Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12

Western Command Hockey Championship 2016-17 was won by Vajra Corps team. As many as 15 teams of the Western Command participated in the championship and played on league-cum-knock-out basis. The teams of Vajra Corps and Panther Division, which is also part of the Vajra Corps, reached the finals.In a sparkling and closely contested grand finale which was attended by over 500 military personnel and presided over by Lt Gen JS Cheema, General Officer Commanding Vajra Corps, the Vajra Corps team won the trophy with score of 2-0. The championship served as a huge motivation to fellow soldiers to take on sports and contribute to the cause of nation in sports arena. Lt Gen JS Cheema, the chief guest for the event, felicitated the participating teams.

A bulldozer clears the highway after landslides near Zojila, 108 km from Srinagar. Tribune file photo: Amin War

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 11

With the Centre ordering fresh bidding for Rs 10,050 crore Zojila tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, the eagerly awaited project, that will provide all-weather road connectivity to Ladakh, will take more time. The decision to bid afresh for the prestigious project was taken in March by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari following allegations by Congress leader Digvijay Singh in January.Digvijay had alleged that Gadkari violated the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines while awarding the letter of award to a “blue-eyed” highway construction company — Mumbai-based IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited.The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways later revoked the contract with IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. The project is of strategic importance for the vast and sparsely populated Ladakh.The construction of a 14.08-km tunnel at Zojila, the longest in South East Asia, has been a long-pending demand of people of Ladakh.The vast Ladakh region remains cut off for over six months during winter because of heavy snowfall on the 434-km Srinagar-Leh highway and 474-km Manali-Leh highway. The needs of people and security forces are replenished through air sorties.The UPA government had announced sanctioning of the project in 2012-13, but work had not been started yet. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry had revoked the two-stage tendering process thrice because it had received just one bid each time. On January 4, IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited won the bid, but following serious allegations of corruption and nepotism, Gadkari revoked the letter of award on March 3.Legislative Council chairman Haji Anayat Ali and Kargil MLA Asgar Karbalai had been demanding that work on the tunnel should be started at the earliest to escape escalation of cost.The estimated cost of the project was earlier Rs 9,090 crore, which was revised to Rs 10,050 crore. The project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting on October 17, 2013.Once constructed, the tunnel will establish all-weather connectivity from Srinagar to Kargil and Leh. It will connect Sonmarg in Kashmir with the Gumri in Kargil.“With the rapidly changing security scenario and keeping in mind the China-Pakistan economic corridor, this project should be completed at the earliest. Ladakh is indispensable for us,” said a senior Army officer. The region witnesses frequent incursions by the Chinese army.

Ladakh remains cut off for six months

• The vast Ladakh region remains cut off for over six months during winter because of heavy snowfall on the 434-km Srinagar-Leh highway and 474-km Manali-Leh highway.
• The essential supplies for people and security forces are replenished through air sorties.
• The UPA government had announced sanctioning of the project in 2012-13, but work has not yet started.

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Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 1

The fire has devastated the rare oak forest in the Anandpur forest beat facing the capital city and the Kandaghat forest beat in Solan. Ill-equipped and understaffed fire-fighting teams of the Forest Department were barely adequate to fight the flames that have already consumed more than 100 hectares of forest areas in the district for the past four days.The fire-fighting teams were virtual spectators to the forest fire in Anandpur and Kandaghat.The nearby villagers, however, were able to save the villages located on the peripheries of the oak forest.The Tara Devi shrine atop the oak forest was saved as the Mehli-Tara Devi-Shoghi road prevented the fire from engulfing the nearby forest, said villagers.Though the Forest Department has yet to assess the total loss caused to the oak and nearby forests, the inputs accessed by The Tribune reveal that more than 100 hectares have already been razed by a recent spell of fires.The forest fire-fighting team monitored by Conservator of Shimla Alok Nagar pressed into the service fire tenders near the roadside, but the water scarcity and the leaping flames made the operation ineffective.The fire also broke out in the Kasumpti and Jhinjhir forest areas around the city. The fire incident was also reported from the Chopal forest division.The smoke billowing out of the burning oak forest enveloped the landscape in the south of the Mashobra forest range, with the fire showing no signs of relenting.Forest officials were clueless about the cause of fire but they blamed it on the dry spell and the scattered dry oak leaves in the forest.“The forest team and villagers are trying to control the fire, but the heat and flames continue to pose danger, making it a difficult task”, said Nagar, who has been monitoring the operation for the last four days.“We have yet to assess the total loss and exact reason behind the forest fire. We have controlled the fire and stopped it from spreading to Tara Devi forest. All efforts are on with the help of villagers as fire tenders cannot reach the spot”, he added.

