Monthly Archives: August 2018

PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh with senior party leaders in Chandigarh on Friday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 4

PPCCchief Captain Amarinder Singh today led a 20-member delegation to submit a memorandum to Governor VP Singh Badnore seeking Centre’s intervention for providing justice to the family of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who committed suicide protesting against an inordinate delay in OROP implementation.The Governor assured Amarinder that the memorandum would be forwarded to the Centre at the earliest and the government’s response would also be conveyed to him. Among the senior leaders who accompanied the PPCC president were senior party leader Ambika Soni, party’s Punjab affairs incharge Asha Kumari and former Union Minister Santosh Choudhary, besides PCC senior vice-president Laal Singh and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Charanjit Singh Channi.

PROMINENT VETERANS (ESM) PART OF DELEGATION

Lt Gen Shergill,Lt Gen Jasbir Dhariwal ( Chief Patron Sanjha Morcha), Maj Gen SPS Grewal, Col Ranjit Boparai (President Sanjha Morcha),Col Charanjit Singh Khera(Gen Secy Sanjha Morcha cum Socila Media coordinator ESM PPCC), Col Bhag singh (Chairman ESM PPCC), 

Lt Gen  Mau Shergill briefed  the  governor about the sad state of Handling  the implementation of OROP  and the death of Sub Ram Kishan Grewal.

Lt Gen JS Dhariwal briefed the governor about the Anomalies of in the OROP notification issued by the Govt, , Col Bhag Singh about the existing anomalies still pending of previous pay commissions, and Col CJS Khera about the irresponsible statements of National Leaders on the death of Sub Ram Kishan Grewal that of tGen VK Singh, Mr Parrikar, and PM directing banks now to release Banks the enhanced Pensions , instead of Mr Arun Jately, he also mentioned that its only Punjab & Sindh bank which have released the latest pension slabs and all other banks are awaiting Finance Minister orders of Mr Arun Jately.

Cong men give memo to DC

Muktsar, November 4

The district Congress on Thursday staged a protest at the entrance of the District Administrative Complex here against the Centre for “ill-treating” AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi when he had gone to meet the family of ex-serviceman Ram Krishan Grewal in Delhi.The activists, led by local MLA Karan Kaur Brar, Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Bhai Harnirpal Singh and handed over a memorandum to the DC. — TNS

OROP slugfest: Modi lying, says Cong

Youth Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring (C) with party activists at a demonstration over OROP in New Delhi on Friday. Photo by Manas Ranjan Bhui

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 4

Political slugfest over suicide by an ex-serviceman and the “One Rank, One Pension (OROP)” scheme continued today with the Finance Minister and the Defence Minister joining issue with the Congress, even as AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi stepped up offensive against the government, charging PM Narendra Modi of “lying’’ on OROP.While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Rahul was politicising the suicide and “no one should try to change a personal tragedy into political gain,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said it was the Modi government which had resolved the four-decade-old issue.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Rahul, accusing the PM of “lying”, said what retired soldiers  were getting was “enhanced pension”, insisting that the demand for OROP remained unfulfilled. “What PM says is OROP is actually pension enhancement. The PM should stop lying on the issue,” he said after interacting with a group of ex-servicemen at the AICC headquarters this afternoon.Speaking to mediapersons, the Defence Minister said he had asked the officials to expedite paper work to ensure all beneficiaries got pension under OROP within the next two months. Of the nearly one lakh pensioners who are yet to get the enhanced amount, he said a majority did not have the requisite documents. The department concerned had been asked to reconstruct the files and, if necessary, seek affidavits that would be processed. Sources in the Ministry of Defence said the government’s commitment towards implementation of OROP could be gauged from the fact that the budget allocation had gone up from Rs 54,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 82,000 crore in the current fiscal.The figure would actually be touching close to Rs 90,000 crore under the revised estimates for 2016-17.As for the calculation mistakes that figured in the case of deceased subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, the sources said the data for different categories/periods ran into 195 tables which was processed at 22 pension processing centres. Conceding that the soldier who committed suicide ought to have got Rs 3,026 more than his Rs 22,608 pension amount, they said, an  error had occurred as he was eligible to draw one pension unlike most soldiers who were entitled to draw two pensions under different schemes.The ministry, at a meeting held with ex-servicemen’s associations and bank representatives on October 24, had directed the banks at the processing centres to monitor complaints on calculation errors, the sources added. Meanwhile, with the rise in the number of pensioners every month, the ministry has begun a pilot project to provide e-pension payment orders to new retirees.

