Monthly Archives: August 2018

Army officials dealing with the SF said that even this proposal is a short-term measure to overcome urgent gaps and does not ameliorate the poor equipment state of the forces. (representative image; source: AP)

The Special Forces (SF) operatives, who took part in the surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) to destroy seven terrorist launch pads 11 days ago, used weapons that should have been replaced with modern options following Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s instructions last June.

But the delay in implementing the procurement, estimated to be in the range of Rs 180 crore, meant that these para commandos had to make do with old-generation weapons during the strikes on September 29 — 15 months after Parrikar had ordered that the modernisation should proceed on a “fast-track basis”.

According to officials, the modernisation proposal was flagged by the Army during a presentation made to Parrikar following the cross-border operation in Myanmar by the 21 SF battalion last June, days after the attack in Manipur by suspected NSCN-K militants that killed 18 soldiers.

An Army officer told The Indian Express that the idea “was to procure certain weapons urgently for the SF if another Myanmar-like operation was to be carried out”.

For instance, if the modernisation plan had fructified, the para commandos of 4 SF and

9 SF battalions, who conducted the surgical strikes last month, would have used a more modern and lightweight rocket-launcher instead of the three-decade-old Carl Gustav 84-mm version.

The proposal for SF modernisation was prepared by the Military Operations directorate, after consultations with the Special Forces Training School, SF battalions and other stakeholders. It involves buying six types of weapons: 1,200 modern personal automatic rifles, 36 sniper rifles, 36 automatic GPMGs (General Purpose Machine Guns), 24 lightweight rocket-launchers, 24 shotguns and 500 pistols. All the weapons, to be equipped with day and night sights, would have to be imported.

“None of our SF battalions has a GPMG, which has been authorised for us. We are either using MMGs (Medium Machine Guns) like the infantry battalions or PIKA guns. The Tavor rifle that we use is 5.56mm, whereas we need a 7.62mm weapon for anti-terrorist operations. We also have a restriction on ammunition for training. There is a shortage of underwater diving equipment and free-fall parachutes,” said an official.

“For example, we need 12,000 free-fall parachutes but have only 400-odd whose shelf life is about to get over. The OFB (Ordnance Factory Board) has not been able to make them, and a dozen parachutes have been bought from the Army Commanders’ Special Powers Fund,” he said.

Army officials dealing with the SF said that even this proposal is a short-term measure to overcome urgent gaps and does not ameliorate the poor equipment state of the forces. Officials said that instead of identifying specific makes of these weapons, qualitative requirements had been finalised so that the identified weapons could be procured without going through the standard four-year procurement process.

According to officials, the defence ministry decided to process the proposal after the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) was promulgated this June. But the process hasn’t been initiated by the Army so far.

Defence ministry sources said that they “wanted to use the SF equipment as a test-case for fast-track procurement under the new DPP. The new DPP has been notified in June, and this case will move on a fast-track basis. We are hoping to get a proposal from the Army soon.”

When contacted by The Indian Express, the Army headquarters and the Ministry of Defence declined to comment. Sources in the Army said that this case is one of the many modernisation plans and is in the final stages of preparation.

ਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੌਲੀ
ਜਲੰਧਰ, 8 ਅਕਤੂਬਰ
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਝੋਨਾ ਖਰੀਦਣ ਦੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨਾਲ ਪੱਖਪਾਤ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਉਂਦਿਆਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਨਮੀ ਦੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਧ ਛੋਟ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ ਜਦਕਿ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਇਸ ਸੰਵੇਦਨਸ਼ੀਲ ਮੁੱਦੇ ’ਤੇ ਚੁੱਪ ਧਾਰ ਕੇ ਬੈਠੇ ਹੋਏ ਹਨ। ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅੱਜ ਇੱਥੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ਭਗਤ ਯਾਦਗਾਰ ਹਾਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਐਕਸ-ਸਰਵਿਸਮੈਨ ਦੀ ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਪੱਤਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਗੱਲਬਾਤ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਸਨ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਦੀ ਮੋਦੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨਾਲ ਹਰ ਥਾਂ ਵਿਤਕਰਾ ਕਰ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ ਤੇ ਝੋਨੇ ਦੀ ਖ਼ਰੀਦ ਵਿੱਚ ਐਫਸੀਆਈ ਨੇ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਨੂੰ ਤਾਂ 21 ਫ਼ੀਸਦ ਤੱਕ ਨਮੀ ਦੀ ਛੋਟ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੈ ਜਦਕਿ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਕਿਸਾਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਝੋਨਾ 17 ਫ਼ੀਸਦ ਨਮੀ ਵਾਲਾ ਖਰੀਦਿਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਭਾਜਪਾ ਵੀ ਸੱਤਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਭਾਈਵਾਲ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਵੀ ਇਸ ਮਾਮਲੇ ’ਤੇ ਚੁੱਪ ਬੈਠੀ ਹੈ।  ਕੈਪਟਨ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਏ 32 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਕਰੋੜ ਰੁਪਏ ਦੇ ਘੁਟਾਲੇ ਲਈ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ’ਤੇ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਇਆ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਦੀ ਸੀਬੀਆਈ ਤੋਂ ਜਾਂਚ ਕਰਵਾਈ ਜਾਵੇ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਖ਼ੁਲਾਸਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਕਿ ਸੂਬਾ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਖ਼ੁਦ ਕਬੂਲ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਅਨਾਜ ਗਾਇਬ ਹੈ। ਅਜਿਹੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਜਵਾਬਦੇਹ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਕੈਪਟਨ ਨੇ ਸਰਹੱਦੀ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਦੇ 10 ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਘਰ ਖਾਲੀ ਕਰਵਾ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਾਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ-ਭਾਜਪਾ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕੀਤੀ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਇਆ ਕਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਬਾਦਲ ਨੇ ਸਰਹੱਦੀ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ’ਚ ਜੰਗ ਹੋਣ ਦਾ ਡਰ ਦਿਖਾ ਕੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਭਾਈਵਾਲ ਭਾਜਪਾ ਨੂੰ  ਉਤਰ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਿਆਸੀ ਲਾਭ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਕੋਝੀ ਸ਼ਰਾਰਤ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਕੋਲੋਂ ਮੁਆਫੀ ਮੰਗਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ। ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਕੈਲੇਫੋਰਨੀਆ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਿੱਖ ਉਪਰ ਨਸਲੀ ਹਮਲੇ ਦੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ’ਚ ਵੱਸਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੂਰੀ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ਮੁਹੱਈਆ ਕਰਵਾਏ ਜਾਣ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ।

It was expected that political peace reached at the national level over the September 29 anti-terror strikes would not last long but given the high-stakes elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, it has ended disappointingly a bit too soon. All sides share the blame. The BJP is trying to market the army’s achievement as Narendra Modi’s in Uttar Pradesh. It has put up posters portraying Modi as Lord Rama and Nawaz Sharif as Ravana while Arvind Kejriwal has been shown as Meghanad. The Modi glorification and the public felicitation of Defence Minister Parrikar in UP have provoked an opposition backlash. Congress leaders assert that the UPA too had carried out similar strikes minus the bragging. On Thursday Rahul Gandhi reacted with his khoon ki dalali comment that invited retaliatory fire from Amit Shah, which, in turn, led Kapil Sibal to launch a counter-attack. There is a noticeable deterioration in political dialogue. Opposition leaders rallied behind Narendra Modi initially because he had kept politics aside. It was one of those rare moments in India’s political culture. Despite his habit of putting himself in centre stage the PM had commendably distanced himself from the army strikes. The political restraint on all sides, however, did not last. B-grade leaders’ display of triumphalism and attacks on anyone doubting the strikes created and widened the fissures. By the time Modi intervened to stop chest-thumping, the damage had been done. The posters in UP hail the BJP government’s befitting reply to Pakistan after Uri. Like Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah too has objected to the use of the army in political posters. At their press briefing, the army and MEA spokespersons had emphasised that the surgical strikes were against terror, and not against Pakistan or its army. Yet this fine distinction between terror and Pakistan has got blurred. Hotheads on both sides of the divide, supported by TV channels, engage in hate talk. War rhetoric may not be always harmless or manageable. The political discourse, whether between the two nations or political parties, should not slip below a certain level of decency and civility.

Wants military not to shield terror groups, conclude Pathankot probe’ | PM’s office calls it speculation

Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad, October 6

Facing international isolation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an unprecedented move has warned the powerful military not to shield banned militant groups and directed authorities to conclude the Pathankot terror attack probe and the 2008 Mumbai attack trial, a leading Pakistani daily reported today.Sharif’s orders came after a series of meetings between military and civilian leaders, Dawn newspaper said.Edit: Don’t count chickensThe government delivered a “blunt, orchestrated and unprecedented warning” to the military leadership and sought consensus on several key issues, including action against banned militant groups, the paper quoted unnamed individuals involved in the meetings.However, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office rejected the Dawn report. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said: “The story is purely speculative and, as the author himself acknowledged, ‘none of the attributed statements were confirmed by the individuals mentioned’.”The report says at least two sets of actions have been agreed upon. ISI Director General Rizwan Akhtar, accompanied by National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, will travel to all provinces with a message that military-led Intelligence agencies should not interfere if law enforcement agencies act against banned militant groups.Sharif directed that fresh attempts be made to conclude the Pathankot investigation and restart the stalled Mumbai attack trial in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.Those decisions, taken after an extraordinary verbal confrontation between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the ISI DG, appear to indicate a new high-stakes approach by the PML-N government, the paper said.On Monday, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry made a presentation in the Prime Minister’s Office to a small group of civil and military officials. It summarised the results of the diplomatic outreach by Pakistan, the crux being that Pakistan faces diplomatic isolation and that the government’s talking points have been met with indifference in major world capitals, the paper said.On the US, Chaudhry said ties could further deteriorate because of its demand that action be taken against the Haqqani network. — PTI

Opposition blames Sharif for Pak isolation

• Islamabad: A senior Pakistani Opposition leader on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for giving freedom to “non-state actors” that has led to the country’s diplomatic isolation following the Uri terror attack. “Pakistan’s isolation is Nawaz Sharif’s personal failure. Pakistan is isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors,” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan said during a joint session of parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. — File photo

New Delhi, October 5Amid a raging debate over the surgical strikes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have cautioned his Cabinet colleagues against creating hysteria over the military action against terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).During the Cabinet meeting today, Modi is understood to have told his ministerial colleagues that only authorised people should speak on the issue of surgical strikes and one should avoid speaking out-of-turn, sources said.

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His word of caution came against the backdrop of demands that the government should present proof about the cross-LoC raids to counter the smear campaign by Pakistan, even as the Army handed over the video clips to the government.

The demand has triggered a raging debate on whether the proof should be provided or not.The BJP and experts are against disclosing details of the operation by the Special Forces.Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence which was to meet tomorrow for a briefing by the representatives of the Ministry of Defence on ‘Surgical Strikes across the Line of Control (LoC)’ has decided to postpone the meeting. The panel will now meet on October 14. — PTI

India is now keen on isolating Pakistan. It must evaluate the long-term implications

One of the victims of the military exchanges between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control is the civilian political leadership of Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had developed a certain cordiality with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, over the past two years. By all accounts, Mr Modi saw in him a leader who had a pragmatic view of how the two nations should handle their many differences. But Mr Sharif had no authority to pursue this moderate view of India. This is the monopoly of the generals in Rawalpindi and their hostility to India is implacable. When he authorised the military strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, Mr Modi concluded that investing in Mr Sharif is a political dead end.

