Bengaluru: The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft – “Tejas” – will participate in the three-day Bahrain International Air Show starting Thursday. This is the first time the LCA, which is in the process of becoming a part of the IAF, will fly in a foreign air show. “Two Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft will take part in the Bahrain International Air Show for flying display through a series of aerobatic manoeuvres such as vertical loop, slow fly past and barrel roll”, a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) release said. Tejas is a single engine, light weight, agile, multi-role supersonic fighter. It has the fly-by-wire, state-of-the-art open architecture computer for avionics and weapon and combat capability. With the advanced avionics, the pilot load is also reduced. — TNSK’taka revokes luxury tax on ICU bedsBengaluru: After public outcry, the Karnataka Government on Wednesday revoked eight per cent luxury tax imposed on each bed in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of hospitals. “We have exempted beds in hospital ICUs from the eight per cent luxury tax. The government had issued a directive in this regard to all hospitals in the city. This directive stands cancelled,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The decision comes after the medical fraternity raised a hue and cry arguing that the tax would add to the burden on patients. The Commercial Tax Commissioner had six months ago issued the order bringing ICU beds under the luxury tax net, but it was put into effect a few days ago, triggering protests. — PTIRoadside dhabas at Kaziranga to goNew Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has ordered demolition of roadside shops and eateries along the animal corridors near Assam’s Kaziranga National Park in the wake of increasing wildlife casualties due to vehicular traffic on the National Highway-37 which passes through it. A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to take clear instruction on the issue and file an affidavit within 10 days. “We make it clear that all the shops and dhabas run within 100 metres from the end of the road of National Highway or located in the forest/protected area, or bridges constructed or within 500 metres of the National Kaziranga Park, would be liable to be demolished,” the Bench said. — PTIUnmanned Chinese copter completes South Pole flightBeijing: An unmanned Chinese helicopter has completed its maiden flight from the Great Wall Station in the South Pole photographing fauna and flora in the area. “Polar Hawk-2” developed by the Beijing Normal University can operate for about one hour at a time at an altitude of up to 1,500 meters. The lithium-battery powered aircraft is highly efficient, quiet and has low emissions, said Cheng Xiao, head of the research team. During the hour’s flight on Monday, the helicopter took over 350 high-quality photos. Since the station is located in the Fildes Peninsula, which is known for its changeable weather, there is a lack of clear satellite photos of the station, while pictures taken by the helicopter clearly show the station, said Cheng. China currently has four Antarctic research stations — Taishan, Great Wall, Zhongshan and Kunlun. — PTI
If Japan and India do not deal with the South China Sea dispute, the issue will be left only to China and the US, writes BRAHMA CHELLANEY
China’s recent acknowledgement that it is establishing its first overseas military base in the Indian Ocean rim nation of Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa, represents a transformative moment in its quest for supremacy at sea. With Chinese submarines now making regular forays into India’s maritime backyard right under the nose of its Andaman & Nicobar Command, New Delhi must now face up to a new threat from the south.
GETTY IMAGESChina’s rapidly growing submarine fleet is suited not for Southeast Asia’s shallow sea basin but for the Indian Ocean’s deep, warm watersChina’s growing interest in the Indian Ocean — the bridge between Asia and Europe — draws strength from its aggressive push for dominance in the adjacent South China Sea. Without incurring any international costs, it belligerently continues to push its borders far out into international waters in a way that no power has done before. Its modus operandi to extend its frontiers in the South China Sea involves creating artificial islands and claiming sovereignty over them and their surrounding waters. In just a little over two years, it has built seven islands in its attempt to annex a strategically crucial corridor through which half of the world’s annual merchant fleet tonnage passes.
For India, still grappling to deal with the trans-Himalayan threat following China’s gobbling up of buffer Tibet, the rise of a Chinese oceanic threat signifies a transformative change in its security calculus. By building military facilities on the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands, China is positioning itself at the mouth of the Indian Ocean. A Beijing-based defence website, Sina Military Network, last year claimed, even if implausibly, that 10 Chinese attack submarines could blockade India’s eastern and western coastlines.
Make no mistake: China’s rapidly growing submarine fleet is suited not for Southeast Asia’s shallow sea basin but for the Indian Ocean’s deep, warm waters. This explains why China is setting up a naval hub in Djibouti, building a naval base at Gwadar, and wanting access to port facilities around India, like it has secured in Sri Lanka. China’s consolidation of power in the South China Sea will have a direct bearing on India’s interests in its own maritime backyard.