What they said…

• It doesn’t behove senior national leaders to exploit a tragedy of this kind, particularly in intensive care units of the hospitals. A more responsible behaviour is expected of them. — Arun Jaitley, Finance Minster
• The demand for OROP remains unfulfilled… What PM says is OROP is actually pension enhancement. ThePM should stop lying on the issue. — Rahul Gandhi, Cong vice-president

Close to China border, refurbished landing ground to aid movement of troops, material

A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III lands at an upgraded airstrip in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 3

More than 54 years after India was caught napping due to poor infrastructure during the 1962 Chinese aggression, yet another airfield in north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh has been opened for military use.This is the fifth such airfield to be upgraded under a long-winded plan for rapid deployment of artillery guns, troops and even tanks.An Advanced Landing Ground (euphuism for British-era mud-paved landing strip) at Mechuka, located in Yargyap river valley of West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, has been upgraded to a paved runaway. The Indian Air Force today said it had landed its biggest transport plane, the Boeing C-17, at the 6,200-ft-high airfield. The plane can carry some 70 tonnes of load.The airfield is located near the Mcmahon Line (the boundary with China) and the nearest air/rail head is at Dibrugarh, about 500 km through mountains which are landslide-prone, stretching the travel time to two days.The landing of C-17 is a quantum jump from the existing capability of AN-32 and C-130J aircraft. Such airlift capability facilitates critical requirement of transfer of men and material in this rugged terrain of several adjacent river valleys, interspersed by high mountain ranges that inhibit road connectivity.Besides Mechuka, airfileds at Ziro, Along, Walong and Passighat are the other ones which have been opened. Passighat allows fighter jet operations. The last of the ALGs at Tuting is expected to open by the year-end while the helicopter landing ground at Tawang would be ready by mid-2017.The British had created small mud-paved landing grounds during the World War-II for their Burma and east India operations. The existing ALGs are too small in length and allow only very small aircraft to land and have a non-existent ground support. These are rendered unusable during rains.These airfields dot various folds of the Himalayas in Arunachal and cover an east-west axis, bringing the IAF and Army’s rapid deployment capabilities much closer to the Mcmahon Line.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sits inside a police bus as he is detained in New Delhi on Wednesday. AFP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

No one in Congress circles had imagined how this day would turn out for party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who only few months ago had been turned back from Jantar Mantar by a group of ex-servicemen protesting over One Rank One Pension. Retired soldiers had then said they didn’t want the matter politicised.But today as politics played out around Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal’s suicide with Delhi police providing the fodder by detaining top leaders, including Rahul who wanted to meet the deceased’s relatives. Congress leaders privately said Rahul had made his point and his presence was felt.“Have you seen this kind of energy in the party since Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s Varanasi road show on August 2? The whole leadership is on the streets with Rahul ji who just wanted to express solidarity with the grief-stricken family,” a Congress leader said.Seniors also acknowledged that Rahul had made his point by preferring to be detained for his attempts to meet the wards of the deceased ex-serviceman rather than seek bail.Personally, Rahul made it a government versus Subedar Grewal’s family issue by saying upon his release tonight: “The least government should do is apologise to the family which has made a sacrifice. All I wanted was to meet them and say I am with them in this hour of grief but they detained the family and harassed them just so they wanted to speak to me.” Rahul was detained by the Delhi Police for nearly eight hours.Congress leaders, meanwhile, said OROP would become Rahul’s second major agitation point after the land acquisition ordinance on which the government had been forced to blink.Social activist Anna Hazare, a former soldier, said: “Unfortunate that ex-serviceman committed suicide. On one hand the government t glorifies soldiers and on the other doesn’t fulfil promises.”A group of ex-servicemen, which has been leading the protest at Jantar Mantar over OROP scheme, distanced itself from the case. “The suicide did not take place at Jantar Mantar. Grewal’s friends had informed the police about the suicide bid but it was too late. He was taken to a hospital from where they wanted to bring the body to Jantar Mantar, which we refused,” Col Anil Kaul (retd), media adviser to United Front of Ex-Servicemen Movement was quoted by PTI.

