Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba

New Delhi, August 29

Leak of information related to Scorpene submarine is being viewed “very seriously”, but it is “not a matter of much worry”, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Monday in his first comment after over 22,000 pages of data detailing the vessel’s capabilities became public.

“Any leak of information is viewed very seriously. We have viewed the leak of Scorpene data very seriously, and we have asked (French firm) DCNS to launch an urgent investigation into this,” the Navy Chief said here.

He noted that the Defence Ministry has set up a high-level committee to investigate the matter.

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“Based on the report of the committee, we will see what mitigation measures need to be taken,” he said.

Asked how serious a concern the leak was, the Navy Chief said, “This is not a matter of much worry. The committee is analysing and they will see what data has been compromised and what mitigation steps have to be taken.”

The high-level committee is expected to submit a detailed report to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar by September 20.

Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with French company DCNS have been leaked. — PTI

The dropped fuel tank

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 29
A minor fire broke out on the runway of the Indian Naval Station, Dega, Visakhapatnam, on Monday when a fuel drop tank of a MIG-29K fighter jet got jettisoned accidentally.
The MIG was taking off on a routine training sortie.The ground support staff quickly doused the fire. No one was injured and no major damage was suffered by the aircraft or the runway.

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The incident is being investigated.After a fuel tank got detached while taking off on the runway, the pilot was told to jettison the second fuel tank at sea. Due to malfunctioning of the system, this did not happen and when the aircraft was coming back for landing, the second fuel tank jettisoned on its own. It fell in the parking lot of the local CISF base.

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that it has extended by six months the term of the one member judicial commission on OROP which has commenced public hearings on grievances of ex-servicemen.

The submission was made by the government before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar which was hearing a PIL for public hearing of ex-servicemen’s grievances as well as extension of the term of the commission, headed by Justice (retired) L Narasimha Reddy. Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia told the court that the first public hearing was held at Chandigarh on Tuesday and would be held at various other places across the country, ending on September 21. He said the hearing in Delhi would be held on August 19, after which the petitioner’s lawyer, Satya Ranjan Swain, said details of the time and venue of the hearing have not been disclosed.

Chinese vessels are seen around Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. Reuters file photo

Beijing, August 17

Hailing India for keeping “neutral stand” over the South China Sea issue despite pressure from the US and Japan, state-run Chinese media said on Wednesday that the relationship between India and China had been developing smoothly despite contradictions and frictions.

“When it comes to security, after the final award of the South China Sea arbitration was announced, the Indian Government has kept a neutral stance despite the pressure from Washington and Tokyo,” an article in the state-run Global Times said.

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Calling for “solid step forward” to improve relations, the article said “admittedly, there are some contradictions and frictions between China and India, but the overall bilateral relations have been developing smoothly”.

It also criticised the Indian media for “going too far” to blame China for blocking India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and linking last week’s Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India to the South China Sea issue.

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“Indian media has spared no effort in linking Wang’s visit to the South China Sea issue and the country’s failure in joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),” it said.

“Regarding the NSG case, Indian media has gone too far, for it is not at all a problem between Beijing and New Delhi. It was the US, not China, who made the relevant rules for NSG membership, and India failed to meet the criteria of entering the club. A dozen NSG members are now opposing India’s bid, thus, it does not make sense for Indian media to point an accusing finger at China,” it said.

“The two nations may have discussed the issue during Wang’s visit, and it is possible for both sides to clarify their own ideas, stances and policies over the matter. But the conjecture that Wang was trying to win India’s support over the South China Sea by helping New Delhi with the NSG membership doesn’t make sense at all,” it said.

This is the second article in as many days by the daily to criticise Indian media.

On August 15, another article blamed the Indian press for “stirring up negative sentiments” against China by highlighting the divergences in the bilateral ties.

“During the Wang’s visit the two sides may have also discussed how to further promote a closer partnership, which was raised during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit,” the article said.

“For the moment, when we talk about Sino-India ties, we tend to use the phrase ‘relations are generally stable without major conflicts’. Yet this should not be the highest expectation we hold for the relationship,” it said.

“Beijing and New Delhi have raised hopes for economic and trade cooperation, but turning them into reality requires wider consensus and more consultations,” it said.

Acknowledging problems in the bilateral collaboration on economic and trade issues which “used to be one of the most positive parts of the bilateral relations, it said “joint works in this regard have not been going smoothly in recent years”.

Last month, an arbitration court in The Hague ruled that China had no historic title over the South China Sea and had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights there. The decision infuriated Beijing, which dismissed the court’s authority. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have counter claims.  China claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which trade of $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. — Agencies

Air Marshal NJS Dhillon

Chandigarh: Air Marshal NJS Dhillon has been appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command. Prior to this, he was the Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 1981 and has over 3,700 hours of accident-free flying to his credit.In 1991, he topped the Fighter Strike Leader Course at the IAF’s Tactics and Air Combat Defence Establishment and later served there as the Head of Training. He has commanded a MiG-21 squadron and an operational fighter base. — TNS

The US told to ”stop making irresponsible remarks”. Thinkstock

Beijing, August 6

China on Saturday lashed out at the US for describing jail sentences given to four human rights activists as “politically motivated”, saying the American accusations are groundless and constituted interference in its internal affairs.“The US accusations are groundless and China urged the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously, and stop making irresponsible remarks on the case,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.She said China firmly opposed American interference in its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty.Hua was commenting on the remarks made by US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner concerning the conviction of four Chinese human rights activists.Toner had said that the charges against the activists were “vague and apparently politically motivated” and urged Chinese officials to release the detainees and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) “China is a country under the rule of law, and Chinese judicial authorities deal with related cases in accordance with law so that the legitimate rights and interests of defendants could be effectively protected,” Hua was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.She claimed that Chinese people widely supported the trial and generally opposed any actions that endangered the national security and undermined the social stability.A court in Tianjin had convicted them of subverting state power after serial trials in the past four days.Of the four, Hu Shigen, described by the state media as an illegal church leader, got the longest prison term of seven and a half years. He is the eldest at 61 and had engaged in state power subversion since the 1990s, Xinhua said.All of them accepted the charges and expressed remorse, it said. PTI

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, August 1

Out of 238 posts of doctors at government hospitals in Rajouri, 150 are lying vacant, making it difficult for the people to get treatment.People here often call the District Hospital, Rajouri, as the “referral hospital”, for patients are mostly referred to other hospitals due to non-availability of specialised doctors at the hospital.Out of 54 regular posts sanctioned for senior and junior consultants, consultants, MBBS doctors, dental surgeon and medical officer, 27 posts are lying vacant in the District Hospital while two to three doctors have managed their postings against the posts which don’t exist. In 2011, a CT SCAN unit was established at the hospital, but no radiologist has been appointed. For the last more than one month the hospital is operating without a head after the transfer of its medical superintendent.Junior doctors have been looking after the OPDs, while senior doctors were ignoring the work, alleged a doctor. “Even the ultra sound is being conducted by a MBBS doctor who was temporarily trained to avoid the ire of people,” said a source.In such times, the Army has come to the rescue of the people at Rajouri. “Had the Army not been providing medical aid to the poor at their door steps through its medical camps, many among them would have died due to poor government health services,” said Yogesh Sharma, a social activist.Besides official engagements, various Army units deployed in Rajouri under Romeo Force, Uniform Force and Ace of Spades Division have been providing every possible modern medical treatment to the people in far-off and border areas here.“The Army has introduced laparoscopic surgery in the Army hospital at Rajouri and many civilians have been benefitted, including those who were denied treatment by civil doctors. The hospital has conducted cataract operations for many poor patients who couldn’t afford expenses at government or private hospitals,” said a senior Army officer.Recently, Romeo Force had conducted a landmark specialist medical camp for the people of border and far-off villages at Surankot and provided the services of super-specialist doctors of great repute.

Many posts vacant

• Out of 54 regular posts sanctioned for senior and junior consultants, consultants, MBBS doctors, dental surgeon and medical officer, 27 posts are lying vacant in the District Hospital
• In 2011, a CT SCAN unit was established at the hospital, but no radiologist has been appointed
• Had the Army not been providing medical aid to the poor at their door step through its medical camps, many would have died due to poor health services, said Yogesh Sharma, a social activist

A ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting on the occasion of People’s Liberation Army Day being conducted in the Chushul sector in Daulat Beg Oldie. A Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 1

A ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) on the occasion of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Day was conducted today at the Chinese BPM Hut in Moldo Garrison in Chushul Sector of Eastern Ladakh and TWD (Ten Wen Den) in DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie).The delegations were led by Brigadier Navneet Kumar from the Indian side and Senior Colonel Fan Jun from the Chinese side.At TWD, the garrisons were led by Colonel BS Uppal from the Indian side and Colonel Song Zhou Li from the Chinese side.Giving details, a defence spokesperson said the ceremonial meetings were marked by saluting the National flag of China by members of both the delegations. This was followed by the ceremonial address of the delegation leaders, comprising of an exchange of greetings, wishes and vote of thanks and reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at functional level at the border, he said.Thereafter, a cultural programme showcasing the Chinese culture and traditional grandeur was organised.At both the locations, the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment.The delegations parted amidst feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the LAC. Both sides also sought to uphold the treaties and agreement signed between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC.

Nawaz Sharif. — PTI file photo

Islamabad, August 27

Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday nominated 22 parliamentarians as special envoys to be despatched to world capitals to highlight the problem.”We will remind the United Nations its long-held promise of self-determination to the Kashmiri people,” Sharif said.Stepping up Pakistan’s diplomatic offensive, the prime minister said he has decided to send the parliamentarians for highlighting the Kashmir issue in different parts of the World.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The move by Sharif came against the backdrop of escalating war of words between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the continuing unrest in the Kashmir Valley that broke out on July 8 after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.”The Prime Minister urged the special envoys to ensure their efforts for highlighting the Kashmir cause across the world so that he can shake the collective conscience of the international community during his address at the UN this September,” Radio Pakistan reported.“We will also make it clear to India that it was India that approached the UN several decades back on Kashmir dispute but now it is not fulfilling its promise,” he added.Sharif said the Kashmir problem is the most persistent failure of the UN and that the world body must establish its relevance.”I have decided to send these parliamentarians for fighting the Kashmir cause in different parts of the world.These special envoys have the strength of the people of Pakistan, prayers from the Kashmiri people across the Line of Control, the mandate of the parliament and support from the government,” Sharif said in a statement.”Generation after generation of Kashmiris have seen only broken pledges and ruthless oppression,” Sharif claimed.He emphasised that this anniversary of the UN ought to be a catalyst, spurring the world body into action.”We cannot relent from the Kashmir cause by any stretch of the imagination,” Sharif said. — PTI

Jammu, August 26

A seminar on “Custom and Traditions: A Need to Preserve Heritage of Jammu and Kashmir” was organised by the Army in coordination with Government Degree College at Budhal in Rajouri.The aim of the seminar was to spread awareness about customs and traditions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the need to preserve their rich heritage.Muhammad Illiaz, Lecturer, Department of History, Government Degree College, Budhal was the speaker. Highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the state, especially areas in south Pir Panjal ranges, he talked about various facets of life of Gujjars and Bakerwals, including their cultural ethos, values, customs which is peculiar to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the culture of J&Kalthough has traces of historical rulers of the state, but has largely been influenced by Sufism which gives it the unique identity of “Kashmiriyat”.He told the present generation to understand and carry forward the cultural and traditional heritage of the state amidst growing globalisation. — TNS