With New Delhi slow to add teeth to its Andaman & Nicobar Command, Beijing is assiduously chipping away at India’s natural-geographic advantage. The longer-term strategic risk for India is that China, in partnership with its close ally Pakistan, could encircle it on land and at sea. After covertly transferring nuclear-weapon, missile and, most recently, drone technologies to Pakistan, China has publicised a deal to more than double the size of that country’s submarine force by selling eight subs to it.
More broadly, the South China Sea has become critical to the contest for influence in the Indian Ocean and the larger Indo-Pacific region. Beijing views the South China Sea as a testing ground for changing the Asian maritime map.
The world has been astounded by the speed and scale of China’s creation of islands and military infrastructure in the South China Sea. Yet the international response to China’s expansions hasn’t gone beyond rhetoric. For example, the US, even at the risk of handing Beijing a fait accompli, has done little to challenge China’s expanding frontiers, focusing its concern just on safeguarding the freedom of navigation through the South China Sea. As in the Himalayas and the East China Sea, the US has refused to take sides in the South China Sea in the territorial disputes between China and its neighbours. Asean disunity has also aided Beijing’s aggression.
Let us be clear: The South China Sea has emerged as the symbolic centre of the international maritime challenges of the 21st century. The region is important for India and even distant countries because what happens there will impinge on the Asian power equilibrium and international maritime security. Indian Ocean security is linked to the South China Sea, which, Chinese vice-admiral Yuan Yubai claimed in September, “belongs to China”. In fact, developments in the South China Sea carry the potential of upending even the current international liberal order by permitting brute power to trump rules.
The South China Sea’s centrality to the international maritime order should induce like-minded states to work closely together to positively shape developments there, including by ensuring that continued unilateralism is not cost-free. In fact, the ‘US-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region’, signed a year ago, and the Pentagon’s subsequent ‘Asia-Pacific Maritime Strategy’ emphasise greater maritime cooperation among democratic powers.
China’s neighbours, however, bear the main responsibility. India, for its part, is working to revitalise relationships with Indian Ocean Rim states. It has also stepped up its military diplomacy and is doling out billions of dollars in credit to key littoral states, including in East Africa. But with accidents and project delays blunting its naval power, India needs to speed up its naval modernisation. Trade through the Indian Ocean accounts for half of India’s GDP and the bulk of its energy supplies, underscoring the imperative for India to strengthen its naval capabilities on a priority basis.
If Asean states and regional powers like Japan and India do not evolve a common strategy to deal with the South China Sea dispute within an Asian framework, the issue will be left to China and the US to address through a great-power modus vivendi, sidelining the interests of the smaller disputants. A unified strategy must give meaning to the recent appeal to all countries by Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, the Indian and Japanese prime ministers, to “avoid unilateral actions”, given the “critical importance of the sea lanes in the South China Sea” for the Indo-Pacific region.
Failure to evolve a common strategy could create a systemic risk to Asian strategic stability, besides opening the path for China to gain a firm strategic foothold in the Indian Ocean and encircle India.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra today said the Pathankot terror strike could have been prevented had lessons been learnt from previous attacks, with focus on securing the International Border with Pakistan, which is not yet “well-guarded”.He was delivering the keynote address on “National Security Management: Some Concerns” at a function to mark the 7th Raising Day of the National Investigation Agency, where Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was the chief guest. Vohra said the Border Security Force, with its limited capacities, could not effectively guard the International Border (in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab), a long stretch of 200-250 km.The Governor said the attack on the Dinanagar police station could have been avoided had the five-six terror attacks that took place after September 2013 through the International Border via Kathua been followed up as closely as the Pathankot attack by the NIA.He said this while responding to a question on the reluctance of the Punjab Government in handing over the Dinanagar police station attack probe to the NIA.Vohra suggested that a separate ministry should be carved out from the Home Ministry to deal with incidents concerning the national security and a separate cadre of officials trained in handling such situations be raised to man the proposed ministry.He asserted that standard operating procedures be followed strictly and duties of police, paramilitary, specialised forces and Army be well-defined to avoid waste of time in gathering evidence for prosecution.Meanwhile, admitting the need for further “strengthening and empowering” the NIA , Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government was committed to providing all help to the anti-terror probe agency.He said more NIA offices were being set up across the country and would be equipped with hi-tech gadgetry. “India stands at the forefront of the global efforts to combat terrorism and is a signatory to all international treaties on anti-terrorism. Despite several onslaughts upon us, our integrity and sovereignty has remained intact,” said Singh.
‘Proper Dinanagar probe would have helped’
“If Dinanagar would have been properly investigated, Pathankot (attack), I am sure, would have been almost impossible because we would have known the routes taken by the terror groups to infiltrate the International Border (IB). I also hold very strongly that IB is not well-guarded” — NN Vohra, J-K Governo
Salwinder undergoes lie-detector test
Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 19
Senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh today underwent a polygraph test in connection with National Investigation Agency’s investigation into the attack on Pathankot air base.The test was conducted on the officer after five days of questioning by sleuths of the national anti-terror probe agency. Sources in the NIA said a team of experts from the Central Forensic and Scientific Laboratory conducted the test. The questionnaire was prepared by NIA sleuths in consultation with experts, they said. The questioning would continue on Wednesday. Singh, currently posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th Punjab Armed Police after being shunted out as Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Gurdaspur, had agreed to a polygraph test after the NIA informed a designated court about alleged “inconsistencies” in his statements before the agency and Punjab Police.
BSF awaits Union Home Ministry’s response to demand for more men
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, January 19
The BSF today said it was awaiting the response of the Ministry of Home Affairs to the proposal seeking additional border guards for the second line of defence along the 198-km-long international border in the Jammu region.Talking exclusively to The Tribune, Inspector General (IG), BSF, Jammu Frontier, RK Sharma said: “Last year, we submitted a proposal projecting requirement of additional BSF personnel for the second line of defence on the international border in Jammu. Now, we await the MHA’s response and it will be their call to decide how many men have to be deployed.”Assessment is an ongoing process but of course they will be deployed as the second line of defence, he added.The BSF has the operational responsibility of the international border.“On Sunday, senior officers of the rank of DIGs toured border areas and held conferences with the field commanders, telling them to maintain a high level of alert,” said Sharma.The BSF currently has nine battalions on the international border (one battalion officially has 1,200 men) while 256-km-long Line of Control, south of the Pir Panjal range, has 40 to 42 battalions.The second line of defence will come up around 500 m within the Indian territory from the Zero Line.During winter, Pakistani terrorists shift their focus from the rugged LoC to the international border, largely a plain area, to sneak into the state for carrying out terror attacks.An official source said Pakistani militants usually adopted traditional routes on the international border existing in the form of over 13 rivers and rivulets that flow into Pakistan.Chhap Nullah, Bhag Nullah, Tarnah Nullah, Bain Nullah, Aik Nullah, Devak Nullah, Basanter river, Tawi river, Chenab river, Ravi river and Ujh Nullah flow into Pakistan and are being guarded by the BSF, added the source.In the wake of a spurt in terror attacks, all 15 BSF commandants have been asked to remain alert.
Ex-servicemen seeking changes in the government’s One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme on Sunday staged a protest outside the official residence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here, alleging that he failed to respond to concerns raised by them during an earlier meeting.
This is the second time in two weeks the veterans have staged demonstrations outside the minister’s official residence. “We had staged protest outside the Minister’s residence on January 3. At that time, he had assured us he will speak to Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) over our demands.
“He had said he would get back to us within a week. But it’s two weeks now that he has not responded. What kind of Finance Minister he is if he can not keep his word?” said Group Captain (retd) VK Gandhi.
Gandhi, general secretary of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, said the veterans will continue with their protest until Jaitley or Parrikar holds parleys with them.
“Either of the ministers will have to come and speak to us. We will not move an inch from here until then. If they don’t want to give us actual OROP, they should clarify so to us. Why lie?” he said, reiterating that the government notification has “flaws” and was “unacceptable”.
Around 200 ex-servicemen including Major General Satbir Singh, who has been spearheading the protest, have been demonstrating outside Jaitley’s residence, Gandhi added.
Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/india/orop-ex-armymen-protest-outside-jaitley-s-residence/117148.html#5rYGGzIqwOEhKphb.99
A fortnight after the terror strike at the Pathankot Air Force Station left seven personnel dead, the armed forces and para-military bodies have evolved several measures to augment security of important installations.An exercise, Paridi Suraksha (perimeter security) has been launched by the Western Command Headquarters,responsible for the defence of Punjab and Jammu regions, that aims at conducting the security audit of sensitive areas, strengthening inter-agency coordination and refining operating procedures.“Commanders on ground have been told to go beyond just perimeter security of installations and actively liaise with the local police, intelligence and civil administration. The need is to be pre-emptive instead of being reactive,” a senior officer said.“We are also refining our joint response mechanism that involves the Army, Air Force, intelligence agencies and para-military forces,” he added.While the Border Security Force (BSF) is expected to increase its presence on the IB, the Army is strengthening its training grid in the vulnerable Pathankot-Jammu area. More focus is being laid on the use of sensors and surveillance equipment along the border and monitoring of radio signals and cyberspace. “It is not just this sector alone. We have assets along the entire border and these have been brought within the ambit of the security audit,” the officer said.The Defence Security Corps (DSC), which came under the scanner during the Pathankot incident, is also an important part of the review exercise. “The DSC is an important stakeholder in providing security and their command and control mechanism is being closely looked at and plans are being worked up to empower it for becoming more effective,” the officer said.A series of brain-storming sessions are being held at all levels across the command hierarchy, with senior commanders making on-ground assessments and junior officers visiting headquarters for deliberations and devising “innovative” security measures.
THE PATHANKOT SPIN OFF THE CITIZEN BUREAU Monday, January 11, 2016
NEW DELHI: The Pathankot Operations have unleashed a wave of discussion amongst senior bureaucrats and defence officials. And placed additional strain on civil-military relations that are just about civil in the best of times. It is no secret that both the civilian bureaucracy and the military officers regard each other with suspicion, and while the first insists that the defence sector is unduly pampered by political governments, the second is equally adamant of being discriminated against by the bureaucracy.
The decision by the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to bring the control of the Pathankot Operations under the civilian authority, bypassing the military despite the terror attack being on an Air Force base in Pathankot cantonment has invited adverse comment from senior retired officers of the defence services, some of which have been reported by The Citizen over the past few days. A particularly castigating missive was from Lt General H.S. Panag with questions being raised about civilian ‘incompetency.’
Significantly this debate has been joined now by senior bureaucrats as well, many of them divided about the role of the NSA that is under unofficial scrutiny. In an email former Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh who also was chairperson of a government committee for amendments to the Defence Procurement Procedure, speaks of the NSA system exercising power without responsibility.
Singh, in the email a copy of which is with The Citizen, writes, “We hence see all over the decline of the Cabinet system and the emergence of the Prime Ministerial form , a poor cousin of the Presidential form. This has been bolstered by quick means of communication and a media which prefers to highlight personalities rather than issues.
So we have summits of all kinds being frequently organised in which a set of Presidents and PMs are always attending, a cozy arrangement which suits the few. The rest of the Ministers do not matter and in fact even the Foreign and Defence Secretaries of Great Britain, Japan or for that matter any country you take are not known and do not actually matter. This has willy nilly brought in the spoils system without the rigour of the US checks and balances system. There is unlike in the US very little Parliamentary oversight on security related issues.
The NSA system is not backed by any legislative provisions and so there is a lot of power being exercised by this office without any responsibility. In fact our system also does not provide for any forum which is formalised in which the NSA can express his opinion and which can be challenged by the civil service institutions. Thus his views do not appear in any file which can be the subject of Parliamentary scrutiny. It is only the GOI Ministers and Secretaries who remain responsible and have to answer to Parliament either in Committees (Secretaries ) or the House (Ministers). Because of this structural defect (and the concomitant decline of formal arrangements like the Crisis Management Group) the system can never deliver results and will always create unforeseen problems. It has nothing to do with individuals some of whom could be mediocre and some brilliant.”
The strain of this system is impacting on the defence forces that find themselves on the other side of the civilian authority yet again. After the breach under former Defence Minister A.K.Antony was mended somewhat, it has re-emerged over the gross mishandling of sensitive issues like One Rank One Pension, and now the Pathankot operation where the military has not only found itself marginalised, but also placed in the dock to answer for an attack for which it does not see itself as directly responsible. And as senior defence officers now retired have been pointing out from the day of the attack, if the security had been left to the Army that has 50,000 troops stationed in Pathankot cantonment, the five terrorists would “have been dealt with” in what is described as a “simple operation” for the military.