23 civilians injured as Pak escalates shelling, firing at hapless villagers

A girl injured in firing from the Pakistan side being shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital by volunteers and family members in Jammu on Tuesday. PTI

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 1

In stepped-up shelling by Pakistani troops along the International Border (IB), eight persons were killed and 23 injured today. Six civilians died in Ramgarh sector of Samba district. Among them were two children and two women. In Tarkundi area of Rajouri district, two women were killed. The firing was so intense that it took three hours to evacuate the injured from their houses.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Ravinder Kaur (19) of Jerdi village in Ramgarh sector was cooking when a shell exploded near her house, killing her on the spot. Rishav, Abdhi and Anju Devi (29) of Rangoor Camp village in Ramgarh sector were celebrating Bhai Dhooj when a shell exploded inside their house. Marha Ram (60) of the same village was  killed likewise. Three of his family members received splinter injuries. Swarn Singh (32) of Govindgarh village reportedly died of shock during shelling. Sultan Begam (70) and her 28-year-old daughter-in-law Maqbool Begam, who were working in their fields, were killed in multiple explosions. Nine persons were injured in Ramgarh sector, four in Arnia, three in Nowshera and seven in Poonch sector. With Pakistani Rangers and troops continuing to target civilian areas, two shells exploded near the Mendhar sub-district hospital and police station, triggering panic. Residents of Arnia town were forced to keep indoors because of heavy shelling.The Pakistani army fired 120 mm and 82 mm mortars in Nowshera, Balakote and Mendhar sectors in Rajouri and Poonch. Border Security Force DIG Dharmendra Kumar Parekh said the Pakistani Rangers fired 82 mm mortars in Ramgarh and Arnia sectors at 6.30 am.“At 7.10 am, three mortar shells landed in Pindi village of Arnia and injured four civilians. In calibrated retaliation to unprovoked firing and shelling, the BSF targeted posts of Pakistani Ranger, damaging 14 of them,” the DIG said.At the Line of Control, the Pakistani army fired 120 mm and 82 mm shells and also used small arms. “The Pakistani army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera (from 5.30 am) and  Balakote sectors (from 9 am) by using 120 mm and 82 mm mortars. The Indian Army gave a befitting reply and hit them where it hurts the most,” said Lt Col Manish Mehta, PRO, Defence, said.Meanwhile, as civilian killings mount, anger is brewing among border residents, who feel they have been made “sitting ducks” by not making elaborate arrangements for safety of their lives and that of their livestock. “After the surgical strike, it was clear Pakistan would resort to firing on civilians but the state government failed to take any steps to provide security to us,” said Arvind Kumar, a resident of Chanana village of Bishnah.Choudhary Balwinder, a BJP supporter, regretted that the state leaders had left them at the mercy of Rangers. “Killing of civilians has become routine in the border areas but state ministers have failed to convince the government to provide financial assistance. There has been no policy.”(Inputs from Vishal Jasrotia, Shyam Sood, Dinesh Manhotra and DK Sudan)

BSF claims eight pakistanis killed

• New Delhi: With the cross-border firing escalating, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the situation at a meeting attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and other top officials. The Border Security Force, meanwhile, said it had destroyed 14 posts of Pakistan Rangers in retaliatory action in Ramgarh and Arnia sectors of Jammu frontier on Tuesday and claimed eight Pakistanis, including troopers, had been killed. tns

60 truce violations since surgical strikes

• The situation along the LoC and the IB has deteriorated since the September 18 Uri terror attack and subsequent (September 28-29) surgical strikes by the Indian Army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There have been more that 60 ceasefire violations by Pakistan since the surgical strikes. tns

New Delhi, November 7

A number of abnormalities or ailments which earlier rendered people unfit to gain entry into the Air Force or fly aircraft are soon set to go.With no scientific evidence to back notions such as spinal deformities affect flying, the Air Force will soon modify its medical norms for pilots and new applicants declared unfit due to this reason.Also, with new medical technologies and better drugs available for treatment, several ailments such as asthma, diabetes, coronary heart diseases and hypertension may also go off the list. The Medical Board of the Air Force has also removed 19 drugs like anti-diabetics off the list, which were earlier considered as a “taboo” for flying.“After going through several national and international literature and various research we have done in our Institute of Aerospace Medicine, we are trying to get some of the pilots, who are declared unfit for flying…We are looking into those issues and taking out a new order for commissioning, selection and flying purposes and they will be declared fit (for flying),” Air Marshal Pawan Kapoor, Director General Medical Services (Air), said referring to spinal deformities. “There are 10-12 ailments which have already been taken off. Rest are in the pipeline and decision is likely in 7-10 days,” he said. He said while medical approval has been taken, an administrative approval is awaited and the process will be done without compromising with flight safety.Kapoor was speaking on the sidelines of 64th International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine here, attended by experts across the world from the field of aerospace medicine from both civil and military aviation.The IAF had formed a panel comprising spinal surgeons, neurosurgeons, physicians, radiologists and it was concluded that there is no evidence to show spinal deformities can affect flight safety and physical capability and conditioning of the pilots. — PTI

Recently by a judgement of one of the bench of Armed Forces Tribunal a THREE STAR ranked officer was demoted to ONE STAR rank.

It would be pertinent to view this decision of AFT in the context that for promotion to the TWO/THREE STAR rank, the promotion board is normally headed by the respective Service Chief. Other members of the board are the GOC-in-Cs/FOC-in-Cs/AOC-in-Cs, PSOs at respective Service HQs and a specialist THREE STAR ranked officer. Composition of the promotion boards may vary only marginally in terms of members in each Service. Needless to emphasize that promotability of every TWO/THREE STAR ranked officer is APPROVED by the SENIOR MOST HIERARCHY of that particular Service. Therefore any reversal of decision taken by the promotion boards comprising of the entire hierarchy of each service by Armed Forces Tribunal effectively states that ALL MEMBERS INCLUDING SERVICE CHIEF of that particular Service were/are incompetent/dishonest/biased/lack integrity and many other negative personal  traits, both individually and collectively. It does not stop here. Promotion of TWO/THREE star officers is approved by Min of Defence ( Raksha Mantri and Defence Secretary are invariably in the loop in case of Three Star definitely).

Ironic it would appear that AFT benches comprising of retired Judge and a retired THREE STAR (normally)  (total 2 individuals) have been entrusted with demonical powers of  setting aside a considered opinion of nearly a dozen (may be more) senior most appointments of each service, thus  unequivocally calling the entire military hierarchy dishonest, lacking in integrity, incompetent and much more in the name of DISHING out justice.

Was the ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL created for such incongruent conduct, behaviour and question the entire hierarchy of a particular Service by appearing to be SUPER JUDGES next only to the almighty GOD?

If the judgement of the AFT in above case is assumed to be rational, the entire promotion board ought to be dismissed from the Service for demonstrated professional profligacy, dishonesty and total lack of integrity.

Both decisions viz clearance for promotion by the two successive promotion boards       (Brigadier to Major General and Major General to Lt General) and reversal by the AFT can obviously not co-exist. Or can it? As is the case in this instance.

Even if we were to believe that the decision of AFT was the ‘RIGHT’ decision based on factual evidence, but the insanity of AFT’s decision stems from the fact that in reversing the decision the AFT members have deliberately and knowingly (not unwittingly) attempted to destroy the institution of military. No individual, irrespective of his/her status, can ever be bigger than the institution.

There cannot be better instance of ‘SELF-GOAL’ than the military leadership’s desire to establish the ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL. Incidentally it was not forced on the military by a ‘BABU’ or a politician. We simply wanted to behave like a COPY-CAT by having AFT because ‘BABUS’ had the CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL(CAT). Incidentally CAT came into existence after a constitutional amendment vide article 323A.

Armed Forces Tribunal, which came into existence in 2007 has done nothing extra-ordinary to cover itself with glory in nearly a decade of its existence. Indeed it has provided an opening to the dozen odd THREE STAR ranked officers another five years of leisure at government expense.

There is absolutely nothing that could not be resolved within the laid down rules of each Service. Establishment of AFT has resulted in more indiscipline and false belief amongst service personnel that each and every decision of service HQs can be challenged. Is this state of affairs acceptable and more importantly does it augur well for the military in the long run?

Reversal of Service HQs decision on matters of promotion/postings etc by the AFT cannot, should not and must not be compared to reversal of lower court decision by higher court. In judicial hearing/decision making there is normally a single judge (except in case of benches at high/supreme court). In case of military the promotion board comprises of dozen odd senior most appointments of the military. To question their collective wisdom/decision by a single judge, who is largely unaware of matters military, is nothing short of judicial fratricide.

A word about members of AFT bench must be placed for an inquisitive reader and follower of the laws of the land/institutions. Each of the THIRTEEN AFT bench comprises of a retired Judge and a THREE STAR (normally) ranked officer as ‘nothing more’ than an Administrative Member.

The Judges of this great nation (from lower to supreme court) are protected by one of the most DRACONIAN ACT called Judicial Officers Protection Act (JOPA), which enables them to reverse the judgment (for reasons best known only to themselves) of a lower court/of a smaller bench without any accountability to anyone whatsoever, based on the same evidence, which had resulted in conviction/acquittal and vice-versa, notwithstanding ‘crocodile tears’ shed on account of non-appointment of judges to higher courts. Indian judiciary is one of the worst ‘self-serving’ organization of this country, which insists on selecting its ‘own people’. No other democracy in the world follows the collegium system as is in vogue in our great nation. The ‘self-righteous’ approach of Indian Judiciary is evident from their knee-jerk reaction towards establishing a National Judicial Commission.

Military opted to do a ‘self-goal’ by seeking and accepting appointment of a civil judge in Armed Forces Tribunal. No civilian judge, irrespective of his/her exposure/experience can comprehend military needs.

Perhaps it may not be too late to disband this monolith, which threatens to destroy and tear the  still largely unscathed disciplined fabric of Indian Military. In making this recommendation I am willing to take the wrath of the ‘dirty dozen’ THREE STARS, who will have no further employment after having retired at 60. Do not worry about the judges. They will find some opening, be it heading a consumer court or  become member/head of numerous judicial commissions forever alive in our great nation.

As I write this piece, let me assure the ‘nay-sayers’ and ‘silencers’ that this incident alone has not forced me to recommend dissolution of AFT. My interest in this domain is self-explanatory, since I wrote about MAT more than a decade back. I have closely monitored the AFT decisions (without claiming to be a ‘know-all). AFT was established to ensure that while individual grievances were redessed on priority but at the same time institutional standing was not compromised. In the instant case, irrespective of genuineness of the AFT decision, the institution of Military has been abused publicly. Perhaps saner action would have been to approach the current Army Chief, apprised him about the impending AFT decision and requested him to advise the officer (who was demoted) to put in for premature release. In this action a vacancy of Lt Gen would have been created and hopefully the ‘wronged’ officer promoted, if he was still in service. Most importantly ‘DIRTY-LINEN’ would not have been washed in public domain. Statistics, if viewed pragmatically, give clear evidence of efficacy or otherwise of the supposed more efficient mechanisms introduced for betterment of organisation as well as individuals. A mere look would indicate that after AFT came into being number of cases filed by military persons on absolutely frivolous issues may have risen considerably ( as told to me in off the record conversation by a three star, who held the post of AG at Army HQ that number of cases have trebled- authenticity not guaranteed). Thus it is evident that the moment a superior gives unfavourable decision, the individual runs to challenge the decision in AFT because it is more accessible than civil courts. Needless to add that constitution of AFT has actually caused to create more indiscipline in the rank and file of officers and men. It is for this reason it is recommended that AFT should be disbanded as soon as practicable because it has failed to meet organisational aspirations. Individual aspirations, always and everytime, are subservient to organisational needs.

Indeed the grievances of a military personnel must be addressed. In order to meet this very pressing need, I had recommended establishing a MILITARY ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL (MAT) in 2004. Article was sent to each Service Chief and Raksha Mantri. Only one Service HQ acknowledged receipt saying that MAT is not required on the lines proposed since AFT was already in pipeline. Entire text of my proposal for establishing MAT is attached below.

Gp Capt TP Srivastava

02 November, 2016

9818926254

 From: Colonelrajan Srinivas <colonelrajan44@gmail.com>
Date: 1 November 2016 at 11:14
Subject: Recommencement of Relay Fast for Justice (RFFJ) at Jantar Mantar wholly un-necessary
To: Maj Gen Satbir Singh SM <satbirsm@yahoo.com>, Maj Gen Satbir Singh <satbirsm@gmail.com>, 

Respected Veteran Gen Satbir Singh,

Jai Hind.

1.       It is indeed sad to hear that you have decided to re-commence ‘Relay Fast for Justice’ (RFFJ) at Jantar Mantar on 1 Nov 2016, for grant of OROP.

2.       I feel sad because I am unable to fathom as to how come you are so naïve not to know that re-commemncement of RFFJ at Jantar Mantar is wholly un-necessary on account of the following:

(a)        Having filed a case in the Hon’ble Supreme Court with regard to OROP, the matter is sub judice (under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere); and, that one must not do anything that can even remotely be construed as exerting pressure on the Hon’ble Supreme Court; thus inviting a rap by way of Contempt of Court.

(b)        Justice L Narasimha Reddy, Chairman One Man Judicial Committee, instituted by the Govt to look into anomalies in the grant of OROP has submitted its report only couple of days ago, ie. on 26 Oct 2016; and, it would be reasonable to assume that the Govt would take a min of three months to process and act on the recommendations of the Report.

3.   It is sad to hear from two Veterans of the rank of Maj Gen, both Founder Members and Members of the present Governing Body, duly elected during the last AGM in Nov 2014, that you do not listen to them or to their advice; and that, you bulldoze your way and take unilateral decisions in the GB Meetings, based on majority vote, given that the GB as it exists to day is packed with your camp followers.

4.    I wish, good sense prevails on you to listen to your colleagues, who have been with you through thick & thin.

 Regards,

Col Rajan

Bangalore, 9449043770

scarred & broken: Only a determined attempt at course-correction will help.

NEW DELHI is busy in its revelry under the “masterstroke” of demonetisation in the country, with an illusion-filled claim that all acts of terrorism in Kashmir have come to an end with the “surgical strike” on black money and counterfeit currency. Pakistan has been rendered penniless for sponsoring terrorism on this side of the border as its fake currency notes have no takers. It is wishful thinking that Kashmir has returned to days of peaceful paradise.The bitter fact is that Kashmir is slipping out of India, psychologically. There is a drastic change in the mindset of the people who have seen the worst kind of atrocities being inflicted from both sides over the past four-and-a-half months. What has hurt them most  —more than the killings — is the blinding of young stone-throwers, some of them innocents caught in the shower of pellets, sitting in their homes, while watching the protests as curious onlookers. They do not go into the cause — the violent protests with stones and petrol bombs, but talk of the security forces excesses. They don’t make any distinction between the local police, paramilitary force personnel or the Army. All these are clubbed together as the “Indian forces” or the 

“government forces”.

Physically, more terrain has been occupied by the anti-India elements. There are more local militants and the ground swell for insurgency is overflowing. People empathise with the militants. Countless masses who attend the funerals of slain militants are volunteers — certainly not coerced men and women. By any stretch of imagination, it is a very serious situation, the repercussions of which would be felt in the next couple of years, unless there is a determined attempt at course-correction by the government.What is being pointed out is that normalcy has fnally returned to the Valley. Schools open at weekends, examinations are on, public transport has started plying, more and more shops have started opening during daytime, and separatists have been forced to moderate their protest calendar. This welcome return to the unmistakable signs of normal day-to-day life needs to be analysed with clear glasses.One part of it is that the people who had lent their support to the shutdowns and protests have developed a fatigue factor. Even normal life had become a dream for them. Daily clashes, torching of government property, particularly schools, and the stones that dented vehicles and injured travellers, deserted streets, and 24×7 gloom had caused depression to set in among the people. And they wanted to come out of this depression. What did they do? Knock the doors of separatists because the rulers told them that their efforts would yield no results unless separatists gave a green light.The second part was a spree of arrests and raising the number of security personnel, mostly Army troops, to quell the disturbances. Stone-throwers had retreated more than six weeks ago to escape the arrests. Some of them had shifted outside the Valley, others were scared of violent clashes after having seen the consequences. The element of the use of force and heavy presence of soldiers cannot be overlooked. Today, there are more footprints of soldiers and paramilitary forces in the Valley  than ever before.Kashmiris want to live a normal life. They have natural instincts like any other race to generate economic activity and pursue fruitful careers, and live without any fear of midnight knock or stones shattering their houses and vehicles or boulders and timber log keeping them as besieged people. They wanted freedom from this suffocating atmosphere, which visited them this year following the killing of Burhan Wani, a militant leader, in July. Burhan Wani was a product of radicalism. He preached radicalism. He had called for the setting up of Caliphate in Kashmir in which the “revolution” was to be carried out by killing policemen and snatching their weapons. His social media face got the boost than his actual height and robust physique. That social media image was imprinted among young Kashmiris who trusted him with his face on Facebook profile or the words on Twitter. But now things have moved far beyond, where even if Burhan Wani was to take new birth, he would find himself overtaken by the events and radicalism among youth. He would look like a follower rather than the leader of the radical ideology.And let it be put straight and clear that the Indian surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have shown that those were no game-changer really. Pakistan has not stopped terror activity nor was it in need to retaliate with surgical strikes. That would not have been a useful proposition for it. And so it is continuing with infiltration and terrorists are attacking police stations and police camps.On November 25, the Indian Army lost a soldier in an encounter at Bandipore in north Kashmir and two policemen were killed in an ambush at Kulgam in south Kashmir. Pakistan has activated its sleeper cells. There are plenty of them in and outside the system. This is the real danger. Violence along the Line of Control can be responded with heavy gunfire and mortar shelling, as the Indian Army did on November 23 to “unleash heavy retribution” for Pakistan’s cowardly act (of mutilating the body of one of the three soldiers killed in the Macchil sector in Kupwara district in north-west Kashmir) on Tuesday.The Indian assault left three Pakistani soldiers dead and also nine travellers. And Pakistan was quick to move the United Nations. The UN, which is the most disliked institution by India as far as its intervention in Kashmir is concerned, was ready with sermons that the “Kashmir issue be resolved by India and Pakistan as per the peoples’ wishes”. These kind of international statements on Kashmir strengthen those who believe that they can pin down India on Kashmir. They are losing faith in dialogue with New Delhi. This is a dangerous situation. The opening of markets and public transport ferrying commuters are not the signs of hearts having been conquered. Much more needs to be done.

General Raheel Sharif says strikes will not be forgotten by Indians for generations, warns of escalating Kashmir dispute

NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s military leadership upped the ante in a war of words with India on Thursday, with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif saying any surgical strike by Pakistan would not be forgotten by Indians for generations to come.

PTI FILEIndia’s surgical strikes along the LoC in September were in response to an earlier attack on an army camp in Uri.

Air force chief Sohail Aman too warned India against escalating a dispute over Kashmir into full-scale war. The rhetoric by the military leadership came a day a flare-up of hostilities along the LoC following the killing of three Indian soldiers, and the mutilation of the body of one, on Tuesday. Pakistani authorities said 11 civilians and three soldiers were killed in shelling by Indian forces.

Sharif, who is on a farewell tour of army units before his retirement on November 29, was quoted by The Express Tribune as saying that “if Pakistan were to launch surgical strikes, India would not be able to forget it for generations to come”.

“India will be teaching its children about Pakistan’s surgical strike if the latter took such measures. Pakistani troops are capable of teaching Indian forces a lesson,” he said. Sharif ’s remarks, made while addressing a ‘jirga’ of tribal elders in the Khyber semi-autonomous region, were also an apparent riposte to the surgical strikes carried out by Indian troops along the LoC in September in retaliation for an attack on an army camp in Uri by Pakistan-based militants.

In Karachi, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman said Pakistan’s armed forces were prepared for all contingencies. “We are not worried about India at all, it is better if they show some restraint,” he told reporters on the margins of a defence exhibition.

Meanwhile, India on Thursday said the Pakistan army was giving tacit support to terrorists who targeted an Indian patrol in Machil sector that killed three soldiers. The body of one of the soldiers was mutilated. In a demarche issued to Pakistan deputy high commissioner on Wednesday night, the government conveyed it strongly deplored the tacit support of Pakistan Army to armed terrorists that came from close to Pakistan Army posts on November 22, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The government also protested the deliberate targeting by Pakistan Army of 18 villages along LoC, which resulted in a non-fatal casualty besides causing extensive damage to public and private property and displacement of civilian population, said Swarup.