Water scarcity makes it worse

• The forest fire-fighting team monitored by Conservator of Shimla Alok Nagar pressed into the service fire tenders near the roadside, but the water scarcity and the leaping flames made the operation ineffective
• The fire also broke out in the Kasumpti and Jhinjhir forest areas around the city
• Forest officials were clueless about the cause of fire and blamed it on the dry spell and dry oak leaves
• The smoke billowing out of the burning oak forest enveloped the landscape in the south of the Mashobra forest range
• The fire incident was also reported from the Chopal forest division

An 11-member India AirForce team started fire-fighting operations to douse off the massive fire in Garwal’s Srinagar forests on Sunday. ANI  Vedio

http://www.tribuneindia.com/video/11-member-india-airforce-fire-fighting-operations-garwal-s-srinagar-forests-bhimtal-lake-2270-hectares-mi-17-v5/14589.html

Mukesh Ranjan in new delhi
The NIA’s shifting stance in prominent terror cases, such as the Samjhauta and Malegaon blast cases, can seriously damage the country’s reputation of conducting a fair probe

INVESTIGATORS are generally used to denying things too apparent, something even in their plain sight, until there’s “undeniable evidence.” A conviction brought out by a court of law is the most savoury moment for an investigator/prosecutor. Remember the streaks of success on the face of Ujjwal Nikam, the famed prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, when Ajmal Kasab was convicted and subsequently hanged? A series of terror cases are, however,  thought to have been “solved” by our intelligence services, the newest being the National Investigation Agency (NIA), but in some crucial cases, the conviction has remained elusive. It’s time for one hard look at how things have fallen through the cracks in the face of evidentiary indispensability. Sample this: the NIA’s stand is leading to the weakening of prosecution in “saffron” terror cases. For example 17 of 299 witnesses in the 2007 Samjhauta Express case and 19 of 180 witnesses in the Ajmer Dargah case (2007) have turned hostile; the 2008 Modasa (Gujarat) blast case has been closed by the NIA, citing lack of evidence; and three key conspirators — Ramchandra Kalsangra alias Ramji, Sandeep Dange alias Parmanand and Ashwini Chouhan alias Amit — are at large.In Samjhauta blast case, NIA investigators deny that they are either giving clean chit to anybody or shifting the charge to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) as reported in a section of the media. They say they are giving a fresh look at a few “new leads.” These include involvement of LeT financier Arif Qasmani. “Our effort is to rule out involvement of any other outfit in the case, as the US authorities have documented the alleged role of Qasmani in the case,” said an IG rank officer in the NIA. Last year, the Union home ministry declined permission to challenge the bail granted to two of the accused in the Ajmer Dargah case, Devender Gupta and Lokesh Sharma. The ministry said the decision was taken on “grounds of parity” — bail was granted to two other accused in the same case in 2013, and their bail plea was not challenged by the prosecution. The NIA chose not to oppose the bail granted to Swami Aseemanand in the Samjhauta Express blast case.Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Srikant Purohit, the alleged main conspirator of the 2008 Malegaon blasts, recently wrote to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that he was falsely implicated. He has asked Doval to intervene on his behalf “immediately”, as the NIA was preparing to file its charge-sheet soon. Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has sought the NIA response in the matter, as Doval redirected the letter to the Home Ministry.Meanwhile, investigators and prosecutors seem to have locked horns following former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian’s charge that Suhas Warke, a superintendent of police in the NIA, had asked her to “go soft” on the accused in the Malegaon blasts case after the BJP came to power in 2014. Former senior police officers see danger in the frequent change of stance by NIA as it “weakens India’s criminal justice system.” “It is sad to see the same investigation agency taking contradictory positions. These days the stick-and-carrot policy of political masters is so real that officers succumb to it,” said former Delhi Police Commissioner Ved Marwah.NR Vasan, the former NIA DG, has reportedly rued the fact that the investigation agency is toeing the CBI lines. Like CBI, the NIA is being filled with officers on deputation from paramilitary forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF). Thus, investigation into “critical terror case” takes a beating, he said. Security experts have observed that in recent times much is being said about witnesses turning hostile. In many such cases, most witnesses are friends or family members of the accused. “In such situations, it is natural for them to turn hostile,” says an observer, adding it was where the experience of the agency sleuths matters. “They can gather enough evidence that can stand the test of law.”The idea of “Hindu radicals” first came up in 2011 at the annual All-India Director General of Police (DGP) Conference in Delhi held behind closed doors. Intelligence officers raised alarm over rightwing Hindu organisations. “Such outfits have been espousing emotive issues, leading to radicalisation and the phenomenon of saffron terrorism,” a special director of the IB had noted. He said Hindu activists were “either under suspicion or under investigation in 16 incidents of blasts.”

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, May 26

Social Justice, Empowerment and Sainik Welfare Minister Col Dhani Ram Shandil has announced that the Sainik Welfare Board’s sub-office would function permanently in Nurpur. Shandil said he had received the demand to this effect from ex-Army men hailing from lower Kangra areas where nearly 30,000 ex-servicemen resided.He was here to preside over the meeting of the local Congress cell of ex-servicemen. He said earlier a camp office had been functioning only twice a week due to which thousands of ex-servicemen of the area were facing inconvenience in procuring requisite documents relating to their pension and CSD facility.Shandil pointed out that the state government had identified land between Una and Bilaspur district for establishing Army’s CSD depot. Land transferring formalities were in progress for the purpose. He said the Virbhadra government was committed to the welfare of ex-servicemen and families of martyrs.

Rasgotra, then Foreign Secy, reveals details in autobiography ‘A Life in Diplomacy’

Vikas Datta

New Delhi, May 2

India and Pakistan had agreed on a peace and no-war treaty and were on the verge of signing it in July 1984 before then Pakistani President Zia ul-Haq, who had even dismissed any need to discuss Kashmir, backtracked on the advice of US lawmakers, reveals former Indian Foreign Secretary MK Rasgotra.In his autobiography “A Life in Diplomacy”, Rasgotra, who was Foreign Secretary from 1982 to 1985 and is now in his 90s, recalled that ahead of his visit to Islamabad, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was leaving on a visit to the US, gave him a free hand, telling him, “You know it all and you can talk to them about any subject they want to talk about, including Kashmir and the no-war pact they are so keen on”. She only wanted to know if “there is a grain of sincerity” in General Zia.As Rasgotra called on him at the President’s House in Islamabad, President Zia, with the humility and charm he was known for, was standing in the verandah, close to to where he would get out of the car, and welcomed him with a big hug. During the talks, to India’s willingness to talk about Kashmir, Zia’s response was “noteworthy”. “Rasgotra sahib, what is there to talk about Kashmir? You have Kashmir and we cannot take it. I want you and (Pakistani Foreign Secretary) Niaz Naik to work on a treaty of peace and good neighbourliness, including a no-war pact,” he quoted the Pakistani President as saying.He said progress was made in discussions on the agreement, to the extent that in March 1984, Naik proposed that the Indian draft of a treaty of peace and friendship and Pakistan’s draft of a no-war pact should be “merged”. By May 1984, there was “full agreement on all six or seven clauses in the draft treaty’s preamble and on nine of the 11 articles of the treaty’s operative part” and both sides reached an agreement on these two.“Accordingly, Naik announced in the final plenary meeting of the two delegations that on clauses IV and V, he and I had reached an understanding, to which he would obtain the President’s approval on his return from the UAE and we would all meet in Delhi in July to initial or sign the treaty. But the July meeting never took place,” he recalled.According to Rasgotra, there were two reasons why Zia changed his mind, and the primary one was the advice of his American “well-wishers”.“While awaiting the President’s return from the UAE, Naik had telegraphed the text to Foreign Minister Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, who was on a visit to Washington DC. Khan took the text around to his friends in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, who strongly advised him against signing a treaty of that kind with India,” he noted.Rasgotra said he learnt of this from a Congressman friend of his, from his earlier stints in the US, and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee “asking me why we were coercing Pakistan into signing an anti-American treaty”.The other reason was India’s troubles in Punjab, “in which General Zia saw an opportunity to weaken India by supporting a violent secessionist campaign by Sikh extremist groups lead by Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale”, said Rasgotra.On Zia, Rasgotra said he reported to Indira after his first visit and meeting that he had “seemed anxious to win India’s goodwill and I had my doubts about his sincerity”.  —IANS

President Pranab Mukherjee is received by China’s Foreign Affairs Vice Minister in Guangzhou. PTI

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

Guangzhou, May 24

India is looking to de-hyphenate itself from Pakistan as far as membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) goes. As President Pranab Mukherjee landed in China on a four-day visit, those familiar with the developments made it clear that India had never objected to Pakistan’s NSG membership.“China, along with other countries, have been maintaining that there should be a thorough discussion on whether non-NPT countries can join the NSG, and this decision should be made on consensus. This applies to all non-NPT countries, including Pakistan,” a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told mediapersons on Monday, ahead of Mukherjee’s visit. China had recently objected to India’s membership of the NSG on the grounds that it has yet to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This was  seen as a sign of China’s friendship towards Pakistan which has been arguing that if India is allowed in the elite NSG club, so should Pakistan.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)However, those in the know in the government maintain that India has never endorsed or blocked Pakistan’s membership to the club. The membership is by consensus and the US has backed India’s claim, given India’s clean record on non-proliferation. Pakistan, whose nuclear proliferation record has always been a matter of concern, is pushing for a berth in the NSG, if India gets it. India had recently cited the example of France which became a member of the NSG without signing the NPT. The Chinese have, however, countered this saying, “France was a founder of the NSG so the issue of its acceptance to the NSG did not exist.”Officials in the government said the Chinese argument (that India could not be admitted in the NSG club without first signing the NPT) did not hold because there were no set of rules as such for the NSG membership. Also, India is primarily concerned with its own membership rather than that of another country.India, Pakistan, Israel and South Sudan are some of the UN members that have not signed the NPT yet. The NSG membership issue is likely to be raised by Mukherjee during his talks with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping, over the course of next few days. While the India-China relationship is a not a smooth one, it is nevertheless being hoped that the visit of the President will help remove the strain between the two countries. 

In a tangle

• China is opposed to India’s inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, arguing it hasn’t signed the Non-ProliferationTreaty (NPT)
• The stand is indicative of China’s tilt towards Pakistan; the latter says if India is allowed to join the group, so should it be
• The US has backed India’s claim, given the country’s clean record on non-proliferation
• India, Pak, Israel & South Sudan are some of the UN members that haven’t signed the NPT