Former Revenue Secretary M.Sivaraman in an email, again a copy of which is with The Citizen, writes, “We have also the 30 odd DGPs and hundreds of ADGPs in the states plus the multiple central police organisations. The police forces in the states have become hydra headed because of the promotion policies and so are the IAS (perhaps more joint secretary level officers than collectors mostly counting linen) and other services resulting in a total loss of command and control. Some states may have more ADGPs than Superintendents of Police. I was told by my batchmate of the IPS that Madhya Pradesh has 45 ADGPs and several DGP level officers even though there is no provision. We also have the RAW, MI and probably similar set up in the Navy and the IAF.
We have other set ups like the NSA, the NTRO and I do not know how many others. We have the ED, the DRI, the DG investigations of the IT, EIB and FIA, with the Revenue Secretary which also had the NCB till Advani transferred it to the police a very unusual step as this is not the case in most developed countries (since then India has witnessed a surge in Cocaine smuggling and cross border smuggling). Crores of rupees are spent on intelligence gathering under the secret service funds not subject to audit.
What has happened since (Brajesh) Misra became the NSA is another power centre has come up to be the pointman of the PM whose shadow falls on many departments with consequences.
Duval has been an outstanding police officer no doubt and may be he is trying very hard to be useful to the country.
Government has to think what all these organisations and high and mighty officers are doing while the terrorists have a merry time here.”
Brajesh Mishra, the first NSA in India, would make it clear that the clout of the office was directly related to the incumbent’s relationship with the Prime Minister. He himself was a close friend of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and both worked closely together. As he had told this writer at one point, he would carry slips of paper informing the PM about an issue, and seeking a quick ‘yes’ to act. He said that this way he ensured that no matter how busy Vajpayee was he would be always informed about what the NSA was doing.
NSA Doval is seen to be very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and while not a ‘friend’ in the strict sense of the term, enjoys his confidence. He has been given full freedom, sources said, to handle the intelligence apparatus and take decisions on security related issues. In the Pathankot case, he used this power to take direct charge of the Operations, placing the military on the periphery. The government has not taken note of the murmurings in the defence services about this, with the media focus having been made to shift to the role of the Punjab government instead, and the security failures to secure the Air Force base even before the attack.
Tributes were paid to the soldiers who were killed in the terrorist attack on the IAF base at Pathankot at a programme jointly organised by the Sardar Patel Park Welfare Society and the Old Courts Market Association here at the Patel park near the old courts last evening.Among those who paid their tributes included state BJP vice-president Rajiv Jain, district president Dr Dharambir Nandal, former district president Dr Om Prakash Atre and prominent traders of the market.Ambala: However, Congress MP Deepender Hooda today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should disclose the truth of Pathankot terror attack to the people of the country. He was at Garnala village here to express his condolence to the bereaved family of martyr Gursewak Singh.Later talking to mediapersons at the residence of former minister Nirmal Singh today, he said questions were being raised over the foreign policy of the NDA government. Modi should clear its stand on terrorism from across Pakistan border and Indo-Pak relations after the Pathankot terror attack. He said the Punjab Government and the Union Government had been holding each other responsible for this incident. He said he was of the view that Pakistan would never like to stop border across terrorism. The government should not hold peace talks with Pakistan till the terrorism issue was settled and those behind the Pathankot attack were handed over to India.Referring to the controversy over the naming the international airport at Mohali, he said the previous Congress government in Haryana and the Punjab Government had jointly decided to name this airport after martyr Bhagat Singh, but the Khattar government had created a controversy by recommending the name of Dr Mangal Sen for it.
Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service.Pathankot, January 6
A BSF patrol boat is moored close to the Indo-Pak border on the Tarna rivulet that flows into India from Pakistan. Tribune photo: S Chandan
Though a large portion of the international border (IB) with Pakistan in Punjab remains vulnerable, a 30-km stretch opposite the Pathankot-Kathua axis remains the Achilles’ heel, being prone to cross-border smuggling and infiltration.Sources in the security establishment said the border stretch from Bamial village, near Pathankot, and Bobiya village, near Hiranagar in adjoining Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, has been a traditional ingress route because of riverine terrain and dense vegetation. This area is also known as Shakargarh bulge.Rivulets and tributaries of the Ravi, which meander along the IB in this sector, and the abundant growth of elephant grass in the area provide good cover in the dark. Though the border is fenced and lit by floodlights, there are places where it cannot be fenced and in some areas the fence gets damaged repeatedly due to the flow of water and soil erosion.A visit to a site along the Tarana rivulet, near Bamial village, a point where it enters India from Pakistan and winds down south before flowing across again, revealed heavy vegetation on either side of the stream, with poor visibility. Villagers said the water level in the river has increased a lot, thus affecting the embankments. The undulating terrain near the rivulet was in sharp contrast to the fields along the fence, where one can have a clear view over a long distance.Apart from the terrain, the stretch is close to the National Highway No. 1-A that links Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of India, providing infiltrators an easy access to move further. Given the orientation of the highway, infiltration from the Bamial area also gives them the choice of proceeding towards Jammu or Pathankot, sources said.Terrorists involved in the Gurdaspur incident in July, attack on an Army installation in Samba in March and the Pathankot air base this week are believed to have infiltrated into India via this stretch. The labyrinth of link roads connecting hamlets to the mainline are very confusing and for a first-time visitor, it is impossible to find his way without a guide.The Border Security Force (BSF) mans the border, with the Army deployed in the second tier in the area. Army men are also needed to patrol the area for familiarisation and training. Sources said the Army had raised the issue of the vulnerability of this stretch several times and also asked the BSF for additional deployment. The issue was also a point of discussion during a recent operational conference last month.A post mid-night drive through the area gave the impression of scattered settlements resembling ghost villages with virtually no sign of life. Other than some trucks, presumably ferrying sand and gravel through narrow, potholed link roads, no vehicles were seen.A number of nakas or check-posts manned by the police and the Central Reserve Police Force have come up along the highway as well as some interior roads. Though the security in the area has been stepped up following the air base incident, locals feel it is only a matter of time before the check-posts vanish and the usual slack approach takes over.
Easy route for terrorists
The border stretch from Bamial village (near Pathankot) and Bobiya village (in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir) has been a traditional ingress route forterrorists
This is because rivulets and tributaries of the Ravi, which meander along the IB in this sector, and abundant growth of elephant grass provide good cover to them
Terrorists involved in the Gurdaspur incident, attack on an Army installation at Samba and the Pathankot air base are believed to have infiltrated through this area
PATHANKOT AIR BASE ATTACK Act, and only then we talk, Pak told
India gives names, addresses, profiles of handlers to NSA
Mukesh Ranjan,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 6
Mourners light candles at a vigil for Pathankot air base attack martyrs in Mumbai on Wednesday. afP
Even as India indicated that it did not favour “derailing the ongoing peace process” in the light of the Pathankot terror attack, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval have made it clear to their Pakistani counterparts that any further engagement would “entirely depend on what they deliver” on the vital inputs relating to the terrorists and their handlers based in Bahawalpur and Sialkot.
Sources said Modi, in very “uncertain” terms, told Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that it would not suffice to say that the terrorists are “non-state actors”; rather, India expects from him “credible action” to bring the culprits to the book.“All evidences, including phone intercepts, phone numbers of handlers in Pakistan, their names and locations have been shared. Now they have to take action. We expect them to take action in line with what they did in the case pertaining to the Peshawar terror attack of December 16, 2014,” sources said. On that fateful day, seven gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) launched an attack on Army Public School in the city, killing 132 schoolchildren, besides others.Sources said, in his conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Gen Naseer Khan Janjua, NSA Ajit Doval communicated about three specific handlers – Qashif Jaan of Sialkot and Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad and Hazi Abdul Shaqur of Al Rahman Trust in Bahawalpur. Even the phone details of the conversation between one of the terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot air base, and his mother have been given to Janjua, they added.“As per our information”, sources said, “the terrorists were trained at Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi and Layallpur air base in Faisalabad.” Claiming this as an assessment of the security establishment in India, those, in the know of the anti-terror operation in Pathankot said, “The terrorists had sufficient knowledge about fighter planes and the assets at any air base. They had brought a huge quantity of aluminium powder, which is used to ignite fire and the same could be extinguished easily.”
It gets curiouser: Local leader, 3 handlers, SP’s ‘changing’ tale
Jupinderjit Singh,Tribune News Service,Pathankot, January 6
Controversial SP Salwinder Singh and his two companions reportedly met a prominent politician of Gurdaspur district the night they were ‘kidnapped’ by terrorists, before the Pathankot air base attack, near Bamyal village. This came to the fore during investigation by the National Investigation Agency and Punjab Police. Sources said the agencies had been tracking the movement of the politician prior to the Pathankot attack.Investigators have obtained vital leads on the police-politician-smuggler nexus in the region. They say this nexus ought to have come to light after the July 27, 2015, Dinanagar attack.The investigators believe that the terrorists were guided by three local handlers, with one of them well-acquainted with the layout of the Pathankot air base, including its key installations.An official said three groups worked in tandem to launch the attack — two comprised terrorist outfits and the third consisted of the three local handlers. Sources said it was being probed if these handlers had any connection with the Gurdaspur politician or taxi driver Ikaagar Singh, who was found murdered. The officials are now interrogating Salwinder Singh and his cook Mohan Gopal. The two had on day one given similar statements but contradictions emerged when they were cross-questioned. Salwinder claimed in the FIR that they were tied up and gagged by terrorists before being thrown into a ditch.He claimed he gained consciousness after more than two hours, untied himself and then helped his cook. However, his jeweller friend had a different tale to tell. When told they had thrown a police officer out of the vehicle, the terrorists turned back, but could not find the SP and his cook at the spot, he claimed.The SP, in subsequent interviews, corroborated the jeweller’s claim. He said the terrorists had indeed returned to kill him but he had fled by then. Whereas the SP was initially quoted as saying that the terrorists had used his phone to make calls, the jeweller claimed it was his phone that the terrorists had used as they could not crack the SP’s phone code. The SP has stated in the FIR that the terrorists took away his two phones, one of them an iPhone.Police sources said till late afternoon on January 1, the SP was seen as a suspect in the murder of driver Ikaagar Singh. But this changed after phone intercepts pointed to the presence of infiltrators in the area. This explains the delay in the filing of two FIRs, one regarding the SP’s kidnapping and the other on Ikaagar’s killing. The police are not sure if Ikaagar was killed by terrorists. The post-mortem report suggests he put up a stiff resistance.
SP faces disciplinary action
Quizzed by NIA for second consecutive day
Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 6
SP Salwinder Singh is likely to face disciplinary proceedings for the alleged irregularities committed by him before and after his reported abduction on the night of December 31.He was quizzed by the National Investigation Agency for the second day today. The place where the team is keeping him is being kept under wraps. The officer and his two acquaintances, Gurdaspur jeweller Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, who were picked up by an NIA team yesterday evening, are still being questioned. Sources reveal that the statements of all three do not match.Punjab Police, meanwhile, are set to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Salwinder Singh as he was illegally using a blue beacon atop his private vehicle at the time of the incident. He is also under the lens for not joining his new place of posting at PAP complex, Jalandhar. He was transferred from the post of SP (Headquarters), Gurdaspur. Sources claim the officer was shifted following the report of a departmental inquiry.Yesterday, the officer had gone public on various TV channels highlighting his plight. His seniors in Chandigarh have not taken kindly to his “self-publicity bout”. Moreover, sources claim that he did not take permission from his seniors to divulge details of his abduction using a public platform.An officer said: “There are too many inconsistencies in the statement of the three men, including their take on the number of terrorists who kidnapped them.” Officials say this is a key issue, since the terrorists are believed to have attacked the base in two groups of four and two men each.The men have been claiming that they are unable to give exact details since they were blindfolded and gagged.The SP has been maintaining that the terrorists did not attack him since they never knew that he was a police officer. Driver Ikagar Singh, whose car the terrorists had hijacked before waylaying the SP, was killed after his throat was slit.
Terror threat near Tibri Cantt, massive search on
Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 6
Around 1,000 Army men and Punjab Police personnel have converted Pandher village, around 2 km from the Tibri cantonment, into a fortress following reports that two armed men in Army uniform were seen moving around in a suspicious manner in the area. Two SWAT teams of the Punjab Police have reached the area.“The threat is real. It is not a hoax call. We have sounded an alert throughout the state,” said an SSP-level officer. Even as NIA Director General Sharad Kumar held a series of meetings at the Air Force complex in connection with the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, villagers said they saw some people in Army uniform entering sugarcane fields having 15-foot-high crop. “The Army has got vacated 500 houses in Pandher and adjoining Bhulechak and Babbehali villages,” sources said. The terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base and the Dinanagar police station were also in Army uniform. “The fact that the cantonment area is just 2 km away has added to our worries. We cannot take chances. More forces are being requisitioned,” SSP Toor said.DGP Suresh Arora, who returned to Chandigarh from Pathankot today, was being regularly updated about the developments. A massive search operation was on and neither the Army nor the police were willing to comment.
Retd defence officers condemn terror attack in Pathankot
Retired defence officers have condemned the Pathankot terror attacks, the second incident in Punjab in a span of six months.They said the Central Government should continue with its talks with Pakistan to resolve terrorist attacks, Line of Control and Kashmir issue. They said effective border management should be strictly implemented to avoid repetition of such incidents in Punjab or any other part of the country.Maj Gen C Nandwani (retd) strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the Pathankot air force base. He said Indian defence forces shouls seal international borders.“Although terrorists were suspected to be from Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should continue his endevour to resolve old disputes between the two countries,” he added.Brig KG Behl (retd) criticised the recent terrorist attack and said the time had come to take effective steps to stop cross-border infiltration from the neighbouring country. He said the brazen attack on the airbase raised several questions on intelligence and border management from the Indian side.SS Kothiyal, IG, BSF (retd), said the Indian government should continue diplomatic talks with the Pakistan government in order to keep a tab on the terrorist activities on the India soil.
GOC-in-C lauds training standards of Chetak Corps
Tribune News Service,Bathinda, January 5
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Sapta Shakti Command, Lieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni (centre) at the Chetak Corps, Bathinda Military Station. A Tribune photograph
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Sapta Shakti Command, Lieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni came for a two-day visit to the Chetak Corps at the Bathinda Military Station yesterday.Lieutenant General DR Soni, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps and Suman Soni welcomed the Army Commander and his wife Vineeta Sahni.The Army Commander visited maximum units of the Bathinda Military Station. He appreciated that the Chetak Corps had maintained the highest standards of training and also complimented their efforts to improve the quality of life of soldiers and their families.The GOC-in-C laid emphasis on maintaining a high level of operational readiness to meet any challenges in the future.He said the success in operations would depend on continued force modernisation, excellence in training, security consciousness, purposeful work culture and focused human resource management.He emphasised the need for resolute leadership, reiterating the Indian Army’s ethos of commitment to nation building and excellence in military professionalism.All officials and their families from the military station turned out in large numbers to bid farewell to the Lieutenant General and his wife.
State Stalwarts
DEFENCES FORCES RNKS
ARMY, NAVY, AIRFORCE RANKS
FORMATION SIGNS
FORMATION SIGNS
ALL HUMANS ARE ONE CREATED BY GOD
HINDUS,MUSLIMS,SIKHS.ISAI SAB HAI BHAI BHAI
CHIEF PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
LT GEN JASBIR SINGH DHALIWAL, DOGRA
PATRON ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
MAJOR GEN HARVIJAY SINGH, SENA MEDAL ,corps of signals
.
.
DARING FEMALE OFFICERS
COL SOFIA QUERESHI ,Wg Cdr VYOMIKA SINGH
PRESIDENT DISTT LUDHIANA : ALL INDIA EXSERVICEMEN SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG SS GILL ARTY
PRESIDENT PANCHKULA HARYANA UNIT SANJHA MORCHA
BRIG DALJIT THUKRAL (Retd) BENGAL SAPPERS
PRESIDENT DISTT MOHALI :ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
COL BALBIR SINGH , ARTY
SECY (HONY) NRI’s ESMs , ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA
SUB AVTAR SINGH
+1(647)501-8112
INDIAN DEFENCE FORCES
DEFENCE FORCES INTEGRATED LOGO
FORCES FLAGS
15 Th PRESIDENT OF INDIA SUPREME COMMANDER ARMED FORCES
Droupadi Murmu
DEFENCE MINISTER
Minister Rajnath Singh
CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (2nd)
General Anil Chauhan PVSM UYSM AVSM SM VSM
INDIAN FORCES CHIEFS
CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF(29th)
General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM (30 Jun 2024 to Till Date)
