Monthly Archives: August 2018

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

The National Investigation Agency with the help of security forces have found that that the current unrest in Kashmir as well as several other incidents in the last few months can be connected to suspicious transfers to bank accounts of local residents. The NIA explained that these incidents were believed to be fuelled by money placed and siphoned off from bank accounts of Kashmiris in the region. “The NIA’s intelligence wing has found that before and after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing, there are six to seven instances where money was distributed just to fuel the unrest. In some cases, the money was transferred just a few days before a stone-throwing incident took place,” said a top NIA officer.Sources in the security forces based in Kashmir have also confirmed that there is an inflow of money which can be linked to the rising agitations. From July 9, a day after Wani’s killing by the security forces, to date in Kashmir there have been 439 non-violent protests and 463 stone-throwing incidents. There are 81 locations where properties of the state and security forces have been destroyed in arson or damaged. “All these incidents cannot take place without money. Money has been pumped into the state to fuel such unrest,” said an official.In relation to the current scenario, the NIA said so far Rs 35 crore had been pumped into at least 25 bank accounts of two banks, including Jammu and Kashmir Bank.“Out of this, a few lakhs have been distributed to fuel incidents of stone-throwing and other such activities of unrest, as per our analysis,” said an NIA officer.These accounts belong to small trading firms and certain individuals whose income as per their professions doesn’t warrant such transactions. For example, two people under the NIA’s scrutiny are a carpenter based in Kupwara and a “small time” businessman of south Kashmir.An NIA team in Kashmir is ascertaining whether the money is linked to militants based in Kashmir or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “The possible sources of the funds could be narco terrorism or hawala transactions,” said another NIA officer, adding that individuals under the agency’s scrutiny are being questioned to find out about the procurement of the funds and their disbursal. Another NIA officer explained that the flow of funds in J&K to fuel unrest has been happening since 2009. “From 2009 until Wani’s death, crores of rupees have been pumped into the state to fuel agitations,” said the officer.

Pak involved in funding, Hizb in disbursal

• Discoveries of funds being distributed to fuel “secessionist” and terrorist activities in J&K has come to light in the NIA’s investigation of two particular cases. One of them was registered in September 2011, wherein from 2008 to January 2011, J&K-based Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists had allegedly disbursed Rs 4.57 crore, received from Pakistan through hawala channels in Delhi, to separatist leaders, Hizb cadre and other terrorist organisations for unlawful activities in J&K.
• In the second case related to the Hizb frontal organisation, Jammu Kashmir Affecters Relief Trust (JKART), registered in October, 2011, the NIA said the Hizbul Mujahideen is allegedly involved in funding about Rs 80 crore from Pakistan for terrorist activities in J&K and Delhi from 2005 to 2012. The case’s main accused, Shafi Shah, had allegedly spent Rs 10.46 crore, received from Pakistan, on Hizb militants and their families, for marriages of locals.

Under scanner

• The 25 bank accounts under the NIA scrutiny belong to small trading firms and certain individuals whose income as per their professions doesn’t warrant such transactions.
• An NIA team in Kashmir is ascertaining whether the money is linked to militants based in Kashmir or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The possible sources of the funds could be narco terrorism or hawala transactions.
• Individuals under the agency’s scrutiny are being questioned to find out about the procurement of the funds and their disbursal.
• The flow of funds in J&K to fuel unrest has been happening since 2009. From 2009 until Wani’s death, crores of rupees have been pumped into the state to fuel agitations and stone-throwing

The Airlander 10 hybrid airship makes its maiden flight at Cardington Airfield in Britain. Reuters

London, August 18

The world’s “largest aircraft” has embarked on its maiden flight, four days after a previous attempt was abandoned due to technical issues.

The Airlander 10 — part plane, part airship — on Wednesday took to the skies amid cheers and applause from crowds gathered at an airfield in Cardington, central England.

The successful flight comes 85 years after another airship — the ill-fated R101 — took off from the same airfield in October 1930 before crashing in France, killing 48 people and effectively ending the development of airships in Britain.

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Originally developed for the US Army as a surveillance aircraft, the 92-metre-long Airlander 10, also has potential uses in the commercial sector, such as carrying cargo, according to makers Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV).

The firm, which describes the Airlander as the “largest aircraft currently flying”, received a British government grant of $3.7 million to develop the project.

The Airlander can fly at up to 4,880 metres and reach speeds of 148 kilometres per hour, according to HAV.

Filled with helium, it can stay airborne for more than two weeks unmanned and up to five days if manned.

Its first flight was delayed on Sunday due to a technical fault, which was resolved in time for the aircraft to take off in clear weather conditions for yesterday’s 30-minute flight.

