for sake of the country,” the chief minister said. State Governor Acharya Devvrat has also expressed grief over the tragedy. During Kargil war, Himachal Pradesh had lost 52 soldiers, 15 of them were from Kangra. Capt Vikram Batra and Sepoy Sanjay Kumar were conferred Paramvir Chakras for their bravery and valour during the war. – See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/i-will-send-my-grandson-to-join-indian-army-father-of-pathankot-martyr/#sthash.btBHegEf.dpuf

 

ਕੁਦਰਤ ਵੀ ਪਾਉਣ ਲੱਗੀ ਵੈਣ, ਜਦੋਂ ਪਤਨੀ ਨੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਪਤੀ ਦੀ ਅਰਥੀ ‘ਤੇ ਚੂੜਾ ਚੜ੍ਹਾ ਕੇ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਅੰਤਿਮ ਵਿਦਾਈ

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ਅੰਬਾਲਾ— ਸਾਡੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਜਵਾਨ ਦੁਸ਼ਮਣਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰ ਮੁਕਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਆਖਰੀ ਸਾਹ ਤੱਕ ਲੜ-ਮਰਦੇ ਹਨ। ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੀ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਡੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ ਹੈ। ਪਠਾਨਕੋਟ ਦੇ ਏਅਰਫੋਰਸ ਸਟੇਸ਼ਨ ‘ਤੇ ਅੱਤਵਾਦੀ ਹਮਲੇ ‘ਚ ਅੰਬਾਲਾ ਦੇ ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਸਿੰਘ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋ ਗਏ। ਬੀਤੀ 18 ਨਵੰਬਰ 2015 ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਤਾਂ ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਦਾ ਵਿਆਹ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਮ੍ਰਿਤਕ ਸਰੀਰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਜੱਦੀ ਪਿੰਡ ਗਰਨਾਲਾ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਗਿਆ, ਜਿੱਥੇ ਸੋਮਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਸਰਕਾਰੀ ਸਨਮਾਨ ਨਾਲ ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਨੂੰ ਅੰਤਿਮ ਵਿਦਾਈ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਗਈ। ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਸਮਝ ਹੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਆ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਉਸ ਨਾਲ ਆਖਰਕਾਰ ਕੀ ਵਾਪਰ ਗਿਆ। ਉਹ ਵਾਰ-ਵਾਰ ਬੇਹੋਸ਼ ਹੋ ਰਹੀ ਸੀ।
ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਆਂਢ-ਗੁਆਂਢ ਦੀਆਂ ਔਰਤਾਂ ਨੇ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ ਨਾਲ ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਜਸਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਭਾਲਿਆ। ਪਤਨੀ ਜਸਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨੇ ਪਤੀ ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਦੀ ਅਰਥੀ ‘ਤੇ ਚੂੜਾ ਚੜ੍ਹਾ ਕੇ ਅੰਤਿਮ ਵਿਦਾਈ ਦਿੱਤੀ। ਇਹ ਦੇਖ ਕੇ ਹਰ ਕਿਸੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਭੁੱਬਾਂ ਨਿਕਲ ਗਈਆਂ। ਗੁਰਸੇਵਕ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਪੰਜ ਤੱਤਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਵਿਲੀਨ ਹੋ ਗਏ ਪਰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਸ਼ਹਾਦਤ ਨੂੰ ਦੇਸ਼ ਕਦੇ ਵੀ ਭੁੱਲਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕੇਗਾ।


4 Terrorists, 3 Soldiers Killed In Pathankot Terror Attack: Live Updates

Commonwealth Gold Medalist Fateh Singh Dies In Pathankot Attack

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NEW DELHI:  Subedar Fateh Singh, a 51-year-old Army man who lost his life during combing operations at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base near Punjab’s Pathankot town on Saturday, had won a gold and a silver medal at the first Commonwealth Shooting Championships held in Delhi in 1995.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) mourned his death.

“Subedar Fateh Singh sacrificed his life while fighting for his motherland at Air Base Pathankot today during an attack of militants.

Subedar Fateh Singh was a legendary Big Bore shooter. He won Gold and a Silver during 1st Commonwealth Shooting Championship held at New Delhi in 1995,” the association posted on its site.

NRAI president Raninder Singh condoled the death, saying the country has lost its beloved son and a sharp shooter.

“May Almighty grant peace to the Great Soldier. The shooting fraternity pray for the departed soul and strength to the family of great soldier to bear this irreparable loss.”

Fateh Singh, retired as subedar major (hon) captain from Dogra regiment in 2009.

After retirement, he joined the Defence Security Corps (India) as subedar and was initially posted at Army War College, Mhow.

He was posted in Pathankot about two years ago. He had won gold in the Big Bore Rifle Three Position and silver in Big Bore Rifle Prone Postion at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in 1995.

“He was a thorough gentlemen and great athlete. He worked as an active member of Indian shooting team. It is a very sad day for us. He sacrificed his life for the country. I condole his death,” NRAI president Raninder Singh told IANS.

Terrorists, suspected to be from Pakistan breached a high-security perimeter and entered the Indian Air Force (IAF) base near Pathankot early on Saturday.

“He was a fantastic shooter. He won gold in Big Bore Rifle Three Position and silver in Big Bore Rifle Prone Postion at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in 1995. He used to represent the Army,” NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia told IANS.

CK Chaudhury, a pistol shooter at the Army Marksmenship Unit in Mhow, said: “He was one of the first big bore rifle international shooting medallists in our country. He was an inspiration to all of us. He was like my guru and guardian when we were together a part of the shooting team at the Army Marksmenship Unit in Mhow. He had immense love and passion for shooting.”

India’s Military Response At Pathankot Included Rockets: 10 Points

PATHANKOT:  Four terrorists were killed while at least three casualties were reported among security forces in a terror attack and the ensuing response at the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab.
Here are the highlights of India’s military response:
  1. After intelligence reports of an imminent terror attack on Pathankot Air Force base, a team of the National Security Guard’s Black Cat Commandos was deployed at the air base.
  2. Special forces teams of the Indian Army and two infantry columns of the Army (25-30 soldiers per column) were also deployed on Friday.
  3. Indian Air Force aircraft with thermal imaging capability, among them possibly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), detected the entry of the terrorists after 3 am in the morning.
  4. Overall command of the military operation was with a Brigadier of the Indian Army and later with IG (Operations), National Security Guard.
  5. Prompt ground action ensured that the terrorists could not hit the Indian Air Force’s MiG 21 Bison fighters or Mi-35 choppers on the ground.
  6. NSG Black Cat commandos led the primary assault against the terrorists. They were supplemented by Army Special Forces.
  7. Casspir mine resistant vehicles and BMP-2 Armoured Personnel carriers were used to insert soldiers to the area of operations.
  8. Rockets were fired by an IAF Mi-35 attack helicopter to contain the terrorists to one area.
  9. Two additional columns of the Army (25-30 soldiers in each column) have been deployed as search operations continue through the night.
  10. Control of the air base will not be handed back to the IAF until the base is fully sanitised.

Attack on Punjab airbase foiled, five Jaish men killed in 17-hour gunfight

Pathankot: Just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dramatic touchdown in Lahore, Pakistani terrorists attacked the strategically vital air force base here on Saturday morning, highlighting the challenge and costs involved in the attempt to restore normalcy with the hostile neighbour.

The pre-dawn fidayeen raid by terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Muhammed led by Maulana Masood Azhar, seeking to enter the strategically crucial forward operating base – located barely 40km from the Indo-Pak border and at the strategic tri-junction of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh – is home to a squadron of Mig-21 fighters and MI-25 and MI-35 attack helicopters. According to PTI reports, four MI-25 copters gifted by India to Afghanistan were from this base. The jihadis were asked by their handlers to specially destroy the aircraft and choppers. “Choppers aur planes ko uda do (blow up the planes and choppers),” said one of the calls from the handlers intercepted by intel agencies.

At least five terrorists, one of them identified as Nasir Khan, were killed in an exchange of fire with commandos of the National Security Guards and Indian Air Force (IAF). Three security personnel, including one Air Force commando, were also killed in the operation, involving the use of attack helicopters, that started around 3.30am on Saturday and lasted about 17 tense hours, but the cantonment town, teeming with members of armed forces, was spared a big atrocity because of advance intelligence. A possible hostage crisis was averted by the timely action. Two of the slain defence personnel belonged to Gurdaspur.

READ ALSO​Agencies intercepted 4 calls by terroristsJihadis took orders from Pak handlers

The slain Punjabi-speaking terrorists, part of a Jaish group based in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, were taking instructions from their handlers Maulana Ashfaq and Haji Abdul Shaqur. The two owe their allegiance to Maulana Azhar, an old tormentor of India, who along with other Jaish terrorists had to be freed to secure the release of passengers on board the Indian Airlines plane which was hijacked in 1999 with the help of ISI.

Actionable inputs by intelligence agencies, including RAW, that jihadis were on the lookout for a spectacular attack on military targets, together with alarm sounded after they hijacked the vehicle of the Gurdaspur SP, had led the Centre to rush NSG commandos and ramp up security measures at the airbase stretched over 1600 acres.

While the terrorists did not succeed in entering the “technical area” where fighter aircraft and choppers – high-value assets in military parlance – were parked, their audacity underscored the need for caution in dealing with Pakistan. The latest attempt at peace by the governments in two countries is supposed to enjoy the support of the Pakistan army, the de facto centre of power, especially when it comes to the policy towards India and this immediately raised the question of whether the terrorists who struck at Pathankot had the support of the notorious Pak army-ISI nexus.

Jaish’s own equations with the Pakistan army and ISI have waxed and waned over the years. It was one of the tools of Islambad’s proxy war against India, and this was best evident when Azhar after his release was allowed to operate with impunity. Pakistan has baulked at executing Omar Sheikh, another terrorist belonging to the Deobandi group, who killed American journalist Daniel Pearl. However, it lost its status as ISI’s chief arm to Lashkar. Equations further deteriorated after two failed assassination efforts on Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf were traced to Jaish. Lately, however, it seemed to be creeping back into reckoning.

Though it is difficult for the Indian government to immediately assess the complicity of Pakistan’s state actors in the attack, there were clear signs that the terror attack had once again underlined the political risks involved in the peace process and that the government would be pursuing the efforts even more cautiously. The sheer symbolism of a single damaged plane or chopper would have set PM Narendra Modi and BJP back severely.

The terrorists are believed to have entered India on Thursday night almost through the same route which the Gurdaspur attackers used in July last year: something which again highlighted the vulnerability of the region, especially during the winters when the passes in J&K freeze. They used a local taxi ordered by their handlers in Pakistan to travel some distance. They forced the driver to keep on moving even after one of the tyres had burst and killed him once the Innova taxi, with its rim damaged badly, could not carry on.

The gang then commandeered the vehicle of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, who was travelling with two companions. They let the officer, who was in his civvies, go and abandoned the SUV about two kilometres from the air force station from where the terrorists are believed to have walked to their target. The alarm raised by Singh about the presence of a group carrying AK- 47s tied in with the intercepts that intelligence agencies already possessed about the “high probability” of a terror attack on military installations in the region, leading to the deployment of NSG commandos and shoring up of security measures.

Senior Punjab police officials had alerted the air force station and other defence installations by Friday afternoon. However, the well-trained and highly motivated Jaish fidayeen who fired mortal shells to force their way into the base, managed to scale the high walls of the outer perimeter of the air force station and engage the soldiers.


HC restores pension parity of Army, Frontier Force

R Sedhuraman,Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, January 29The Delhi High Court today restored the parity between the Special Frontier Force (SFF) and Army personnel by removing the January 2009 cut-off for the payment of retirement benefits and service pension.A Bench comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Deepa Sharma delivered the verdict on a PIL by the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Union.Holding that the cut-off was an impermissible classification, the HC ruled that there was no justification why this differentia was introduced as SFF retirees had performed the same duties while in service and in fact they were being treated on a par with Army personnel since 1985. The SFF consists of Nepali and Tibetan nationals.“The mere ipse dixit that the Union government would be burdened with greater monetary liability rings hollow if seen from the perspective that lump sum payment meant a larger one-time payout, whereas monthly payment spreads liability rather than aggregates it,” the HC said.The high court directed the government to issue a circular to the effect that 45 per cent of the commuted equivalent of pension would be restored to all pre-January 1, 2009 retirees, upon the completion of 15 years from the date of their superannuation. The payments should be made within four months.The Bench noted that the government had acknowledged that the SFF personnel had made “outstanding contribution” to the nation’s defence and security. Their service and sacrifice was of the same order as Indian nationals serving in the Army. About 5,730 SFF personnel were discharged after 15 years of service since 2008.


PHOTOS: India gears up for Republic Day celebrations

Preparations for 67th Republic Day are in full swing across the country. From army dogs to French soldiers — people have their eyes set on the biggest Republic Day celebration this year and what it has in-store for them.

Here’re some pictures:

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