Various Indian prime ministers have faced a similar dilemma. Many have taken heart from Pakistan’s democratically-elected civilian leadership and sought to promote their authority over the men in khaki. Prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee pursued this path. Mr Vajpayee even seeking an accommodation with Pervez Musharraf. At the heart of their view was a belief India should continue to talk with whoever was in power in Pakistan, irrespective of the terrorist attacks and other forms of violence that militants inflicted on India. These attacks were secondary to a larger vision of seeking to engage the civil societies of the two countries and help Pakistan move away from the path of religious fundamentalism and State-sponsored violence that it had taken since the dictatorial rule of Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq. India’s underlying policy was to save Pakistan from itself. This was not an easy policy to sustain. Terrorist attacks of the scale of Mumbai 26/11 or border wars of the Kargil variety would wreak havoc with public support in India for any engagement with Pakistan and strengthen a belief that the only way to handle India’s rogue neighbour was through the barrel of a howitzer.Mr Modi seems to have pursued a version of this enlightened policy for two years, cultivating ties with Mr Sharif even though a diplomatic harvest seemed unlikely. But the prime minister has now concluded that he can no longer afford this policy. The sacrifice of the Saarc summit in Islamabad, humiliating Mr Sharif, is a case in point. In this, he is following the view of PV Narasimha Rao who concluded he was better off reducing his Pakistan contacts to just photo ops. The flip side of this attitude, however, is to give up on civil society engagement and focus more on isolating Pakistan internationally and building the political and military equivalent of a wall between the two neighbours. This has obvious benefits in the short-run but, ultimately, reflects a view that Pakistan is a problem that should be managed rather than solved

CHANDIGARH: Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh visited the Western Command, headquartered at Chandimandir near here, on Saturday to review operational preparedness in wake of surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir recently.

HT PHOTOArmy chief General Dalbir Singh (left) with Western command chief Lt Gen Surinder Singh at Chandimandir on Saturday.

The army chief interacted with senior commanders, including Western Command general officer commandingin-chief (GOC-in-C) Lieutenant General Surinder Singh, and exhorted them to continue to maintain highest vigil and alertness on the western borders.

Earlier, he had visited the Northern Command.

A senior official of the Western Command said: “There is no troop mobilisation or deployment along the border, but routine army exercises are continuing.”

At present, it is the Border Security Force (BSF) that is manning the International Border with Pakistan in Punjab.

But no army official who HT talked to has denied that an alert has been sounded to all forward posts and cantonments.

In the past seven days, Lt Gen Surinder Singh has twice reviewed security arrangements along the border. On September 23 and 24, he had visited forward areas in Jammu, Samba and Pathankot, where he interacted with field commanders and troops, besides meeting the northern army commander.

On September 29 — the day the news of the surgical strikes broke out in the morning — the army commander embarked on a two-day tour to the Vajra Corps headquarters in Jalandhar besides forward locations in Gurdaspur and Amritsar to review the troops’ preparedness.

It was the 25th edition of the programme. PTI file

Paying tributes to soldiers, who sacrificed their lives retaliating to Pakistani forces and terrorists at the Line of Control (LoC) in the past few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated this Diwali to the security personnel.

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 30Amid tension on the border with Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday saluted the valour of the armed forces and lauded their sacrifice while dedicating the festival of Diwali to them.He hailed the people, including celebrities, for sending overwhelming messages to his Sandesh2Soldiers campaign.In his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme on All India Radio, Modi urged all citizens and state governments to find ways of forging unity across the country and working to defeat separatist tendencies and mentalities.

