SRINAGAR:Five soldiers who went missing after a pathway cleared in the snow caved in in Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Saturday have been rescued, officials said, as the Valley reeled under unprecedented snowfall over the past few days.

PTIA child lights candles during a special prayer ceremony for the soldiers killed in avalanches, in Jammu, on Saturday.

An army spokesperson said the soldiers who were on patrol near a camp in Machhal sector when they were buried under several feet of snow are undergoing treatment. Snow tracks are pathways carved out through snow to facilitate movement of men and vehicles.

The fresh incident came two days after two avalanches killed 14 soldiers in the Gurez sector near the border between Indian and Pakistan.

Separate avalanches buried a military post and swept away a patrol on Wednesday night in Gurez, burying a total of 21 Indian soldiers. Seven soldiers were rescued. Earlier, an army major was killed in an avalanche in Ganderbal district.

Several civilians have also been killed in the recent incidents. Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius.

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

Meanwhile, the arterial Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, choking supply of essentials to the Valley where prices of commodities have more than doubled in the past week.

“The Srinagar-Jammu road continues to remain closed for vehicular traffic in view of landslides at many places along the 294-km road. The road is slippery in certain snowbound areas,” an official of the traffic control department said. He said inclement weather was hampering efforts to restore traffic on the arterial highway. The official said as soon as the road is trafficworthy, the stranded vehicles along the highway will be cleared for movement

PANCHKULA: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Republic Day announced free coaching facility for the wards of defence personnel and paramilitary forces to prepare for all competitive exams, including those conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).

The chief minister was speaking in Panchkula during a statelevel function.

While paying tribute to the freedom fighters and martyrs, the chief minister said the government had prepared a scheme with budget provision of ₹3 crore for providing free coaching facility for competitive exams of IAS, IPS, RCS, HPS, engineering, medical, NDA and banks to the children of serving soldiers as well as the ex-sevicemen.

Reiterating his government’s commitment for the welfare of the ex-servicemen and serving soldiers, Khattar said brave soldiers and martyrs had laid down their lives for the unity and integrity of the country. The state government has also set up a separate ‘department of sainik welfare’ to provide various services to ex-servicemen of the state in a more efficient and effective manner.He said that the present state government had so far given ex-gratia employment to 101 dependents. Also, the government had revised scholarships for cadets studying in Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, from ₹35,000 to ₹50,000 per annum, he added. He said the present government was ensuring all-round development in the state with the mantra of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’. The government has introduced 170 e-services of 23 departments so people can get various services at their doorstep. The CM also took salutes from the contingents of police, home guards and NCC among others who participated in the Republic Day parade.

4 more bodies found, Gurez avalanche toll touches 21

Army spokesperson says search operation has ended as all soldiers stuck under heavy snow following the avalanche in Gurez sector of Bandipora have been traced

From page 01 SRINAGAR: Bodies of the four more soldiers who went missing after avalanches struck an army camp and patrol in Gurez area of Jam mu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district have been recovered, taking the death toll to 14. The overall toll has now reached 21 in the Valley.

PRO DEFENCE(Left) The avalanches swept away an army camp of 51 Rashtriya Rifles taking the lives of three soldiers. Kashmir has been witnessing one of the severest winters since 2006 and 1992.

Army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said the search operation had been stopped .“Were covered four more bodies which were part of the army patrol. Every soldier has been accounted for,” he said.

A series of avalanches struck army installation sand residential houses in Bandipora on Wednesday after Kashmir valley received record snowfall in a decade in the month of January.

The avalanches swept away an army camp of 51 Rashtriya Rifles taking the lives of three soldiers. A J CO( junior commissioned officer) and six soldiers were rescued from the camp.

Another avalanche struck an army patrol in the same region from which seven bodies were recovered on Thursday. Four member sofa family were killed in the district after their house collapsed due to heavy snowfall.

In a separate avalanche in Gan de rb al district, an army major also lost his life on Wednesday.

Kashmir has been witnessing one of the severest winters since 2006 and 1992, with heavy snow across the territory and temperature dropping to minus 7 degrees Celsius. But conditions are expected to improve from January 27, said director meteorological centre, Sonam Lotus.

Police said heavy snow damaged 13 houses, three shops and a shrine in Budgam and Ganderbal districts. About 150 people were evacuated on Wednesday from avalanche-prone Khadiyall and Ismarg villages of Gurez.

Since the beginning of heavy snowfall on Tuesday, at least seven civilians have died in the Valley including four members of family in Bandipora.

SOLDIER WAS TO GO ON LEAVE, SAYS FAMILY

With his leave sanctioned, soldier Devendra Soni was waiting for a replacement to arrive so he could proceed for home when an avalanche struck his Army camp in J&K and claimed his life.

Now the family of the 24-yearold Soni, attached to 51 units of National Rifles, awaits his mortal remains which are expected to arrive Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

“I was informed by the National Rifles headquarters about Devendra’s martyrdom yesterday (Thursday) evening. His mortal remains would be brought tomorrow (Friday) to Jabalpur and then to Shahdol,” Devendra’s father Vijay Soni said. Soni was among the 14 soldiers who were killed after avalanches struck their post on Wednesday in Gurez sector of Kashmir.

The dead soldier’s father recalls that he had tried to talk to him on January 20 but failed to get through due to inclement weather.

“I tried to call him on January 20 as his leave was sanctioned. But, he could not be contacted due to bad weather,” he said.

An absence of cross-border attacks with links to militant presence in Pakistan and a more visibly stringent approach towards these actors are necessary prerequisites for any US President to consider an out-of-the-box approach to Pakistan’s liking

THE Indo-US strategic partnership has been a source of constant tension in Pak-US ties in recent years. The US has pursued ‘de-hyphenation’ ie dealing with Islamabad and New Delhi relatively independently of each other. Central to this has been its hands-off approach on contentious Pak-India issues.Donald Trump has excited the Pakistani policy space by hinting at his willingness to reconsider the US line. Pakistani officials in touch with Washington have been trying to determine if Trump will actually consider a more proactive effort to improve Pak-India ties.While there’s no definitive answer, one can point to factors that will influence the Trump White House’s final policy. President Obama’s experience is a starting point. Candidate Obama was explicit in promising a regional approach to South Asia during the 2008 campaign. His reasoning confirmed an appreciation of the link between Pak-India tensions and their fallout on Afghanistan: to solve Afghanistan, one needs improvement on the Pak-India front. India shot down his idea and US policy recoiled to its de-hyphenation default.The Trump administration will confront the same set of challenges — and more. First, the Washington policy establishment is even more solidly committed to opposing US involvement in Pak-India issues than it was eight years ago. I have challenged the wisdom of this stance given that it contradicts US interest in South Asia. But few accept the proposition. Still, some in Pakistan hope that the Trump team may be less worried about defying Washington’s establishment. Perhaps. But a new administration with multiple policy positions seemingly at odds with this establishment would have to pick its battles carefully. Non-priorities like Pak-India may be ones to sacrifice.Second, Trump’s position on China will complicate things. If Sino-US competition accentuates, India will be even more important as a counterweight to Beijing. India’s leverage over the US would increase, and it will demand that Washington put Pak-India back in cold storage. Pakistan’s backing of China would strengthen India’s case.Third, Afghanistan will influence Washington’s approach. A tougher US line on the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network is on the cards. Pakistan’s likely resistance to fresh US demands to ‘do more’ would imply added tensions in ties, creating more space for critical voices in Washington to oppose US engagement on Pak-India issues.Fourth, Pakistan continues to be its own worst enemy. The state’s policies on anti-India militant outfits can’t win it any champions. The world cannot be expected to reach but the most sceptical conclusion when it sees leaders of anti-India outfits floating around freely and when it finds the Pakistani state trying to avoid sincerely prosecuting those charged with committing terrorism in India. Perhaps nothing has aided India’s global push to isolate Pakistan more than the latter’s mishandling of the Mumbai trials.Finally, any US leader must ask: what is the probability of success? Washington’s bureaucracy is hesitant to put the US president out on such issues without a real possibility of success. The prognosis for Kashmir is anything but. Indeed, it is no coincidence that while Pakistan’s position articulates the need for US involvement, it explains little on how this would lead to a realistic resolution. Even the most committed Trump White House won’t want to set itself up to fail.What could change this calculus? India’s management of its ties with the US is a factor to watch. New Delhi could damage its case by refusing to play counterweight to China. India has been hanging in the balance on the issue but that may not be good enough for Washington going forward, especially if Sino-US tensions heat up. Second, Prime Minister Modi has been presenting the US stance on his efforts to isolate Pakistan as a litmus test of US sincerity to Indo-US ties. If he overplays his hand, Washington may push back, and find more space to invest in trying to improve Pak-India ties.Also, if Sino-US ties do not sour under Trump, the two sides can cooperate in the Af-Pak-India theatre. Both want a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan, absence of Pak-India crises (if not improved ties between the two), and economic integration in South Asia. Theoretically, they could coordinate a policy aimed at incentivising a change in policy attitudes regionally. The US could take the lead in convincing India and Afghanistan while China could work with Pakistan to achieve a transformed regional architecture.That said, no one is likely to go to bat for Pakistan in Washington unless there is a discernible change in the former’s approach towards anti-India and anti-Afghan militancy.

By arrangement with Dawn

Capt, Bittu to fight Badals; Sidhu from Amritsar East and Pargat from Jalandhar Cantt

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 15The Congress on Sunday shifted to top gear in poll-bound Punjab with former BJP stalwart Navjot Singh Sidhu joining its ranks and the party approving fielding of bigwigs to fight Badals in the elections.

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Also read: Capt up for Badal fight

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh will file his nomination from Lambi against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal while Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu will take on Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal in Jalalabad.Sidhu will contest from Amritsar East where his wife is the sitting MLA right now.Former Olympian Pargat Singh will fight from his own segment Jalandhar Cant. These announcements will be made soon as January 18 is the last date for filing of nominations in Punjab.Earlier today, Sidhu met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the latter’s residence after which the party issued a statement welcoming the former cricketer into its fold.Sidhu will mark his formal entry into the Congress tomorrow at 11 am at party headquarters in Delhi.He will address the media in the presence of state Congress in charge Asha Kumari. Kumari said Sidhu met Gandhi today as Gandhi will be away to Uttarakhand for an election tour tomorrow.“Navjot Sidhu will formally address the press tomorrow. I will be there. We have decided not to disturb Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh who is now canvassing in Punjab,” Asha Kumari told The Tribune.Sidhu didn’t want to join before Makar Sankranti as he believes in stars, which were unsettled pre -Lohri. Sidhu’s wife along with ex-Akali Pargat Singh had joined the Congress on November 28.Sidhu had resigned from the BJP in September 2016.Sidhu, who had represented Amritsar in the Lok Sabha between 2004 and 2014, had accused the BJP of using him as a “decorative piece” and trying to keep him out of Punjab.After resigning from the BJP, Sidhu had also formed a new political front in Punjab with India’s former hockey captain Pargat Singh and Punjab MLAs Simarjit Singh Bains and Balwant Singh Bains called “Aawaaz-e-Punjab”.

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Gandhidham (Gujarat), January 28A BSF clerk has posted a video on Facebook in which he has alleged that liquor meant for its personnel was being sold to outsiders and claimed that despite his complaint in this regard no action has been taken.As the video by the clerk, Navratan Choudhary, went viral, BSF officials said it would order inquiry into his complaint.Video courtesy: Facebook account of Navratan ChoudharyThe claim comes close on the heels of a BSF jawan’s video who alleged poor quality food was being served to the personnel in 29 Battalion in Poonch.Choudhary, a resident of Bikaner in Rajasthan, who works at 150 battalion of Border Security Force at Gandhidham in Kutch district of Gujarat, uploaded the video on January 26, in which a civilian is seen carrying liquor bottles.Gujarat is a dry state, where sale and consumption of liquor is prohibited.In the video, Choudhary said, “Our Constitution provides equal rights to all, but we (BSF jawans) are deprived from that as we cannot even ask for good food. If someone complains about this by mistake, he is treated as if he has committed a very big offence, as if we have asked for a fortune and not food.””Everybody wants corruption to end, but nobody is coming forward to end this. Every time only a whistle blower is punished and all rules are applied against him only, but nothing happens to the corrupt,” he alleged.”I am being punished for being an honest and true soldier of this country. Every time I complained about wrongdoings, I was transferred to a new place. But they cannot break my morale.”Now they have crossed all the limits of dictatorship.I can tell you that you can openly do corruption in the BSF, but if you complain about this, you have committed a big crime,” he claimed in the video which runs for over three minutes.”Liquor (meant for jawans) bought from jawans’ saved money, is being sold to outsiders. I registered a complaint four months ago, but no action has been taken yet. So I had to come before the country (like this) to show this.“I am uploading a video, where an outsider is seen carrying liquor bottles (from 150 battalion camp). I registered a complaint, but no action was taken. Let me see what action BSF takes after this (posting a video proof). I will provide more evidences,” he said.Meanwhile, BSF officials said Choudhary is a clerk working with 150 Battalion at Gandhindham, and is currently on leave at his hometown in Bikaner from where he has uploaded the video.”He has a habit of making complains most of which lack basis. He has uploaded video from his hometown in Bikaner, where he is on leave. We have asked him to join back and will constitute an inquiry committee to look into his complaint,” said an official who refused to be named.Earlier this month, BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, posted at 29 Battalion in Poonch, had alleged that poor quality food was being given to the troops posted along the border. The video had triggered a flurry of reactions with the PMO also seeking a detailed factual report on the incident. — PTI

Washington, January 24

Five Sikhs have been granted approval to serve in the US Army with their religious insignia intact, days after the army issued a new regulation under which servicemen who wear turbans, hijabs or beards can be enrolled in the military. The new set of rules has been issued by Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning.“After a 35-year presumptive ban on observant Sikhs, our nation’s largest employer has taken a vital step in embracing policies that reflect the rich diversity of our nation,” said Harsimran Kaur, Sikh Coalition Legal Director. “We look forward to permanent policy change across all branches of the military so that all religious minorities can freely serve without exception,” she said.Private Shabaddeep Singh Jammu, an Infantry Recruit who was born and raised in Elk Grove, California, vowed to follow a path of service after tragically losing his brother in 2013.“The ability to serve my country and faith has been a lifelong goal. I’m now honouring my brother while pursuing a career that serves our nation without compromising my beliefs,” he said. — PTI

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 15

Maj Gen SC Mohanty, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Golden Key Division, laid a wreath at the Golden Key war memorial in Clement Town on behalf of the division to commemorate 69th Army Day here today.He complimented all ranks of the division who had sacrificied their lives in the service of the nation. Maj Gen Mohanty, while remembering martyrs, said their sacrifices would never be forgotten. He said the Golden Key Division had a glorious history of valour and sacrifice which the world saw not only during the world wars but also during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. The day is celebrated every year on January 15 in commemoration of Field Marshal KM Cariappa’s taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander in 1949.He honoured Veer Naris and veterans of the city. In another function, GOC Uttarakhand Sub Area Major General Balraj Mehta laid a wreath at Lal Gate War Memorial to commemorate the Army Day.

Kharga Corps celebrates 69th Army Day

Tribune News Service

Ambala January 15

The Kharga Corps celebrated the 69th Army Day at the Ambala Cantonment on Sunday.Lt-Gen Jaiveer Singh Negi, General Officer Commanding, Kharga Corps, laid a wreath at the ‘Vijay Smarak’ in remembrance of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in service of the nation.Army Day is celebrated to commemorate the ‘Indianisation’ of the erstwhile British Indian Army. On this day in the year 1948, the first Indian General, KM Cariappa (later Field Marshal), took over as the first Commander in Chief of the Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander.