t is a cause for concern that Pakistan has requested China to provide water security as a part of CPEC. This is strategic, given the worsening Pak-India ties. However, India needs to be watchful. The IWT has survived because of India’s benevolence.

River of discord?: The Indus river in Kharmang district, Pakistan

The Indus waters have for long been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan after the division of the drainage basin. The major portion did go to Pakistan but under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) regulations, India can use 20 per cent of the total discharge of this system. Therefore although at a seminal advantage, Pakistan unfortunately has been unable to optimise it. Thus water is becoming an existential issue for Pakistan, with fast-depleting fresh water resources and endangering food security. Further, the storage capacity at the facilities developed by Pakistan is a quarter (indicating a paltry 150 cubic metres per person) of the minimum requirement of 120 days. Further as per Lt Gen Muzamil Hussain, Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan wastes fresh water worth $25 billion annually. India on the other hand, within the constraints of the IWT, has and further endeavours to maximise the utilisation of the western river waters both for irrigation and the generation of hydropower. This is more often than not objected to by Pakistan as it chooses to attribute most Indian projects as some sort of violation of the IWT. Pakistan never hesitates to raise the issue at international forums, where very often it has lost its pleas. Unable to utilise the available water, Pakistan has, of late, requested China to provide water security as a part of CPEC during their sixth joint meeting on the issue in December 2016. This request is being perceived as a vital and strategic, given worsening Pak-India ties. To fulfil their obligation, the Chinese experts visited Pakistan to study the Indus basin’s potential and held a series of meetings with WAPDA’s top mandarins, besides making field visits. They also studied WAPDA’s 2025 Vision and proposed a plan to increase the water storage capacity of Pakistan and also assist in generation of hydropower. Subsequently, they advanced this understanding with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the May Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) conference in Beijing to construct five dams that will form a cascade on the Indus river. The 400-km cascade of dams on the Indus will stretch all the way from Gilgit-Baltistan to the existing Tarbela Dam near Islamabad. China will provide about $50 billion through its agency National Energy Administration (NEA).  It has been reported that the first allocation of funds will take place next year. The proposal includes the construction of (i) Bunji Hydro-power Project (7,100 MW) near Skardu in PoK, (ii) Diamer Basha Dam (4,500 MW) in PoK, (iii) Dasu Hydro-electric Project (4,320 MW), (iv) Patan Hydropower Project (2,200 MW) and Thakot Hydropower Project (4,000 MW). The proposal will effectively convert this huge river into a series of lakes. The proposal is based on the assumption that it will provide requisite water security to Pakistan, in addition to generation of hydropower. The terms and conditions of infrastructural development and operations are still not clear. Perhaps Pakistan is overlooking an important fact regarding the flow of the Indus. The river distinctly flows from an area of higher precipitation towards a drier zone in the plains of the Punjab  and Sindh, where its flow becomes sluggish and highly braided. Further, the quantum of water from the tributaries too is consistently declining. This dire situation may have a direct impact on water availability from a river that is Pakistan’s lifeline. Ample proof is the highly reduced discharge in to the Arabian Sea between 2001 and 2009. The proposed dams may also lead to the submergence of a major part of the Karakoram Highway, initiating displacement and relocation of millions of people who will perhaps lose their livelihood as the agricultural fields will no longer be replenished by deposition of fresh, fertile sediments. The question is: Will the construction of a series of dams be of major benefit to Pakistan?  The IWT has survived so far mainly because of India’s benevolence and strict adherence. It is under tremendous pressure at present due to the existing political situation in the subcontinent and paucity of water in the Indus and its tributaries. The Sino-Pak proposal of constructing dams in disputed territory will put provisions of IWT under severe pressure. With limited space for talks, it is bound to make Pakistan’s water relationship with India extremely tense. The Chinese role may cast a mortal blow to IWT and even force India to withdraw from it. India has to appreciate that inclusion of water security into CPEC essentially is a political choice for Pakistan and China though the issue does not fall within the otherwise commercial mandate of OBOR. We need to understand the nuances of this collusive action by Pakistan and China in PoK and raise objections to the Chinese presence there. In fact, we should press for vacation of PoK by Pakistan as our ultimate aim. 

Indus the lifeline of Pakistan

The Indus river is the largest river as also the national river of Pakistan. It provides the key water resources for the country’s economy, its agriculture, supports some heavy industry and also provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan. Rising in Tibet at an altitude of 5,188 metres near the Mansarovar lake, it flows west and northwestwards before it enters the Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir. It forms a big gorge near the Indo-Tibet border and pierces the Kailash range several times. Flowing through Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit, it finally emerges out of the hills at Attock. Tributaries joining the main river are the Yartag, Zaskar, Dras, Shyok, Shigar, Nubra, Gilgit and Hunza in Jammu and Kashmir. It enters Pakistan near Chilas. Further down, it receives the Kabul, the Kurram, the Tochi and the collective flow of the well-known Punjab tributaries —the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum — and falls into the Arabian Sea near Karachi. The snows and glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges of Tibet, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and Gilgit-Baltistan (PoK), largely feed the Indus system. The writer, the former Chief of Staff Western Command, is an expert on the Indus Waters Treaty

Security establishments say the videos of troop movements being telecast by news channels are more than a month old and were part of an exercise by the PLA mobile unit in Tibet on June 10. PTI file

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 19

An internal assessment by the Indian security establishment says there has been no ‘unusual’ military movement from China’s armed forces in Tibet during the past two months.Nothing that China has done militarily is unusual or could be counted as a ‘red flag’ to observers of the People Liberation Army (PLA).The videos of troop movements being telecast by Indian news channels are more than a month old and were part of an exercise done by the PLA mobile unit in Tibet on June 10. Also, the reports of China’s ‘massive’ mobilisation are misplaced. Since 2009, the PLA has been conducting an annual exercise to rapidly move a mass of troops and logistics across military regions.From an Indian perspective, the ‘red flag’ is the military point of view when a large body of PLA troops crosses over any of the 11 bridges across the Tsangpo River — known as the Brahmaputra in India. It originates at a 17,050 feet high glacier near the Kailash Mansarovar (north of Uttarakhand). It travels 1,100 km eastwards across the Tibetan plateau before taking a sharp southwards turn near the 25,547 feet high Nanjagbarwa Peak to enter Arunachal Pradesh for its destination into the Bay of Bengal. Militarily, the two sides are more or less evenly matched. China’s newly carved out Western Theatre is tasked all along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC). It has 15-16 divisions, each having 12,000 to 14,000 troops.It has five operational airfields in its area and another 4-5 more landing strips that cannot support operations due to lack of logistics and repair facilities. In Xinjiang — north of Jammu and Kashmir also a part of PLA’s Western Command — the PLA has 4-5 divisions that are dual tasked. For, one they look after the China Pakistan Economic Corridor in the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang and also are mandated to swing south-east across the Aksai Chin plateau to face eastern Ladakh.On the Indian side, 13-14 divisions face China. However, the advantage is that India occupies the heights on the Himalayas, while China stations its troops at some distance. A movement for war will give an advance warning. The other advantage is that more than a dozen Indian Airfields are less than 10 minutes flying time away from Tibet. These include Leh, Pathankot, Adampur, Ambala, Chandigarh, Sarsawa and Bareilly in the north. And in the East, this would include Passighat, Hashimara, Tezpur and Bagdogra. Barring Leh (11,000 feet) all Indian bases are in the plains whereas the ones in Tibet are all above 12,000 feet high, severely restricting the ability of fighter jet to take off with full weapon package.

Work together for peace, US tells India and China 

• India and China should work together to come up with ‘some better sort of arrangement’ for peace, the US said on Wednesday, expressing concern over the standoff between their troops in the Sikkim sector
• “I know that the US is concerned about the ongoing situation there… We believe that both parties, both sides should work together to try to come up with some better sort of arrangement for peace,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said
• Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a faceoff in Doklam for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese from building a road in the disputed area  PTI

Shift focus to education, economic development

REDIRECT: Help youth realise the T-shirt slogan. Take to books, success will follow.

BARELY two hours before PM Modi arrived in the White House on June 26, the State Department designated Mohammad Yusuf Shah, better known as Syed Salahuddin, head of the PoK-based Hizbul Mujahideen, as a “specially designated global terrorist” for “committing terrorist acts”  that “endangered the lives of American nationals”. The State Department added that Salahuddin had vowed in September 2016 to “block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers” and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley “into a graveyard for Indian forces”. Salahuddin was a member of the Muslim United Front (MUF) formed in the Valley to contest the Assembly elections in 1987. The emergence of the MUF was a response to the rampant corruption during the rule of the National Conference (NC). Interestingly, the NC was overly tolerant of the Pakistan-backed and fundamentalist Jamat-e-Islami headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Salahuddin participated in the elections which were blatantly rigged. He was defeated in a seat he was sure to win.  Disillusioned with electoral politics, Salahuddin crossed the LoC and was co-opted by the ISI. He soon became the head of the ISI-sponsored Hizbul Mujahideen and the 15-member United Jihad Council, including groups like the LeT and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Salahuddin linked separatist violence in Kashmir with war waged by international terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda and Taliban. He proclaimed: “If the Al-Qaeda, Taliban or any other organisation or country extends a helping hand to the oppressed Kashmiris, we will welcome it.” Like other ageing leaders of armed groups, Salahuddin has yielded his place as a folk hero to newly emerging “social media jihadis” like Burhan Wani in Southern Kashmir. The Kashmir “jihad” of the 1990s witnessed its ebb and tides. With Kashmiris tiring of violence, it inevitably became a movement dominated by Pakistani jihadis from international terrorist groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the LeT. The security forces eliminated Burhan Wani last year. His successor Sabzar Ahmad Bhatt met the same fate a few weeks ago. It seems a matter of time before the South Kashmir jihad is weakened significantly and Pakistan is forced to again rely heavily on its Punjabi jihadis. Within the next two years, South Kashmir’s new young jihadis will likely become as marginalised as members of Kashmiri armed groups that emerged in the 1990s  became.  J&K is the only erstwhile princely state that has remained a hotbed of violence, tensions and intrigues after acceding to India. In his report of a meeting with then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah in May 1950, US ambassador Loy Henderson noted: “Sheikh Abdullah, talking about the future of Kashmir, was vigorous in restating his opinion that it should be independent; that overwhelming majority population desired this independence, and he had reason to believe that some Azad Kashmir (PoK) ministers also desired independence”. There were suspicions that Sheikh Abdullah voiced similar sentiments to American politician Adlai Stevenson in 1953, resulting in his prolonged detention. Following Pakistan’s humiliating defeat in 1971 and the signing of the Simla Agreement, PM Indira Gandhi decided that given his stature, an effort should be made to restore and reintegrate Sheikh Abdullah in India’s national life. This happened after prolonged negotiations with the Sheikh’s representative, Mirza Afzal Beg. Sheikh Abdullah agreed that he would abide by Article 370 of the Constitution and all subsequent measures that had brought the state more into the national mainstream on issues like the powers of the Supreme Court and the Central Election Commission will remain in force. The agreement ensured that there would be no backsliding on the progressive integration of J&K with the Indian Union.The Modi government has been under criticism domestically for its refusal to go by the advice of our “dialogue at all costs” advocates, who would like it to commence talks with the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference. There is no dearth of information that the leadership of the 14-party Hurriyat Conference has acted virtually as agents of Pakistan, with its two major factions, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, constantly fomenting unrest in the Valley. The Pakistani links of both these leaders are well known. A member of the Hizbul Mujahideen assassinated Mirwaiz Umar’s father, Mirwaiz Mohammed Farooq, in 1994. Mirwaiz Umar, who incites mobs against India and the security forces after virtually every Friday prayer, has not raised his voice against those who killed his father. On the contrary, he is known to have received patronage and protection from across the LoC. The ageing Geelani makes no secret of his association with the army-backed Jamat-e-Islami in Pakistan. The NIA, CBI, intelligence agencies and the Enforcement Directorate have enough evidence to charge virtually the entire Hurriyat leadership for sedition and money laundering. It is conveniently forgotten that the autonomy granted to J&K far exceeds the powers exercised by governments in in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Moreover, the Pakistan army is not going to relent on its support for terrorism, unless the domestic and international costs for its sponsoring terrorism become unacceptable. This would require measures imposing increasing political and diplomatic costs on Pakistan, altering realities on the ground within Pakistan and across its borders with Afghanistan. What has been an immense source of encouragement for those genuinely desiring restoration of normalcy in Kashmir is the enterprise and talent of Kashmiri youth in performing brilliantly in competitive examinations, whether for recruitment to the armed forces and paramilitary, or in all-India competitive examinations. The priority of Pakistan-sponsored jihadis has been to eliminate such people physically. This has been accompanied by brutal killings of members of the J&K Police.  Mainstream political parties in the Valley, like the NC and the PDP need to reach out to a wide cross-section of people, including concerned parents, to encourage Kashmiri students to seek business and employment opportunities across the country, with support from the Union Government. This will enhance prospects for peace, progress and economic development in the state. After acceding to the GST, people in Kashmir now have access to a fully integrated market of 1.3 billion people. The Mehbooba Mufti government has sought to focus on economic development in difficult conditions. It needs to be assisted in getting public support to shift the narrative and discourse in Kashmir, from stone throwing and violence, to education and economic development.

Photo for representational purpose only. Thinkstock

New Delhi, July 9

One does not have a fundamental right to keep a weapon and its possession nowadays is more for “showing off” as a “status symbol” than for self-defence, the Delhi High Court has said.

The observation by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva came while rejecting a private company official’s plea for an arms licence, a request which was denied to him by the licensing authority of the police as well as the Lieutenant Governor (LG).

Upholding the decisions of the licensing authority and the LG, the court said, “We are not living in a lawless society where individuals have to acquire or hold arms to protect themselves.”

It said that the object of the Arms Act was to ensure that weapons are available to citizens for self defence, but it “does not mean that every individual should be given a licence” to possess a weapon.

“The object of the Act is self-defence. The grant of Arms license is a privilege conferred by the Act. There is no fundamental right of an individual to hold an arm (weapon).

“Possession of arms today has become a status symbol.

Individuals seek to possess arms mostly for the purposes of showing off that they are influential people. Arms are even being used indiscriminately for celebratory firing at marriages etc.,” the court said.

The petitioner had sought an arms licence on the ground that he daily deals with cash ranging between Rs 2-3 lakh and needs a weapon for his safety and to secure the money.

The court rejected the contention, saying that the cash belonged to the company and if there was any need to protect the money, the company would have taken the requisite measures.

“The amount of cash mentioned by the petitioner is only about Rs 2-3 lakh a day. Merely because an individual deals with cash of Rs 2-3 lakh a day and that also of a third party does not by itself show that there is any threat to that individual,” the court said.

The same view was expressed by the LG while rejecting the man’s plea for an arms licence.

The court said the petitioner has not shown any circumstance that could create a perception that there is a threat to his life.

“License to hold an arm is to be granted where there is a necessity for the same and not merely at the asking of an individual at his whims and fancies,” the court said. PTI

“The Pakistani Army violated ceasefire by using light weapons and MMGs (medium machine guns) along the LoC in the Baba Khori belt of Naushera sector of Rajouri district at 2230 hours tonight,” Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Shahid Iqban Choudhary said.

In another case of ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC), the Pakistani army opened fire on Indian posts in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district late on Sunday night. “The Pakistani Army violated ceasefire by using light weapons and MMGs (medium machine guns) along the LoC in the Baba Khori belt of Naushera sector of Rajouri district at 2230 hours tonight,” Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Shahid Iqban Choudhary said.

This is the latest incident in a series of recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. On Saturday, Indian and Pakistan Armies exchanged heavy fire along the LoC in Digwar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district after Pakistan resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing at Indian positions. This occurred around 7.30 pm.

On July 21, Indian Rifleman Jayadrath Singh was killed in Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir when Pakistani army initiated unprovoked firing in the evening.

There have been 23 incidents of ceasefire violation, one BAT attack and two infiltration bids by Pakistan in June, in which 4 people, including 3 jawans, were killed and 12 injured.

In July, 11 people, including 9 soldiers, have been killed and 18 injured in ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 25

China today continued to send hostile signals on the Doklam standoff. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Indian troops must withdraw as senior Indian officials had openly admitted that Chinese troops “did not enter the Indian boundary”. He also demanded that Indian troops must “conscientiously pull back” from the area if they wanted to resolve the issue.“The rights and wrongs are very clear and even senior Indian officials have openly stated that Chinese troops did not enter the Indian territory,” Wang said yesterday in Bangkok. His comments are significant since this is the first time a senior Chinese government official has commented on the standoff.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“In other words, the Indian side admitted to entering the Chinese territory. The solution is very simple: conscientiously withdraw,” he said in a brief quote posted on China’s Foreign Ministry website today. In another hard-hitting editorial, the state-run Global Times referred to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval as the “main schemer” and also made it clear that Doval’s visit won’t sway the Chinese. Another publication, China Daily, however, hoped that Doval’s visit would help both countries come to a peaceful resolution.In an op-ed, GT made no bones about how China views the issue. The fact that Indian troops need to withdraw as a precondition is the basis for any start to a dialogue, it said.GT drew a dismal picture of Doval’s upcoming visit. “He will inevitably be disappointed if he attempts to bargain on the border disputes,” said the op-ed. Doval’s visit to Beijing later this week is primarily to attend the BRICS NSA meet but China indicated yesterday that a bilateral meet is possible between him and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

Army Vice-Chief has say

• China is expanding influence across Himalayas and is bound to be a “threat” in the coming years, Lt Gen Sarath Chand, Vice-Chief of the Indian Army, said on Tuesday
• Pakistan has better military industrial base and exports more defence equipment than India, he said, coming down heavily on the Indian ordnance factories pti

“The (Doklam) border row this time is an action targeted at China that caters to the demand of India’s religious nationalists,” it claimed. AFP file

Beijing, July 20

The Sino-Indian border row is an offshoot of rising Hindu nationalism in India which has hijacked New Delhi’s China policy and can lead to war between both countries, a Chinese daily warned on Thursday.

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

“Nationalist fervour that demands revenge against China has taken root in India since the border war. The election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fuelled the country’s nationalist sentiments,” said a commentary by the Global Times.

“In diplomacy, New Delhi is demanded to act tougher in foreign relations, especially toward countries like Pakistan and China. The border row this time is an action targeted at China that caters to the demand of India’s religious nationalists,” the article by Yu Ning said.

Chinese and Indian armies have been engaged in a stand-off that began more than a month ago at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the winding Sino-Indian border. This covers the trijunction of India, Bhutan and China.

“The Modi government can do nothing if religious nationalism becomes extreme, as shown in its failure to curb violent incidents against Muslims since he came to power in 2014,” said the commentary.

“India is weaker than China in terms of national strength but its strategists and politicians have shown no wisdom in preventing India’s China policy from being kidnapped by rising nationalism.

“This will put India’s own interests in jeopardy. India should be careful and not let religious nationalism push the two countries into war.

“Since India’s defeat in the Sino-Indian War of 1962, some Indians have been stuck in a zero-sum mentality in dealing with China.

“The war inflicted lingering pain on India and it became a hard knot to untie, leading to an ingrained suspicion of Chinese strategy.

“China’s development is seen as a misfortune to India. The faster China grows, the more fearful they are,” the commentary said. — IANS

Hindustan becoming ‘lynchistan’, says Selja

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 20

Congress leader and former Union minister Kumari Selja today said the 5,000-year-old Hindustan was also being known as ‘Lynchistan’.Speaking during a discussion on the increase in lynching incidents and atrocities on minorities and Dalits across the country, the former minister said while the government was talking about the Dalit progress, it had reduced funds for SC/ST schemes.Talking about the Una incident, she asked, “What would you call those who eat dead animal’s meat due to poverty? The government is talking about action after the incidents, but my question is why these incidents are happening at all… only because of you the mob mentality has risen its head.”“Why these ‘gau rakshaks’ and cow lovers can’t take care of cows which are dying instead of targeting the cattle transporters?” she asked. “With shame I’m saying about the incident in my place Hisar. A mob… people from some of your sister concerns… like the Bajrang Dal came and killed a Muslim guy. What action would you take?” she asked. “The government’s denial mode is not going to help the country. And you cannot become a Hindu by speaking good Hindi, but by becoming a Hindu in heart,” Selja said while concluding.

Don’t give it a political colour: Gujral

• SAD Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral on Thursday urged members to refrain from giving political colour to lynchings incidents, which were forcing investors to stay away from India
• Gujral said the government could talk to the Chief Justice of India for creating a special court for speedy trial of lynching cases, which amounted to acts like ‘terrorism’

Dhanoa in France: Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (R) after a sortie in Rafale during his France visit. PTI

Zhukovsky (Russia), July 19

India and Russia have entered the second stage of negotiations for jointly developing the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and the two sides will sign a contract “in the near future”, a top Russian official has said.Sergei Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec State Corporation, said all decisions over the multi-billion dollar project to jointly develop the FGFA will be finalised in the “near future”. The two nations inked an inter-governmental pact for the FGFA project in 2007.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“As for the 5th generation (fighter aircraft), the work is underway. Stage one is over. Now we are discussing the second stage. And I think in the near future, all decisions will be made and contract documents will be signed,” Chemezov said on the sidelines of Russia’s premier air show “MAKS 2017” here.“But the work is going, it is very complicated, so it is not going fast,” said the head of Rostec, Russia’s umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms.He stressed that Russia was the only country for India that transferred all technologies without any restrictions.Chemezov’s remarks came more than two months after government sources in New Delhi said almost all the ground work had been completed to finalise the deal for the design of the FGFA jet and other critical issues.“The contract for the detailed design would be signed soon and that will be a milestone. It should be signed in the second half of the year,” a top official involved in the negotiations with Russia on the project had said.The official had said both countries were co-developers and India would have equal rights over the technology.In February last year, India and Russia had revived talks on the project after a clearance from then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.Since then, a lot of issues related to work share, Intellectual Property Rights and technology transfer among others have been sorted out between the two sides, along with the monetary commitments. In December 2010, India agreed to pay $295 million towards the preliminary design of the fighter, which is called in India as the “Perspective Multi-role Fighter”. However, negotiations faced various hurdles.Chemezov also talked about Russia’s own fifth generation fighter jet programme PAK FA. “Today one of Rostec’s key milestones is the development of the second stage engine for PAK FA.” — PTI

Martyr Suresh Kumar

Our Correspondent

Kangra, July 15

The state government is committed to help the families of the martyrs who lay down their lives for the safety and security of the nation.Stating this here yesterday, Kangra Deputy Commissioner CP Verma said on compassionate grounds the state government had decided to pay Rs 20 lakh to the family of Suresh Kumar of the CRPF, who attained martyrdom at Sukma in Chhattisgarh on March 11 this year.The Deputy Commissioner said he would visit the martyr’s family at Sunni village in Nagrota Bagwan and will hand over a cheque for Rs 20 lakh to his family. He said the district administration was also at the beck and call of the families of martyrs.The story, “Sacrifice of martyr being ignored: Kin”, was carried in these columns on June 8. It highlighted that the family of martyr Suresh Kumar had alleged disparity by the state government and politicians who ignored his great sacrifice.Martyr Suresh Kumar, who was attached to 219 Battalion of the CRPF, popularly known as Cobra Battalion, was part of the patrolling party for road opening at Sukma in Chhattisgarh on March 11 when Maoists attacked them and he died while fighting the Maoists. He is survived by his 27-year-old wife Neena Devi, a year-old daughter Navya and his aged parents.Suresh was the only bread-earner for his , which is not economically well-off.The Deputy Commissioner presented a cheque for Rs 1.50 lakh to the family on the day of cremation. Mast Ram, father of the martyr, was anguished and pained to see disparity between martyrs of the same CRPF force, who attained martyrdom under same circumstances and at the same situation and location.Mast Ram, 65, alleged his son was given Rs 1.5 lakh as ex gratia financial support whereas the state government gave Rs 20 lakh each to Surender Kumar of Nehar Chowk and Sanjay Kumar of Nagri Chachian of 74 Battalion of CRPF who too attained the martyrdom at Sukma on April 24 this year under the same circumstances.Yesterday, his demand was accepted by the state government.Killed in Sukma attackMartyr Suresh Kumar, who was attached to 219 Battalion of the CRPF, popularly known as Cobra Battalion, was part of the patrolling party for road opening at Sukma in Chhattisgarh on March 11 when Maoists attacked them and he died while fighting the Maoists.