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In the wake of the ongoing troubles in the Kashmir Valley, he said, “Unity in diversity is our strength. It is the responsibility of every citizen and all governments to forge unity and curb separatist tendencies to save the country.”In an apparent reference to tension on the Indo-Pak border, Modi credited the soldiers for maintaining peace and security in the country and called upon everyone to remember their gallantry while celebrating Diwali.“In the wake of recent events, our soldiers have been sacrificing their everything for the safety and security of the country. Their dedication has overwhelmed me completely. Let us dedicate this Diwali to our armed forces.“I had invited everyone to participate in the Sandesh2Soldiers campaign and I have been humbled by the response. From students, villagers and traders to political leaders and sportspersons, everyone has sent a Diwali message for our soldiers,” he said while referring to the jawans who are stationed in deserts and on the icy heights of the Himalayas and security personnel who are guarding our industries and airports.“Our forces endure grave hardships for our security. Someone is stationed in a desert, someone on the Himalayas, someone is guarding our industrial installations and someone is protecting our airports. Everyone is fulfilling a mighty responsibility. If we remember them while being in a festive mood, our remembrance will give them strength and renewed energy. I thank everyone for responding to Sandesh2Soldiers,” Modi said in over half-an-hour address on the occasion of Diwali.In a veiled reference to the unrest in Kashmir Valley, the PM also called for forces of unity to be strengthened and those of separatism to be defeated.“Unity in diversity is the strength of our country. Every citizen and every government must work to find ways of forging unity and defeating separatist mindset and tendencies,” he said as he remembered Sardar Patel who strove hard to forge unity in the country and bind it together.As Modi paid tributes to Sardar Patel whose birth anniversary falls on Monday, he also remembered Indira Gandhi whose death anniversary also falls on the same day. He, however, lamented that on a day we celebrate the birth anniversary of Patel, thousands of Sikhs were killed in 1984 in the wake of the assassination of Gandhi.Reiterating his message of cleanliness on Diwali, Modi said the festival is a marker of “swachhta” with every family taking it upon themselves to clean their house.The PM, however, said, “The call of time is to extend this campaign of cleanliness out of one’s house to one’s surroundings.”The PM also took the occasion to note how the Indian festivals are environment friendly and urged parents to stand with their children as the latter burnt crackers.The Prime Minister also remembered Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, who fought against social evils and discrimination and called for making society free from any kind of discrimination.

The Prime Minister also lauded the role played by jawans in natural calamities and said they kept working with patriotic spirit and national interest in mind, be it showing courage in fighting the enemy or in bringing the misguided youth back on track or maintaining law and order.

He lauded the efforts taken by Himachal Pradesh in becoming open defecation free and said it is the second state after Sikkim to be so.Modi said Kerala would become open defecation free on November 1 and Gujarat and Haryana were also making efforts in this direction and many districts in these states had already achieved the goal.In making these states defecation free, Modi highlighted the efforts and contribution of many individuals in helping construct toilets.These included those of an ITBP jawan in Himachal’s Sirmour district who donated Rs 57,000 out of his salary to construct toilets in his village and make it open defecation free, besides those of engineering students in Kerala who helped construct a toilet in Edamalakul of the state.He also praised Haryana, which is celebrating the golden jubilee of its formation on November 1, for taking upon itself to declare the state kerosene-free by linking all LPG beneficiaries with Aadhar card.“Some seven or eight districts have already become kerosene-free in Haryana.“The way they have taken upon them, I am sure they will succeed and help stop pilferage, save environment and conserve foreign exchange, besides helping the people of the state and putting an end to corruption that middlemen indulged in,” he said.Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, whom he described as a guide, Modi said policies should be evolved in such a manner that the poorest of the poor should be kept in mind as the Father of the Nation envisioned.“It is the need of the time to address the problems of the poor.“We must come out of our orthodox thinking and make society free from any kind of discrimination,” he said, while also calling for ending any kind of discrimination towards girls and sought construction of toilets for the girl child too.Wishing countrymen on Diwali, the Prime Minister said India is a country of festivals and today these festivals are celebrated across the world.He highlighted that the US Postal department brought out a postal stamp on this Diwali.Modi said Deepawali gave the message of ‘darkness to light’ and this darkness included the darkness of superstition, illiteracy, poverty and social evils which should end too.He also recalled that people would celebrate Chhat puja in a few days and the festival carried the message of worshipping the Sun. With PTI

srinagar, October 28

A soldier was beheaded by militants as Pakistan army engaged in cross-border firing along the Line of Control in Machil sector of Kupwara district, Army sources said on Friday.The slain soldier, rifleman Manjeet Singh of 17 Sikh Light Infantry, belonged to Haryana. “This act will invite an appropriate response,” said an Army spokesman.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)He said the soldier was killed during an encounter late on Friday. A militant was also gunned down. An official statement initially said: “In a despicable act, the terrorists mutilated the body of the soldier before fleeing into PoK,” adding they were provided cover by Pakistan troops. — TNS