HAV CEO Stephen McGlennan said the aircraft was cheaper and greener than helicopter technology.

“It’s a great British innovation. It’s a combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed wing aircraft, it’s got helicopter, it’s got airship,” he said.

A project to develop the aircraft for surveillance use by the US military was shelved due to budget cuts. — AFP

Members of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Union, Punjab, protest in Bathinda on Sunday. Photo: vijay kumar

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 14

Members of the Bathinda unit of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Union, Punjab, today submitted a memorandum to the tehsildar, addressed to the President of India.They have alleged that the Punjab Government was meting step-motherly treatment to the ex-servicemen.They have stated that they have not only guarded the border but also fought and won wars with neighbouring countries.They said their long-pending demand for some changes in the sixth pay commission had been hanging fire while the government had implemented the recommendations of the seventh pay commission.They have stated that on August 14 last year, when ex-servicemen were staging a protest at Jantar Mantar, the BJP-led Central government used force on the protesters, which cannot be forgoten. Various foreign countries also condemned this act of the government, they added.Even police officials of Delhi tendered an apology but ministers of the Union government didn’t condemned the incident, they said.In view of what happened, ex-servicemen decided to observe August 14 as black day and took out a protest march in the city.They have demanded that the President should issue instructions to the BJP-led Central government not to use force on ex-servicemen sitting on protest in any part of the country in future.Capt Bhagwant Singh, Joga Singh, Chota Singh, Capt Jeet Singh, Major Singh, Satpal Singh and others participated in the protest.

Demands

• They said their long-pending demand for some changes in the sixth pay commission had been hanging fire while the government had implemented the recommendations of the seventh pay commission
• They have demanded that the President should issue instructions to the Centre not to use force on ex-servicemen protesting in any part of the country in future

Kin of war heroes hold a protest in Patiala. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 14

Two war widows have been sitting on a dharna here for the past over two months. They await their “promised” land as they complete 70 days of protest on the 70th Independence Day.Bant Kaur, who is from a daily wager’s family in Daladdi village of Nabha, lost her husband Pyara Singh in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, but the successive governments, she alleges, did nothing for her and her family except giving her the pension.“The CM assured us earlier this week that a decision on our case would be taken in a month,” she says.“I was around 20 years old when my husband left for duty. Just a few months after our marriage, he was killed in the line of duty on November 3, 1965, while serving The Sikh Light Infantry,” Bant recalls. Leaders of various political parties have visited them, but their struggle continues.Bant’s son Gursewak Singh, a labourer, says he accompanies her mother when he does not get a day’s work. “I feel hurt seeing my 80-year-old mother spend days and nights under a makeshift tent.”Surjit Kaur, widow of Jangir Singh who died in the 1962 Indo-China war, is also on dharna. “The government announced 10 acres for war widows and the year 1977 was the deadline. The announcement raised some hope but since then our application has been lying at the Sainik Welfare Office, Punjab,” she claims.Patiala Deputy Commissioner Ram Vir Singh said the file pertaining to their case was being considered by the Chief Minister.

The only fragile outcome of Friday’s all-party deliberations on Kashmir seems to be that the government is to consider the Opposition suggestion for sending an all-party delegation to Kashmir, possibly after the Independence Day celebrations. For Kashmiris, it is a familiar exercise. They have seen in the past many visits by well-meaning multi-party leaders, parliamentary committee members, civil society groups and interlocutors producing hardly any worthwhile outcome. It is often a calculated response to a flare-up and once normalcy returns, all is forgotten. At the all-party meeting Prime Minister Modi toughened his stand against Pakistan, saying occupied Kashmir was part of J&K with the opposition parties generally being supportive of the government line.On the pleadings of Mehbooba Mufti, the Prime Minister had earlier broken his silence on Kashmir and Parliament too debated the issue. Modi’s borrowing of Vajpayee’s overused words — Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamhooriyat — shows he has little new to offer. His laptops vs stones talk indicated he still treats it as a development issue. Omar Abdullah reminded him that azadi the protesters talked about was from India. Delhi’s policy is still limited to conflict and status quo management. They hope to tire out the agitators. The Modi government operates within the limits imposed by its core constituency, including the RSS, which seeks integration of Kashmir with the rest of India. The latest eruption of the Valley is different. Having grown up amid killings, curfews and gun shots, the protesters today are less tolerant and less conciliatory. They carry out the fight as passionately on the streets as on social media. They are not jihadis, inspired or trained by anti-India elements. But by blaming Pakistan for the trouble in Kashmir, Delhi has handed over the situation to Islamabad to exploit. There are militants, separatists and pro-Pakistan groups and each need to be dealt with separately. The young stone-throwers should not be clubbed with them. Along with Kashmir, the Kashmiris too need to be owned up by Delhi and the rest of India, and the message must reverberate in the Valley.

