Amir Karim Tantray
Tribune News Service
Jammu, November 29Three army men, including a major, were killed as a group of militants attacked an artillery unit on the old Jammu-Srinagar highway at Nagrota, 15 km from here, on Tuesday morning.Nagrota is the headquarters of 16 Corps.The attack started at 5.45 am when heavily armed militants lobbed a grenade on the army installation.The army is yet to confirm the deaths.The army has cordoned off the area and the encounter is going on at the officer’s mess. Sound of loud explosions could be heard there.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Meanwhile, the district administration has ordered that all schools in Nagrota town would remain closed on Tuesday.

Samba: 3 militants killed in infiltration bid

(For representation only) A border guard was injured in the gunfight and four others, among them a Deputy Inspector General, were injured when a grenade that the militants had carried exploded while they were pulling out the bodies. PTI file photo

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Samba, November 29

Three suspected militants were killed in a gun battle between them and the Border Security Force when they tried to cross the International Border into India in Samba’s Ramgarh sector on Tuesday morning.

The suspected militants were hiding in a tubewell in Ramgarh’s Fatwal.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

A border guard was injured in the gunfight and four others, among them a Deputy Inspector General, were injured when a grenade that the militants had carried exploded while they were pulling out the bodies.

Veterans pay tribute to retired army soldier Ram Kishan Grewal who committed suicide on OROP issue, at Jantar Mantar. PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 3The suicide by subedar Ram Kishen Grewal (retd) has brought the focus back on OROP (One Rank, One Pension) scheme.Though OROP has been granted by the government and arrears disbursed, the use of the term ‘OROP’ is being questioned by protesting veterans, who claim this is not the version promised by the Rajya Sabha committee led by Bhagat Singh Koshiyari in 2011.The government has allowed equalising pensions every five years – which is unprecedented – but the veterans want an annual increase.Though OROP benefits have been given to 20.63 lakh retired soldiers, owing to procedures and red-tape, almost one lakh are still waiting for the same. Subedar Grewal was one among the ‘anomaly’ cases, which was at the bank’s end, the SBI in Bhiwani.As per an internal note of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), most complaints relate to problems with banks. A large number of pensioners live in remote areas where banks are still coming to grips with the new calculations. The MoD has now arranged for special officers in such branches. Furthermore, banks have been directed to release OROP arrears to those pensioners whose papers are yet not complete. This can be done in due time, they have been told.Meanhwhile, Justice Narsimha Reddy has submitted a report on — Rs 3,866 crore as part of first installment and the remaining for second installment. The total annual financial burden of OROP is Rs 7,500 crore (arrears Rs 11,000 crore). Sources in the MoD clarified that subedar Grewal was entitled to OROP, laying to rest speculation on the social media if he was elegible for the same.A majority of anomaly cases are being sorted out by the Ex-Servicemen Welfare cells.

Lt Gen beats military favourite, is seen as less of a hawk who believes extremism is a major threat to Pakistan

BAJWA IS CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE GENERAL HEADQUARTERS AS INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR TRAINING AND EVALUATION.

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, seen as a dark horse in the race for the post of Pakistan Army chief and considered to have extensive experience of affairs in Kashmir, emerged on Saturday as the successor to Gen Raheel Sharif.

Bajwa, a career infantry officer from the Baloch Regiment, will take over when Gen Sharif retires on November 29, the Pakistani media reported. Besides Bajwa, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose Lt Gen Zubair Hayat as the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, the reports said.

Much of the speculation about the next army chief centred round Hayat and Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, and Bajwa wasn’t seen as a frontrunner.

Prime Minister Sharif finalised the names of the two generals on Saturday and an official notification was expected shortly.

Sources in Islamabad said the debate in recent weeks within the Pakistan Army’s hierarchy was whether the next chief should be a general well versed with counter-insurgency operations or someone who could strike a balance between the drive against militant groups and countering India following the spike in tensions on the Line of Control.

With some sections of the military leadership believing that Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the counter-insurgency drive initiated by Gen Sharif, was winding down, Bajwa was perceived as the right fit given his expertise in Kashmir and along the LoC, the sources told Hindustan Times.

Despite its recent focus on counter-insurgency operations, the Pakistan Army remains – as former army chief Ashfaq Kayani once put it – an “Indiacentric” force that exercises immense influence on foreign and security policies. For the political establishment, Bajwa was seen as a better candidate as he is believed to be one of the generals who counselled against any adventurism by the army during the 2014 dharna by opposition leaders Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri. That protest had considerably weakened PM Sharif’s PML-N government.

At that time, Bajwa headed the Rawalpindi-based X Corps, the Pakistan Army’s largest formation that is responsible for operations along the LoC.

Within military circles, Bajwa is also perceived as “less of a hawk” than some of his contemporaries and sources said he is believed to consider extremism is a major threat for Pakistan.

As Bajwa’s name did the rounds in recent days, there was a whisper campaign that suggested he was not fit for the post as his family reportedly had links with the Ahmedi minority, which has been declared “non-Muslim”.

These reports were dismissed by the establishment and PML-N Senator Sajid Mir, who made the claim on social media, recanted.

“The selection has been entirely on merit and the choice has been made in the best way possible,” said defence analyst Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood. He said the four contenders were running neck and neck as they were all equally competent and qualified.

Brig (retired) Mahmood Shah said the choice for Prime Minister Sharif must have been a very difficult one. “At the end of the day I think merit has been kept in mind,” he added.

Bajwa is currently serving in the General Headquarters as inspector general for training and evaluation, the same position held by Gen Sharif when he became chief in 2013.

NEW BOSS ACROSS BORDER

Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa belongs to the infantry’s Baloch Regiment

He is currently serving as the inspector general of Training and Evaluation at the army’s headquarters

Lt Gen Bajwa commanded the X Corps, the Pakistan army’s largest deployment along the LoC

While in Congo on a United Nations mission in 2007, he served under former Indian army chief Gen Bikram Singh

He will be Pakistan’s 16th Army chief

Islamabad, November 25

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif adviser on foreign affairs told the country’s parliament on Friday that it was willing to hold peace talks with India but only Kashmir was part of the agenda.

Sartaj Aziz, who is scheduled to visit India next week for the Heart of Asia conference that will be held in Amritsar, told the National Assembly during a debate on cross-border shelling between the two countries that Pakistan “would not accept any Indian influence or hegemony”.

“We are ready for dialogue with India on the condition that Kashmir dispute is also included in it,” he said, claiming Pakistan remained firm on bringing up the dispute at international forums.

“Pakistan will continue to support the Kashmiris right to self-determination which is totally indigenous and led by the Kashmiri youth,” he said. “We will continue extending political, diplomatic and moral support to them (Kashmiris) on international and bilateral forums.”

He also said Pakistan would respond to what it calls “truce violations by India, which Aziz claimed was “diversionary tactic” to take the world’s attention away from “atrocities” in Kashmir.

He also said Pakistan had written letters to foreign ministers of P-5 countries to bring their “attention to Indian aggression” on its civilians.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that India could not afford to let Kashmir’s freedom struggle “reach its successful end”.

“If the Kashmir movement reaches its logical conclusion, the other movements there will also achieve success. This will be the undoing of Indian state,” he said, as he accused the neighbour of supporting terrorism in Pakistan.

“We have unambiguous evidence about Indian interference in our territory and dossiers in this regard have been presented before the world community,” he said.

Pakistan and India have accused each other of truce violations and deliberately targeting civilians in the cross-border shelling that have escalated since India conducted a military strike on terrorist launch pads in Pakistan’s territory in September. The strike came 10 days after some militants struck an army camp in north Kashmir’s Uri. — PTI

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 24

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested an RS Verma, Assistant Garrison Engineer, Western Command, Chandimandir, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the partner of a private construction company.The CBI has registered a case under Section 7 of the PC Act, 1988, against him on a complaint received from the partner of the private construction company. It was alleged in the complaint that three bills amounting to Rs14 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, for the construction contract carried out at the GE, Western Command, Chandimandir, by the private construction company were pending with the Sub-Division, GE, Chandimandir.It was further alleged that the said bills were to be released by the accused for which he demanded Rs 60,000 from the complainant. The CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 as the first instalment. Searches are going on at the official and residential premises of the accused.“Our raid is on to find out more case-related facts and ascertain since how long this wrong was being done,” a CBI official said.

Scholarship for wards of Army personnel launched

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 24

Aryans Group of Colleges, Rajpura, launched “Aryans Special Scholarship Scheme for the wards of Army personnel” here today.General JJ Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd) (ex-Army chief) and former Governor, Arunachal Pradesh, was the chief guest on the occasion. Kulbir Singh Dhillon, Dean, College Development Council, Punjabi University, was the guest of honour, while Dr Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, presided over the event.Under this special scheme, 50 students will be benefitted who would get 50 per cent scholarship in various courses being offered at Aryans i.e. BTech, MBA, BBA, BCA, Diploma, GNM, BA, B.Com, ANM, LLB, BA-LLB, etc. This scholarship can be availed by wards of Army personnel – all ranks, Paramilitary personnel, Territorial Army personnel, etc.General JJ Singh (retd), after the launch of the scheme, said this special scholarship was very beneficial for the wards of external and internal securities who have spent the prime time of their lives in the service of the motherland.Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, said there were various Army schools where children of Army personnel get good education. But after schooling, they had to go to private colleges for professional education where fee structure is high. Now, new avenues were being opened by Aryans, especially for children of Army personnel.

Lt Gen BS Negi (right), GOC-in-C, Central Command, during a demonstration of bridge laying training activities in Chandimadir on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Tribune News Service

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Lucknow-based Central Command, Lt Gen BS Negi, was on a three-day visit to the Headquarters, Western Command, Chandimandir, as part of the continuous process of achieving greater synergy towards better operational preparedness. The Central Army Commander held discussions with his Western Army counterpart Lt Gen Surinder Singh where aspects of strategic cooperation, effective utilisation of strategic forces and higher military planning were deliberated upon.Lt Gen Negi also visited a specialist engineer bridge regiment of the Surya Sappers and witnessed operational training activities that included special bridging and rafting operations for rapid induction of mechanised formations. The Army Commander stressed on the need to maintain the highest levels o f operational readiness and commended the Sappers for their specialist skills and high levels of training.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 22

In an effort to cut litigation and heartburn arising out of sudden changes being brought about in the existing promotion policies, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has decided to introduce a “sufficient” time lag between issuance of the new policy and its effective date of implementation.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)According to sources, suitable instructions may be issued for fixing a minimum intervening period in consultation with service headquarters in this regard.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had approved some of the recommendations put forth by a committee instituted to suggest ways to reduce litigation in the armed forces and improve service conditions, sources said.The five-member committee had in its report observed that many controversies in promotion matters have arisen due to sudden changes in time-tested policies or promulgation of amendments without giving time to the environment to absorb such changes, thereby resulting in shifting of goalposts for affected officers. This has led not only led to litigation but also in discomfort amongst some cadres and a perception that the change may have been tailor-made to help out particular individuals or a section of officers.Citing judgments of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the committee had observed that there would be personnel who would have worked towards their aspirations in a certain manner by taking career decisions based on a particular policy, but if the said policy is suddenly changed, then it would amount to shifting of goalposts, a situation that is not allowed as per the law

.Averring that many-a-time perceptional differences have crept into the interpretation of policies because of the services headquarters and the MoD not being on the same grid, the committee said the non-approval of certain important aspects of policy by the MoD had also led to greater litigation.Recommending that changes in the promotion policy of all services to only be brought about after a due analysis and scientific study and after seeking inputs of the environment, the committee had suggested that all major promotion related policies or changes thereon be endorsed by both the services headquarters as well as the MoD before implementation.

‘Time lag’ for smooth implementation

• The Ministry of Defence has decided to introduce a “sufficient” time lag, which could be up to 18 months, between issuance of the new policy and its effective date of implementation
• The time lag is aimed to check any undue advantage or disadvantage to officers in the immediate promotion zone and also give the environment time to absorb and understand changes

Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda calls on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in Jammu on Sunday. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 20

In view of ceasefire violations across the International Border and the Line of Control and other developments, Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda and Governor NN Vohra held extensive discussions here today.They also discussed the security challenges in the hinterland and the nature of action required to be taken by the security forces to enable restoration of complete normalcy in the state.

NEW DELHI: The Navy on Friday formally inducted four types of indigenously developed sonars that will boost its underwater surveillance capability.

The systems included Abhay – compact hull mounted sonar for shallow water crafts, Humsa UG – upgrade for the Humsa sonar system, NACS – Nearfield Acoustic Characterisation System, and AIDSS – Advanced Indigenous Distress sonar system for submarines.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who handed over the sonars to Navy, praised the force along with DRDO, and said he expects more synergy in the coming days. The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL, a Kochi-based laboratory of DRDO

With the induction of these four systems, the underwater surveillance capability of the Indian Navy will get a boost, besides providing a fillip to the quest for self-reliance in this critical area of technology.

Abhay is an advanced activecum-passive integrated sonar system designed and developed for the smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal surveillance/patrol vessels. It is capable of detecting, localising, classifying and tracking sub-surface and surface targets in both its active and passive modes of operation.