Himanshu Kumar Lall

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 11

Academy Cadet Adjutant (ACA) Rajendra Singh Bisht bagged the most coveted Sword of Honor for being adjudged the best all round Gentleman Cadet from the regular course and the bronze medal for standing third in the order of merit.Bisht comes from a humble background. He was born in Bareilly, home to Jat Regimental Centre, and belongs to Ranikhet where Kumaon Regimental Centre is located. He grew up dreaming about a life in the Army as these regimental centres had always motivated him to don the olive green. He dedicated his success to his father Gopal Singh Bisht and mother Vimla Devi.Bisht, an alumni of Sainik School, Gorakhal, said hard work is the only way to achieve the desired goals. Youths of the nation should come forward to join the military forces as this was the noblest of professions, he added. Before joining to the IMA, Bisht was a bronze medalist in the National Defence Academy.Another awardee, Battalion Under Officer Aman Dhaka from New Delhi, who won the gold medal, decided to join the Indian Army as his father had always motivated and wanted him to join the forces. He said it was a very special day since his dream of joining the Army was fulfilled.Silver medalist Senior Under Officer N Dinesh Kumar from Tamil Nadu is an alumni of Sainik School and has no Army background.

India-Afghanistan ties on new course with Friendship Dam

Kabul confers its highest civilian award on Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi with Afghan Prez Ashraf Ghani after inaugurating the dam in Herat. PTI

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 4

If symbols define a relationship, then all the correct signs were on display today when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Afghan city of Herat. The inauguration of the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam, seemed the perfect occasion to display to the world, and to a particular neighbour, the growing bond between India and Afghanistan.The dam was inaugurated by Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Modi aptly summed up the mood  in his speech, saying “We are reviving a region, restoring hope, renewing life and redefining Afghanistan’s future. The dam is a generator not just of electricity but also of optimism and belief in the future of Afghanistan.”  Ghani displayed great warmth in his address to the PM as he welcomed Modi to his “second home” and said a “long-standing dream” of the country had been realised after 30 years with help from India. The PM, in his speech, evoked the great Persian poet,  Jalaluddin Rumi, when talking about Herat. “And the city that once Jalaluddin Rumi held as the finest, will rise again,” he said. “In the Holy Quran, river is central to the image of paradise. In the ancient scriptures of India, rivers defined our nation and were celebrated as the giver of life. And, an Afghan proverb says, Kabul be zar basha be barf ne (May Kabul be without gold rather than snow),” he said. Ghani, returning the compliment, said, “Today, we come together to make India-Afghan ties and friendship eternal. This dam will chart a new course of cooperation and prosperity.”  “Contrary to those who spread chaos and destruction, we two countries have taken a joint decision to build and grow,” said Ghani.His veiled reference to Pakistan was loud and clear and may be a relief for many in India who initially perceived Ghani having a pro-Pakistan tilt. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam will irrigate 75,000 hectares of land and generate 42 MW of power. Modi’s speech referred to the strategically important Chabahar port deal that was recently signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.  The Chabahar agreement will provide India a greater access to Central Asia and also provide Afghanistan an alternative port to Karachi. Afghanistan conferred its highest civilian honour, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award, on Modi to underline the importance Afghanistan attaches to India. It was only last December that Modi had inaugurated the new Parliament complex in Kabul built by India at a cost of $90 million.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama. Tribune file photo

Washington, June 1

Voicing concern that a conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to include nuclear weapons, the US has asked the two countries to engage in a “sustained” bilateral dialogue process and exercise “maximum restraint” to boost peace.

“We are concerned by nuclear and missile developments in South Asia,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI when asked about the recent statement of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, 80, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, that Islamabad has the ability to target New Delhi in five minutes.

“We are concerned by the increased security challenges that accompany growing stockpiles and the increased risk that a conventional conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to include nuclear use.

“It is important that there be a sustained and resilient dialogue process between the two neighbours, and that all parties in the region continuously act with maximum restraint and work collaboratively toward reducing tensions,” the spokesperson said.

Improvements in Indo-Pak bilateral relations would greatly enhance prospects for lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the official said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the State Department said it is looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

“We look forward to the prime minister’s visit and we want it to be successful,” State Department John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference.

Modi will embark on a five-nation visit from June 4 which will cover Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

He will travel to the US on June 7 at the invitation of US President Barack Obama, with whom he will review the progress made in key areas of defence, security and energy, and will also address a Joint Meeting of the US Congress. — PTI

Security forces have suffered losses in recent months, but most were soft targets hit by a militancy on the back foot

Road Opening Procedure is the weakest link of any counter-terror operation. Tribune photo

The last two weeks have witnessed multiple contacts between terrorists and the Army and police in Jammu and Kashmir. In the LoC segment, marked successes have been witnessed against infiltrating elements from PoK in Uri, Naugam, Handwara, Tangdhar and Lolab. All these lie within the counter-infiltration zone where response capability has ensured failure of Pakistan in enhancing the terrorist numbers in the hinterland.In South Kashmir too, where a new militancy is supposedly in place, with local content, the operations have been largely successful despite a few losses. The Army, J&K Police and the CRPF have got their act together to establish SOPs to defeat the new tactics adopted by terrorists in instigating flash mobs at encounter sites with the help of social media. South of the Pir Panjal, in the Jammu sector, the situation is largely peaceful although threats in Jammu and Kathua are ever present.A single incident of ambush of a CRPF bus on June 25 at Pampore, causing a loss of eight precious lives, has upset the ratio of achievements this summer.  Prior to this, in February, a CRPF bus was similarly ambushed at Pampore, leading to a standoff at the EDI building which saw the loss of two Special Forces officers. In early June, Anantnag saw the ambush of a BSF bus with the loss of three policemen; two more policemen were killed in Anantnag town shortly thereafter. Preceding this was a strike against unarmed traffic policemen in Srinagar city. A 5kg IED was also discovered in time in Srinagar.Does all this negate the achievements in North Kashmir? Do they indicate a loosening hold on the security situation? These are the questions many of our countrymen are asking through social media. There is also another question that many casual observers of the J&K situation ask. Is this back to the Nineties, when terrorists supposedly held sway over much of the Valley and could strike at will? This needs professional, truthful and reassuring answers.Firstly, I did warn a summer ago that the situation emerging in J&K is typically one which is termed the “last mile”. It is characterised by low terrorist strength and high security force casualties. In addition, it results from the choice of the softest targets by the terror groups and no upfront operations to confront the troops. In their hurry to finish the remnants of the terror movement (140 to 180 terrorists is the figure being spoken of) the Army and the police tend to take more risk, and some degree of complacency sets in.Secondly, we need to rest any conjecture that this is loss of control over the situation. In dying moments of militancy, it is usual to witness spurts of terror activity. Apprehensions that a huge number of Lashkar linked terrorists have infiltrated and are responsible for these actions need to be placed at rest. It does not need more than two terrorists to execute such acts if they are willing to sacrifice their lives. That is exactly what has been happening in the last few weeks.The soft targets which have taken hits have all been on roads and mostly on the national highway between Srinagar and Anantnag. To me it appears the realisation by the terrorist planners and leadership that the weakest link in the chain of activities which make up the counter-terror (CT) grid lies in road protection.Ask any experienced military professional or practitioner and he will tell you that in CT operations it is the Road Opening Procedure (ROP) which is the weakest link of any force. It is also the practice which is given least focus. Ideally, the ROP, to protect movement of logistics and other soft elements of the forces in the Pampore area, should involve domination by patrolling, of an area approximately 3 km on either side of the road, i.e., a 6 km corridor.There should be some presence of troops near the villages in the corridor to prevent unchecked movement. The road itself needs a physical check every morning for presence of IEDs near and under culverts and thereafter a presence of personnel on the road itself or just a few meters away to observe the area beyond. At the time when convoys are expected to arrive, and there are many such convoys in the Valley, a special alert needs to be sounded through the communications available. A proper vigil will render impossible the entry of any alien and inimical elements near the road if the alert is sounded and SOPs adhered to.Unfortunately, it does not happen that way because the ROP in the Valley and south of the Pir Panjal is executed every day and usually by the same units and sub-units. It is routine, extremely tough on the mind, and exasperatingly boring. A human cannot be alert through 12-hour stretches on duty looking at the same scenery and awaiting the same situation. The Valley’s huge troop deployment, political seat of authority and commercial activity forces the ROP every day. If a proper ROP has to be followed, no road will be declared open for traffic before 8 am; the Army and CRPF convoys will then depart and Srinagar will come to a crawl in terms of traffic with massive delays for office-goers.In 2011, facing this dilemma and challenged by demands to do something, the Army risked moving its convoys very early in the morning with only road dominating patrols ahead and half-done ROP. It left the national highway free for the public at office time; it was much appreciated and no incident occurred, but it cannot go on. With repeated incidents on the highway, the CRPF is now under pressure and will have to follow procedures with full supervision to arrest the current trend. This will have a cascading effect on public movement and will lead to frustration, the very thing we wish to avoid in the mood of the public at a time when the situation moves towards normalcy.Can the security convoys move at night? They did many times during the agitation of 2008-10. ROP at night is difficult; it was done with greater risk than day primarily to avoid mobs. Adopting this as a routine may not be possible.The answer to road security lies in frontline police leadership, taking all measures to break the monotony of the CRPF men, improving their welfare during off duty hours, restricting the number of days on duty in a week and other such soft measures. Equally, the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles invariably reinforces ROPs at hot spots and at crucial timings. This informal arrangement needs more coordination so that enhanced corridor domination is ensured. These are issues for the Unified Command and the Core Group but even more so for coordination at tactical levels.A temporary situation arising out of a negative incident and some losses in the season is no reason for despondency. If you understand CI operations, the ‘last mile’ effect still prevails.

The writer, a former commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is a Fellow with the Vivekananda International Foundation & Delhi Policy Group.

India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, the Tejas

New Delhi, June 16

After a wait of over three decades, the IAF will finally get its hands on the first squadron of indigenous Tejas next month with the delivery of the fourth Light Combat Aircraft.However, the first squadron will be made of up of just four Tejas aircraft, in stark contrast to at least 16 aircraft that usually makes up for one squadron globally.State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, manufacturer of Tejas, will hand over the fourth aircraft to the Air Force on July 1.The four aircraft will be used for training and familarisation.Rather than waiting for LAC Mk II, IAF had decided to go in with an upgraded version of the existing Tejas with over 40 modifications.IAF currently plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of these having major modifications.The force wants Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refuelling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles.As per the production plan, six aircraft will be made this year (2015-16) and HAL will subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year. — PTI

IAF to get 1st squadron of Tejas in July

A file photo of the Tejas aircraft performing during the inauguration of the Aero India at Yelhanka air base in Bengaluru. PTI

New Delhi, June 16

The Indian Air Force will finally get its hands on the first squadron of indigenous Tejas next month with the delivery of the fourth Light Combat Aircraft after a wait of more than three decades.

However, the first squadron will be made of up of just four Tejas aircraft, in stark contrast to at least 16 aircraft that usually makes up for one squadron globally.

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, manufacturer of Tejas, will hand over the fourth aircraft to the Air Force on July 1.

The four aircraft will be used for training and familarisation.

Rather than waiting for LAC Mk II, IAF had decided to go in with an upgraded version of the existing Tejas with over 40 modifications.

IAF currently plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of these having major modifications.

The force wants Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refuelling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles.

According to the production plan, six aircraft will be made this year (2015-16) and HAL will subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year. — PTI

VVIP chopper deal: Michel was eager about Sea King payments

The verdict of an Italian court that found former heads of Finmeccanica guilty of misdealings changed the course of investigations into the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland deal. File photo

New Delhi, June 16

British national Christian Michel James — the suspected middleman who has been accused of having been involved the alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore chopper deal — was “keenly interested” in details about certain government payments made to AgustaWestland for Sea King helicopters used by the Indian Navy, a report by the Enforcement Directorate has said.

The ED — which has filed a second charge sheet in which it delves deep into the role of Michel — also said that he was curious if  “certain documents” had reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the report, Michel was last dropped by his driver Narayan Bahadur on February 12, 2013, at the Indira Gandhi International airport after which he probably never returned to India.

The charge sheet mentions Michel’s numerous visits and meetings with people in Delhi when the deal for supply of 12 AgusatWestland helicopters to the IAF was struck. It also refers to an incident that took place few years back in a hotel in Italy.

The report mentioned that Michel had offered about Euro 2,500 to a person Vimal Nagpal, Manager, of the helicopter firm’s services division in India, to “offer lunch/dinner” to a Navy team that was also staying in the same hotel that time.

“The Indian Navy team declined the offer for lunch/dinner by him (Nagpal) and Chris Cornish. However, we insisted and paid the dinner bill once,” Nagpal said in his statement to the ED.

He also told ED investigators that Michel “wanted to know details” of payments made by the Indian Government to AgustaWestland pertaining to Sea King helicopter and status of the VVIP choppers and other issues.

“On one such occasion, Michel wanted to check with him (Nagpal) whether the documents — approximately 9,500 pages of them —were delivered to the CBI,” the charge sheet said, adding Nagpal told him he would have to find out.

The records also mention an instance recorded by Bahadur in which he claimed that Sanjeev Tyagi — cousin of former IAF chief SP Tyagi — received three of Michel’s “friends” at a bungalow in the posh Sainik farm area in 2008 after the middleman asked him to pick them from a luxury hotel in central Delhi.

The driver — whose statements have been used extensively to help trace Michel’s activities in India — also told investigators that the middleman once gave him Rs 5 lakh for purchasing a house that cost Rs 16 lakh in the Kalkaji area, where he also lives now. The driver had to pay the remaining sum.

According to, the charge sheet said, an embassy of an African country functions at the bungalow currently.

Nagpal had also told ED that Bahadur had once delivered him cash amounts sent by Michel as AgustaWestland had proposed to IAF to have “six-axis full flight simulators for training pilots on regular basis” for the AW-101 VVIP choppers.

He also told ED that Michel had assured him that he will get “approvals from higher officials of AgustaWestland” to allocate the simulator project to a chosen firm in India.

However, the plan never worked out as IAF “did not” approve the simulator programme.

The 1,300 page charge sheet of the ED was placed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here last week.

The agency accuses Michel of having received around Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland as “kickbacks” paid by the firm for sale of 12 helicopters to India in favour of the firm.

The court is expected to soon take cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet.

Apart from Michel, the agency has named Ms Media Exim Private Limited and its directors, RK Nanda and J B Subramaniyam in the charge sheet. The firm was created by Michel along with the two individuals.

Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, apart from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the ED and the CBI. Both the agencies have asked for an Interpol red notice after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

A red notice is issued “to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action” in a criminal investigation.  — PTI

Washington, June 15

The Senate has failed to recognise India as a “global strategic and defence partner” of the US after a key amendment necessary to modify its export control regulations could not be passed.A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address to a joint session of Congress, top Republican senator John McCain had moved an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA-17), which if passed would have recognised India as a global strategic and defence partner.The US had recognised India as a “major defence partner” after Modi held talks with President Barack Obama, which supported defence-related trade and technology transfer to the country which would now be treated on par with America’s closest allies.NDAA was passed by the Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 85-13. But some of the key amendments, including the (SA 4618), could not be passed.The McCain amendment asked the President for actions as may be necessary “to recognise the status of India as a global strategic and defence partner” of the United States through appropriate modifications to defence export control regulations.It also asked the President to approve and facilitate the transfer of advanced technology in the context of combined military planning for missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, and maritime domain awareness. — PTI

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar interacts with inmates of Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Mohali on Friday. A Tribune photo

Chandigarh, June 10

Ahead of International Yoga Day, an inaugural meditation session was held today at Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (PRC), Mohali, under the guidance of the Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He was in the city in connection with the yoga day preparations. During his brief stay at the centre, which caters to rehabilitation of 100 per cent disabled soldiers who have lost the use of their lower limbs, he interacted with the inmates and gave them some tips to remain happy and content.Two specially designed Art of Living courses, including chair yoga, have been conducted in the recent past for the inmates of the PRC under the aegis of Western Command HQ.On the occasion, Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, said a sports complex would shortly be inaugurated on the PRC complex for the fitness of the inmates. — TNS

FOR four decades, over a dozen countries have tried to control Afghanistan’s political destiny. India has been an active player since the post-colonial great game first began in 1978. India’s influence has waxed and waned with changes in Kabul. But several recent developments have again sent India’s stock in Afghanistan soaring. Prime Minister Narendra Modi figures in two of them. Last week the Prime Minister inaugurated the Salma Dam in Afghanistan. Before that he presided over a leasing ceremony for an Iranian port that would be India’s route to Afghanistan’s Pashtun areas. In between, and to India’s relief, a US drone attack killed Taliban’s anti-talks chief Mullah Mansour Akhtar.The Indian strategic community, especially its diplomats and security managers, must now ensure that the hard work done and the lives sacrificed by our unsung engineers, architects and foot soldiers do not go in vain. The project was delayed by six years not just because of extremely difficult working conditions. Ministries often sat on requests for the release of funds and engineers would cool their heels in Kabul because travel by road was too dangerous. The story was the same for the crucial Delaram-Zaranj road built by Indian engineers that will eventually connect to the Iranian port of Chabahar. Unlike India’s two completed projects in Afghanistan — the Parliament House building and a power transmission line to Kabul —dams and transport corridors cannot exist in isolation. In order to capitalise on the goodwill generated by the two projects, India should opt for a cooperative model. This will mean integrating the power generated from Salma Dam with the Central Asia backed electricity grid and connecting the proposed Iran-Afghanistan road to the existing routes such as Taftan-Quetta highway (where Mullah Mansour was droned). India had consciously selected these projects to put across its policy of providing wholesome assistance to Afghanistan. India should now dovetail them with other projects to benefit the wider region, and not just small parts of Afghanistan. This will ensure a lasting influence in the region that is not circumscribed by national boundaries.

तुलनाएं बेहद अवांछित होती है, नागवार गुज़रती हैं, लेकिन हमारे संदर्भ में सरकारी अधिकारियों के साथ तुलना किया जाना तो जैसे हमेशा लागू होने वाला नियम बना दिया गया है, जो ‘लाल बत्ती कल्चर’ का ही एक और उदाहरण है, लेकिन इस बार सातवें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों में तो सारी हदें पार कर दी गई हैं, जब ओआरओपी जैसे जटिल विषय को भी सभी सरकारी कर्मचारियों तक पहुंचा दिया है, और इस बात को समझने की कोशिश तक नहीं की गई कि सेना ने ओआरओपी की मांग की क्यों थी…

शुरू करते हैं 1947 से, जब भारत को आज़ाद होने के साथ ही अंग्रेज़ों से थलसेना, नौसेना और वायुसेना भी मिली… अंग्रेज़ों के चले जाने के बाद जब भारत की साम्राज्य बढ़ाने की कोई योजना ही नहीं थी, तो महसूस किया गया कि जो हमारे पास है, वह पर्याप्त है, क्योंकि हमें ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा देश के भीतर ही कुछ तनावपूर्ण स्थितियों से जूझना होगा, या प्राकृतिक आपदा की स्थिति में मदद पहुंचानी होगी… लेकिन आज़ादी के तीन ही महीने बाद आंखें खोल देने वाला वाकया हुआ, जब जम्मू एवं कश्मीर में युद्ध शुरू हो गया… दो साल तक जारी रही उस लड़ाई से कुछ कड़वे सबक भी सीखने को मिले, और उसके बाद दूसरा झटका लगा 1962 में, जिसने संगठन को तोड़कर रख दिया…

इन सालों में इन झटकों के बाद ब्रिटिश काल में बनी रही सेना की अहमियत कम होती चली गई, और वह नागरिक सरकार के नियंत्रण में आती चली गई, जिसका अर्थ राजनैतिक नियंत्रण था, और फिर एक ओर रणनीतिक विचार-विमर्श व नीति और दूसरी तरफ ज़रूरी मदद पहुंचाने तक सीमित होकर रह गई… पहले रणनीतिक रखरखाव और तय किए गए नियमों के मुताबिक रोज़मर्रा के कामकाज को सेना को खुद ही संभालना था, लेकिन समय के साथ-साथ यह समीकरण पलटते चले गए और धीरे-धीरे सेना द्वारा किया जाने वाला हर काम ‘नौकरशाही के नियंत्रण’ में पहुंच गया… यह बदलाव इतना संपूर्ण था कि हाल ही में एक अग्रणी समाचारपत्र की हेडलाइन थी, ‘बाबुओं को मिलेगा तोहफा’, और इस हेडलाइन में देश की सेनाओं को भी उन लाखों-करोड़ों लोगों के साथ जोड़ दिया गया, जो पूरे हफ्ते में पांच दिन नौ से पांच बजे तक फाइल सरकाने का काम किया करते हैं… 1965 का भारत-पाक युद्ध, 1971 की शानदार जीत, नागरिक प्रशासन की सहायता के लिए देशी-विदेशी धरती पर सफलतापूर्वक किए गए बीसियों काम, और इसके अलावा संयुक्त राष्ट्र के झंडे तले दुनियाभर में हमारी सेना के शानदार प्रदर्शन से साबित होता है कि हम बाबुओं से कितने अलग हैं…

चिंता की दूसरी बड़ी वजह है सैन्यबल अधिकारियों की सेवानिवृत्ति की आयु… किसी भी अन्य सरकारी नौकरी, जहां सभी स्तरों के कर्मचारियों-अधिकारियों के लिए सेवानिवृत्ति की आयु 60 वर्ष है, से इतर सैन्य अधिकारी 37 साल की आयु से सेवानिवृत्त होने लगते हैं, और 13 लाख फौजियों में से कुल एक फीसदी ही 60 की आयु तक सेना में रह पाते हैं… यहां कोई भी जागरूक पाठक ध्यान दे सकता है कि तुलना नहीं हो सकती… सो, इन हालात में जब आप सभी के लिए वेतनमान और भत्ते एक समान कर देंगे, तो गुस्सा तो आएगा…

इस गुस्से को बढ़ाने वाला तीसरा और सबसे अहम पहलू है हमारा खुद का, परिवार का, बच्चों का तथा निर्भर माता-पिता और भाई-बहनों का अस्थिर और बार-बार शहर बदलता रहन-सहन, और लंबे-लंबे समय तक उनसे दूरियां, जिन्हें व्यापक रूप से “सेवा की अनिवार्यता” कहा जाता है…

दुनिया के अधिकतर देशों में नागरिक अधिकारियों की तुलना में 15 से 20 फीसदी बढ़ोतरी सेनाधिकारियों को दी ही जाती है… लेकिन हमारे देश में 7वें वेतन आयोग ने ठीक इसका उलट किया है… हालांकि अध्यक्ष जस्टिस एके माथुर ने जुबानी तौर पर सैन्य वेतन में 30 फीसदी की सिफारिश की है, लेकिन वेतन आयोग, और अब सरकार द्वारा भी पेश किए गए आंकड़े कुछ और ही कहानी बयान कर रहे हैं… एक बार फिर लगने लगा है कि मकसद सेना के स्तर को घटाकर अन्य सरकारी कर्मचारियों की तुलना में नीचे ले आना है…

इस देश और यहां सत्ता में 70 साल से बैठी ताकतों ने कभी किसी भी वेतन आयोग में सेना के किसी प्रतिनिधि को जगह नहीं दी, और यह भी एक वजह थी कि छठे वेतन आयोग में सेना से जुड़ी विसंगतियां 10 साल बीतने पर भी ठीक नहीं हो पाई हैं… गुस्से की एक और वजह…

मैं इस मुद्दे पर लगातार लिखता रह सकता हूं, क्योंकि जिन सभी विषयों को सेना द्वारा सीधे देखे जाने की ज़रूरत है, उनकी लिस्ट बहुत लंबी है… जैसे – शॉर्ट सर्विस के हालात, सीमित तरक्कियां, विकलांगता, और भी बहुत कुछ… फिलहाल इतना ही कहना पर्याप्त होगा कि मौजूदा हालात में बाबुओं को लेकर जो मुद्दे सेना के रोंगटे खड़े कर देते हैं, उनका ज़िक्र नीचे की टेबल में किया गया है…

सेना ने अपनी निराशा को बिल्कुल साफ-साफ शब्दों में बता दिया है, जब तीनों सेना प्रमुखों ने सरकार के प्रतिनिधियों से मुलाकात की… अंतिम मंजूरी को लेकर रक्षा मंत्रालय भी निराशा व्यक्त कर चुका है… उम्मीद है कि बातचीत की जाएगी, मुद्दों का समाधान ढूंढा जाएगा, और सरकारी आदेश जारी किया जाएगा, ताकि सभी को संतुष्टि मिल सके… अंत में, सिर्फ इतना ही कहना चाहूंगा कि सुरक्षा तथा देश की रक्षा पर किए जाने वाले खर्च को कम महत्व देना संभव नहीं…

अगर यह खर्च निरर्थक भी लगता है, तो होने दो, क्योंकि देश की प्रभुसत्ता के साथ कोई समझौता नहीं किया जा सकता…
 

कर्नल अनिल कौल (VrC) एनडीए, आईएमए डीएसएससी तथा एडब्ल्यूसी में प्रशिक्षित हैं… उन्होंने आर्मर्ड कॉर्प्स में 32 साल सेवाएं दीं… युद्ध में वीरता के वीर चक्र से सम्मानित हैं… युद्ध में लगी चोटों के कारण 80 प्रतिशत दिव्यांग हैं…

डिस्क्लेमर (अस्वीकरण) : इस आलेख में व्यक्त किए गए विचार लेखक के निजी विचार हैं। इस आलेख में दी गई किसी भी सूचना की सटीकता, संपूर्णता, व्यावहारिकता अथवा सच्चाई के प्रति NDTV उत्तरदायी नहीं है। इस आलेख में सभी सूचनाएं ज्यों की त्यों प्रस्तुत की गई हैं। इस आलेख में दी गई कोई भी सूचना अथवा तथ्य अथवा व्यक्त किए गए विचार NDTV के नहीं हैं, तथा NDTV उनके लिए किसी भी प्रकार से उत्तरदायी नहीं है।

The allegations are not new. File photo

Washington, June 25

Attacking his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over donations to her family foundation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that she received funds from Indian political leaders and institutions to vote for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.Released by the Trump campaign in the form of a 35-page booklet, none of these allegations are new and have been known in the public domain for past several years.Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had refuted these allegations several times in the past.In a statement, the Trump campaign said the information provided in the booklet is in-depth summary of the top 50 facts about Clinton’s record that were detailed by Trump in a major speech early this week in New York.Citing a New York Times report, the Trump campaign alleged that as early as 2008, Indian politician Amar Singh had donated between USD 1,000,001 and USD 5,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation.“Singh visited the US in September 2008 to lobby for a deal allowing India to obtain civilian nuclear technology; then-Senator Clinton assured him Democrats would not block the deal,” the Trump campaign alleged.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd)It said that in 2008 the Confederation of Indian Industry gave USD 500,000 to USD 1 million to the Clinton Foundation.It also alleged that Indian-American Raj Fernando was appointed to the State Department’s International Security Advisory Board by Clinton’s chief of staff Cheryl Mills at her “insistence”.Fernando, he alleged, has donated between USD 1 million and USD 5 million to the Clinton Foundation.Trump alleged that Clinton’s foreign policy has cost America thousands of lives and trillions of dollars–and unleashed ISIS across the world. PTI