India should avoid “unnecessary entanglement” in the South China Sea dispute during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi to prevent it becoming yet “another factor” to impact bilateral ties, a state-run Chinese daily said on Tuesday.

“India may want to avoid unnecessary entanglement with China over the South China Sea debate during Wang’s visit if the country wishes to create a good atmosphere for economic cooperation, which would include reducing tariffs on made-in-India products exported to China amid the ongoing free trade talk known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” an article in the state-run Global Times said.

“India is expected to allow only moderate tariff reduction on made-in-China products under the talks in a bid to preserve its domestic industries. If India wants China to be more generous in terms of tariff reduction, it would be unwise for the country to let its relationship with China deteriorate further at this moment,” it said.

The daily said it is puzzling that India is focusing on the South China Sea issue at this moment, a move which it said might risk “unnecessary side effects” to bilateral ties and potentially create obstacles for Indian exporters hoping to increase their presence in China, the world’s second largest importer.

It noted that tensions between China and India have been increasing in recent months owing to a series of political incidents.

Protesters run as a policeman fires tear-gas shells on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday. REUTERS

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 5

Three persons were killed and over 300 injured in fresh clashes that broke out across Kashmir after the Friday prayers even as the government imposed a curfew to prevent separatists from marching to Hazratbal.Mohammad Maqbool Wagey was killed and eight persons were injured at Nagam Chadaroo in central Kashmir’s Budgam district as security personnel allegedly opened fire at protesters, a charge refuted by the Army. With a bullet in the chest, Maqbool was brought to the Nagam sub-district hospital where he was declared “brought dead”. Eight of the injured were referred to the SMHS Hospital, Srinagar.Zahoor Ahmed was killed in the Khan Sahib area of Budgam district. He too was hit by a bullet in the chest during clashes and was declared “brought dead” by doctors. In Sopore town of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, where massive protests broke out after the Friday prayers, 50 persons were injured. Danish Rasool of Wagoora, who received several pellet injuries, died in hospital. Fifteen protesters were injured in clashes at Zurhama in Kupwara district. The police used teargas shells and pellet guns to disperse a mob.The ancestral house of minster Asia Naqash in the Habbak area of Srinagar was pelted with stones. Nobody was inside.

Symbols do matter. And an army tank, with its gun-turret pointed towards Parliament House, makes a very unhappy sight. And this symbolism decidedly gets additionally rancid with Brahmos missiles stationed at Vijay Chowk. Newspapers have published photographs of the tank and missiles positioned, all as part of an exhibition being organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). DRDO has rightly earned a reputation of being a vastly under-performing and grossly over-rated organisation among the pantheon of holy cows, beyond reproach and scrutiny. Still it has been allowed to display its doubtful wares at Parliament House. The members of Parliament may be our law-makers but that does not make them experts in making any knowledgeable decisions. The DRDO exhibition is a clear case of over-sale. And these photographs do convey a disquieting picture. One newspaper even felt constrained to caption its photograph: “This is not a coup!” It can only be hoped that when the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Suchitra Mahajan, allowed the parking of a tank outside Parliament House, she was totally unaware of the distressing imagery at work. With all due respect to her office, she has been a very ordinary and a very mediocre member of a political party that had always tried to make a fetish of its respect and preference for “the soldier.” The ruling BJP may have its own political agenda in injecting a heightened degree of militarism in our public discourse, but as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha she has an institutional obligation to see to it that this temple of democracy does not get slighted, even inadvertently. We live in times when the phony politician deliberately and cynically invokes patriotism to enlist the voter’s support for his unsavoury quest for power. This is a global trend. India and its politicians are no exception. But the country needs to remember that politics of nationalism invariably leads to dangerous jingoism which in turn instigates prescriptions of tests of patriotism. Nationalism is a healthy and empowering sentiment and the soldier is always worthy of respect and a salute. But in these ugly times the democratic voices need to remain vigilant against any creeping militarism.

Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (retd)

In the context of Kashmir, the gun is not the cause of the problem. Therefore, it cannot also be the solution. To that extent, the debate and focus on pellet guns becomes secondary.

Security personnel confronting stone-throwing protesters in Kashmir. File photo

The Kashmir Valley has been simmering for over seven weeks. Related debates have of late centred around the use of pellet guns. Their use in J&K was started after 2010, when to control the stone throwing crowds the security forces used conventional weapons and rubber bullets, resulting in over 100 fatalities. It was hoped that the non-lethal pellet guns would minimise the damage.Cartridges are loaded with lead pellets, which are dispersed when fired. They don’t follow a definite path. They are, in military terms, area weapons. Pellets penetrate the skin’s soft tissues. Eye being a delicate structure is particularly vulnerable. There is no merit in allegations that the security forces deliberately targeted the faces. Apart from the uncontrolled path of the pellets, not everyone in the crowd that is throwing stones is standing upright; some may be bending or crouching.  Search is reportedly on for non-lethal alternatives to pellets. An assortment of related technology is available. The crowd control devices span from microwave energy blasters and blinding laser beams to chemical agents and deafening sonic blasters. Today, with greater presence of the media, even the lawful application of force can be misrepresented or misunderstood. This puts extra cautionary restraint on the security forces in using their weapons.Some of the current developments in this field need mention:Invisible pain ray: It is akin to an open-air microwave oven, sending out a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation to the target. The nearly 130 degrees F temperature it generates causes burning sensation, forcing those in its path to flee. However, the device produces second and third-degree burns and its 2-metre diameter beam covers the entire human body surface and may be life threatening.Laser blinding dazzler: This is a huge laser. It temporarily blinds or dazzles the target, causing disorientation. The risk of permanent blindness yet requires further experimentation to gain a full understanding of its safety, effectiveness, and limitations.TaserX12: It fires a Taser projectile round from a 12-bore gun. It delivers the same neuro-muscular incapacitation bio-effect (simply put, an electric shock) up to 100 feet. Semi-automatic fire is part of its future development, which will permit reload of up to five rounds in less than two seconds. Another project of Taser aims at “blanketing a large area with electrified darts, and a wireless Taser projectile with a 100-metre range, helpful in picking off ringleaders in unruly crowds”. However, Amnesty International has flagged that 351 Taser-related deaths occurred in the US between June 2001 and August 2008.Then, there are calmative agents, implying “chemical or biological agents with sedative, sleep-inducing or similar psychoactive effects” for controlling a riot or calming a noncompliant offender. The most well-known and widely used riot-control agent is teargas. Further development and use of non-lethal calmative techniques is considered achievable.Research is continuing in developing “screaming microwaves that pierce the skull”. These cause a shockwave inside the skull that can be detected by the ears. The audio effect is loud enough to cause discomfort or even incapacitation. It may also cause a little brain damage from the high-intensity shockwave created by the microwave pulse.Ear-splitting siren: This is generally used to drive away protesters. While it is not deadly, it can cause permanent hearing damage. In this line, an Israeli-developed shock wave cannon, being commonly used by farmers to scare away crop destroying birds, is likely to be marketed in its military and security versions.In sum, it needs to be remembered that no gun, non-lethal or less-lethal, can ever be fully harmless. A gun essentially is a weapon and violence is inherent in its use. If it has to achieve deterrence or coercion in controlling a mob, pain or discomfort has to be inflicted. Security forces may use low-lethality weapons relatively more often.Besides, all these weapons are designed for controlling an unarmed crowd. A mob that is involved in pelting stones and in attacking security personnel with petrol bombs, and even firearms, creates a different situation.In the context of the Valley, the gun is not the cause of the problem. Therefore, it cannot also be the solution. To that extent, the debate and focus on pellet guns becomes secondary. At best it conveys a sincere desire to avoid civilian casualties. The focus should be on creating conditions where such situations do not arise.The problem is complex; a mix of political, religious, economic, social and psychological factors is involved. There is a sense of alienation that needs to be addressed. Burhan Wani’s killing is not the main cause of the present unrest. It only provided a spark for explosion of the simmering anger. If not the July 8 killing of Wani, some other pretext would have caused it.Then, there is Pakistan’s continuing interference in J&K. Mehbooba Mufti, after her meeting with the Prime Minister on August 27, minced no words in accusing Pakistan. India is not new to separatist problems. We have encountered these in the North-East. Nagaland was the first to seek independence in the 1950s. Mizoram followed a decade later. The problem in Mizoram was fully resolved in the 1980s. The Naga problem is well on its way to resolution. In any case, breaking away from India is no longer their demand. If the problem in J&K is still lingering, it is because of Pakistan’s active involvement. Their support is not limited to moral, diplomatic and political levels, as Nawaz Sharif claimed some days back. It extends way beyond — to providing weapons, explosives, money, training and, of course, sending in jehadis. Seeing strident Pak pronouncements, no let-up is likely in the near future. The only way to deter Pakistan is to convince them that they would have to pay a price. This could be in political, diplomatic, economic or even military terms. The writer is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff.