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280 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in 3 yrs: CM Zoom Bookmark Share Print Listen Translate

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO THE STATE ASSEMBLY, MEHBOBBA SAYS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO PICKED UP GUN IN THE STRIFE­TORN STATE INCREASED OVER SUBSEQUENT YEARS

JAMMU: From 2015 to 2017, at least 280 Kashmiri youth picked up the gun and joined terror outfits while more than 11,000 security personnel sustained injuries in stone-pelting incidents across Jammu and Kashmir, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti informed the state assembly on Tuesday.

Notably, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had formed the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir on March 1, 2015.

Responding to a query by National Conference MLA from Khanyar, Ali Mohammed Sagar, the chief minister in a written reply said that “as many as of 280 youth joined militancy in the past three years”.

She said in 2015, a total of 66 youth joined militant ranks, 88 youth in 2016 and 126 youth in 2017. Mehbooba also holds the portfolio of home department.

News agency PTI said that according to data placed before Parliament in March last year, there has been a steady increase in the number of youths taking up arms in the Valley from 2014 onwards, as compared to 2011, 2012 and 2013.

To another query, she said that certain separatist leaders including two women were detained under the provisions of Public Safety Act to prevent them from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the state or maintenance of the public order.

The chief minister also replied that as of now, no person affiliated with any recognised political party is under preventive detention.

In the Upper House, the chief minister said as many as 11,566 security personnel were injured in 4,736 stone-pelting incidents in Kashmir during the last three years.

She also said that a total of 110 civilians and two policemen also lost their lives during these incidents.

The chief minister, in a written reply to a question by Congress MLC Naresh Kumar Gupta, said that as many as 9,670 police personnel and 1,896 security forces personnel were injured in 4,736 incidents of stone-pelting in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

She further said that in 2017, a total of 1,690 security personnel were injured, in 2016, as many as 9,235 personnel were injured, and in 2015, 641 personnel were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting.

Meanwhile, the state government also informed the Lower House that as of January 31, 2018, 2,694 prisoners were lodged in different prisons across Jammu and Kashmir.

As per details provided by the government, they were 228 males and eight female convicts; 2,156 male and 88 female undertrials and 213 male and one female detenues under the PSA/ NDPS Act.

The chief minister said details of prisoners (state subjects) lodged in various jails outside the state are not maintained by the home department.

No person affiliated with any recognised political party is under preventive detention as on date, she added.


HEADLINES :::: 05 FEB 2018

  1. (GOG) GUARDIANS OF GOVERNANCE TRAINING IN PROGRESS @ MOHALI ,PB
  2. GOG TRAINING AT GURDASPUR:VISIT BY SR VICE CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN 03 FEBRUARY 18
  3. CAPT, 3 JAWANS KILLED IN RAJOURI LOC FIRING MISSILES FIRED BY PAK; SOLDIER INJURED IN POONCH TOO
  4. GURGAON CAPTAIN, 3 SOLDIERS KILLED IN FIRING ALONG LOC CASUALTIES ‘UNPROVOKED’ ATTACK BY PAKISTAN, SAYS ARMY
  5. NEW DELHI COULD BUY 3,000 ANTI-TANK GUIDED SPIKE MISSILES FROM ISRAEL
  6. FORMER ARMY OFFICER’S BODY LIES UNCLAIMED IN PUNE MORGUE
  7. WILL DEEPEN TIES TO FIGHT SINO SEA CHALLENGES: US AIR CHIEF EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER CHINA’S RISING INFLUENCE IN INDO-PACIFIC REGION
  8. 27 YEARS LATER, PAC MAY FINALISE BOFORS REPORT IN BUDGET SESSION
  9. DECADE ON, CASE AGAINST NAVY CAPT DROPPED CBI CLEAN CHIT TO DISMISSED OFFICER KASHYAP KUMAR
  10. CBI closes case against sacked captain in naval war-room leak
  11. GAMES UNDER A NUCLEAR SHADOW BY SANDEEP DIKSHIT
  12. A NEW BEGINNING TEST OF JUDICIAL STATESMANSHIP
  13. CHINA TIES: PAST IS PROLOGUE INDIA SHOULD HOP ON THE BRI BANDWAGON BY MK BHADRAKUMAR
  14. GUARDIAN OF GOVERNANCE WOULD WORK AS EYES AND EARS OF STATE GOVERNMENT,” SAID SHERGILL.

RSS can prepare an army within 3 days: Mohan Bhagwat

RSS can prepare an army within 3 days: Mohan Bhagwat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. File photo

Muzaffarpur, February 11  Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said the organisation has the ability to prepare an “army” to fight for the country within three days, if such a situation arises.The RSS chief said this while addressing the workers at Zila school ground on the last day of his six-day visit of Muzaffarpur.“Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days which the Army would do in 6-7 months. This is our capability. Swayamsewak will be ready to take on the front if the country faces such a situation and Constitution permits to do so),” Bhagwat said.Sangh is neither a military nor a para military organisation, rather it is like a “parivarik sangathan” (family organisation) where discipline is practised like the Army, he said adding that workers are always happily ready to make supreme sacrifice for their country.Bhagwat exhorted the RSS workers to set an example of good conduct in their personal, family and social life. — PTI


Militants storm army camp in Jammu, kill two soldiers

JAISH ATTACK Women, children injured in living quarters; three ultras neutralised

JAMMU: Militants from the Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) attacked the family quarters in Jammu’s Sunjuwan military camp on Saturday, killing two soldiers and injuring at least nine other people, including women and children, the army said.

NITIN KANOTRA/HTSecurity personnel at the Sunjuwan military station that was attacked by terrorists, in ■ Jammu on Saturday.

A junior commissioned officer (JCO) and one non-commissioned officer were killed and the condition of two among the injured was stated to be serious. Three militants were gunned down by army personnel.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat reached Jammu to take stock of the situation. Special forces personnel were pressed into service to neutralise the militants. Late in the evening the army sent in four tanks, possibly for the final assault on the building where the attackers were holed up.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said around 7.20pm that two heavily armed terrorists, in army combat fatigues, were killed. “They were carrying AK56 assault rifles, large ammunition and hand grenades. A search of their belongings confirmed them to be from the JeM.” A third militant was killed later. Col Anand identified the two deceased armymen as Hony Lt Madan Lal Choudhary and Hav Habibullah Quereshi.

Both were residents of Jammu and Kashmir. Col Anand said operations were being conducted with extreme caution and restraint to safeguard unarmed soldiers, women and children in the houses. Most of the 150 houses in the complex had been cleared and the occupants moved to safety, he added.

“Three to four attackers breached the high security of Sunjuwan military station and were first spotted in the camp around 4.45am. After being challenged, they rushed to the family quarters of JCOs. It is suspected that three to four militants carried out the attack, so there might be one more holed up inside the family quarters,” said a security official who had been briefed about the situation.

The official added that due to the anniversary of the hanging of Afzal Guru, a high alert had been sounded in the state that the JeM may carry out an attack.

This was the second time in the last 15 months that militants struck an army camp in the Jammu region.

The attack led to renewed calls for fortifying military installations Jammu and Kashmir more effectively.

Home minister Rajnath Singh, who spoke earlier to state director general of police SP Vaid told reporters in Delhi that security forces were doing their duty and there was no doubt that the operation would be taken to its logical conclusion. CM Mehbooba Mufti expressed her anguish over the attack saying, “Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in Sunjwan today.”

Not the first attack, ultras stormed Sunjuwan army camp in 2003 too

VULNERABLE AREA The terrorists gained entry into the military station through a nullah, security lapse alleged

The army and other security forces are effectively doing their job and accomplishing their targets. RAJNATH SINGH , Home Minister
Pakistan must stop sending militants to India to avoid war and improve relations. War cannot solve any problem. FAROOQ ABDULLAH , National Conference chief
BJP should be begging forgiveness of the nation for its ‘abject mishandling’ of Jammu and Kashmir. OMAR ABDULLAH, Former CM

From page 01 JAMMU: Seventeen years ago in 2003, on a balmy June morning, two militants had cut through barbed wires to enter the Sunjuwan military base in Jammu to launch one of the most deadly attacks on an Indian defence installation.

NITIN KANOTRA/HT■ Security personnel at the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on Saturday.The attack by the heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba militants (LeT) had left at least 12 soldiers dead and nine others injured, before they were shot dead after a five-hour-long gunbattle.

On Saturday, the military base came under attack again when a group of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed militants stormed the camp.

At least one soldier has been killed in an ongoing encounter between security forces and the militants, whose number was yet to be ascertained.

The attack came amid an alert for possible terror attacks in view of the anniversary of hanging Mohammed Afzal Guru, the 2009 Parliament attack mastermind.

Spread over an area of around seven square km, secured with a compound wall of 10 to 12 foot in height and armed soldiers guarding it round the clock, the Sunjuwan military base in Jammu is a veritable fortress at first sight.

But, as a defence official said, “Though it was a security lapse as two terrorists managed to enter the military station, fidayeen (suicide) attacks are nearimpossible to thwart.”

“The military station has a jungle and dry wetland by the side of it. In fact, the military station was once a wetland and a jungle. The terrorists entered the camp through a nullah on its rear side,” he added.

The officer said that after the 2003 attack, the entire station was fortified with more bunkers, armed soldiers on various gates, concertina wires, digital iron gates and other surveillance gadgets.

He said that defence installations have always been the prime target of Pakistan-based outfits.

A floating population of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar have also settled around the station, whom a former army official identified as potential threats.

The front side of the station faces the Jammu-Srinagar by-pass road where big shopping malls and showrooms of various automobile companies have mushroomed in recent years.

Brigadier SS Saini, a war veteran, blamed previous governments for the attack, saying Rohingya and Bangladeshi settlements were allowed near the base.

“While a military station should not have any constructions within a 100 metre radius from its compound wall, in Sunjuwan, people have constructed their houses right next to our fence,” he said.

Saini also refuted allegations that the attack was due to failure on the part of the army.

“Had it been so, there would have been mass deaths inside the station.The sentry was the first responder and the QRTs (quick response teams) were quick to isolate them,” he added.

Sanjeev Sharma, a banker who lives in Channi Himmat Colony opposite the military station, said the ease with which the militants entered the camp showed that they had done a reconnaissance of the area.

The attack happened in the heart of Jammu, which clearly indicate that militant sympathisers helped them in locating the vulnerable stretch of the nullah to get inside the station, he added.

PAK ARMY SHELLS LOC AREAS IN JAMMUS’ POONCH

JAMMU : Pakistani troops launched mortars shells in civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday, police said.

There was no loss of life or injury to anyone.

“The Pakistan Army launched mortar shells in Khadi Karmara forward areas in Poonch around 11am on Saturday,” the official said.

The shells fell deep inside Indian territory along the LoC, triggering panic and fear among the residents. The Pakistan troops also launched shells along the LoC in Chakan Da Bagh forward area in Poonch, official said.

UNSAFE ZONE

On February 9, three army jawans were injured in intermittent firing and shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Poonch district. On February 8, a 45-year-old woman was killed in shelling by the Pakistani troops along the LoC in Poonch’s KG sector. A total of 18 people, including ten security personnel, eight civilians, were killed in Pakistani shelling this year.

 

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Army Commander visits border areas

Army Commander visits border areas
Western Army Commander Lt Gen Surinder Singh visits the forward areas and interacts with commanders and troops on Friday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, February 9

Lt Gen Surinder Singh AVSM, VSM, Western Army Commander, visited the forward areas of Samba and Pathankot sectors on February 8 and 9. Army authorities said today that the General was briefed by Lt Gen YVK Mohan, GOC Rising Star Corps, on prevailing situation in Jammu and Pathankot region and security arrangements.The Army Commander reviewed the preparedness of the Army in the region and stressed on foolproof security measures. He appreciated the coordinated measures being taken by Army in the border areas.The Army Commander stressed on need of high alertness and operational preparedness in view of the prevailing situation on the Indo-Pak border. He also interacted with commanders and troops during his visit.


HEADLINES ::::06FEB 2018

  1. CAPT KUNDU WAS TO BE BACK HOME ON B’DAY, FEB 10
  2. FAMILIES BID FAREWELL TO BRAVEHEARTS KILLED IN PAK SHELLING
  3. LOC FLARES UP TO ALARMING HIGH USE OF MISSILES BY PAK TROOPS POINTS TO SERIOUS ESCALATION AS GOVT, ARMY VOW REVENGE
  4. LAST SALUTE TO RIFLEMAN SHUBAM LEAVES KATHUA HAMLET SHATTERED
  5. INDO-PAK BORDER HEATS UP THE HUMAN COST OF “MATCHING RESPONSE
  6. ARMY SHALL GIVE PROPER REPLY TO PAK: RAJNATH ON CEASEFIRE VIOLATION
  7. WILL CONTINUE GIVING BEFITTING REPLY: ARMY VICE CHIEF ON CEASEFIRE VIOLATION BY PAK
  8. AMARINDER MOOTS SELF-PAYMENT OF INCOME TAX BY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
  9. WOMEN IN JAG: DELHI HC QUESTIONS ARMY STANCE
  10. MOD’S RS 39,000-CR PLAN FOR MODERNISATION NIXED
  11. THE VERY CRUDE OIL WAR BY SUSHMA RAMACHANDRAN
  12. WHERE ARE THE POOR IN THE BUDGET? BY ASHWINI DESHPANDE
  13. JAITLEY TAX ON BOURSES INVESTORS MUST CONTRIBUTE TO NATION BUILDING
  14. EX-ARMY CHIEF, FORMER CJI TO GET GNDU HONORARY DEGREES

Disturbed’ India mulls options in Maldives

‘Disturbed’ India mulls options in Maldives
President Abdulla Yameen. Reuters file

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6

India is mulling over possible options as it watches closely the sliding situation in the neighbouring Maldives. A day after issuing a travel advisory for citizens against “non-essential travel” to the Maldives, India, which said it was “disturbed” over the situation in the archipelago nation, reiterated its concern over the internal turmoil “following the refusal of the  government to abide by the unanimous ruling of the full Bench of the Supreme Court.” The SC Chief Justice and another senior judge were arrested today in dramatic developments after Emergency was declared by the government of President Abdulla Yameen. The SC had on February 1 ordered the release of political prisoners, including former President Nasheed, living in exile, as well as re-instatement of 12 disqualified MPs.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“The government continues to carefully monitor the situation,” the Indian Government said. Sources dismissed media reports suggesting Indian aircraft and submarines had been put on standby after former President Nasheed’s sought India’s intervention. Nasheed tweeted: “On behalf of the Maldivian people we humbly request:1. India to send envoy, backed by its military, to release judges & political detainees including President Gayoom. We request a physical presence. 2. The US to stop all financial transactions of Maldives regime leaders going through US banks (sic).” Sources said the Defence Attache at Maldives Embassy in Delhi held conversations with officials in Directorate General of Military Intelligence and the latter denied such reports. India is looking at the option of restricting exports to Maldives under the 1981 trade agreement that offers Delhi certain privileges. But this could hurt the people on the ground the most. President Yameen remains defiant. In address to nation, he said: “There is no enforcement of a curfew and general movement, services and businesses are not affected. Nor is travel in and out of or within the country affected.”


Will deepen ties to fight Sino sea challenges: US Air Chief Expresses concern over China’s rising influence in Indo-Pacific region

Will deepen ties to fight Sino sea challenges: US Air Chief
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa with US Air Force Chief Gen David L Goldfein in New Delhi. File photo

New Delhi, February 4

The Indian and the US air forces will significantly step up operational cooperation to complement the strategic interests of the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region, Chief of US Air Force General David L Goldfein has said, while expressing concern over China’s rising military influence over the area.Calling India a “central strategic partner” of the US in pursuing common interests in the region, he said two of the world’s largest air forces were going to jointly shift the focus on the Indo-Pacific region while asserting that the rules-based order must be preserved in the critical sea lanes.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Goldfein, who held extensive talks with Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and the top brass of the defence set-up during his three-day India visit that ended yesterday, said the “Quadrilateral” coalition among the US, India, Japan and Australia would provide for deeper cooperation between the Indian and American air forces.Asked if cooperation between the two forces would deepen in the wake of the four countries joining hands with an aim at containing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, he replied, “I do (think so) and that is a big part of my visit and in my discussions here”.In June last year, two Lancer heavy strategic bombers of the US Air Force had conducted flights over the South China Sea, sending a clear message to China against its military build-up in the disputed area. Three US aircraft carriers — the USS Nimitz, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Theodore Roosevelt — have also been operating in the Indo-Pacific region.“We have common interests in preserving the rules-based order. So while we look for opportunities for partnerships, it is actually appropriate also for us to be critical for those who are trying to change that in ways that may not benefit the region,” he told PTI in an interview here.In November, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending “Quad” to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence.Referring to “Quad” or “quadrilateral coalition”, the US Air Force Chief said there was a natural convergence among four countries to work towards preserving the rules-based order, adding cooperation between Indian and US air forces would increase at several levels. — PTI


Lt Gen Bhatt is 15 Corps GOC

Lt Gen Bhatt is 15 Corps GOC
Lt Gen AK Bhatt takes over as the Corps Commander of Chinar Corps from Lt Gen JS Sandhu. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 1

Lt Gen AK Bhatt has taken over as the 47th Corps Commander of the Army’s Srinagar-based sensitive and strategic 15 Corps, also called the Chinar Corps, an Army spokesman said.Today, Lt General Bhatt took over from Lt Gen JS Sandhu, who was given a befitting farewell at the Badami Bagh Cantonment here. Lt General Sandhu is proceeding to New Delhi to assume charge of the Military Secretary, the Srinagar-based Army spokesman said.Before taking over as the Chinar Corps chief, Lt General Bhatt was the Director General of Military Operations and was in charge of all Army operations, including on the Line of Control.The Army spokesman said that Lt Gen AK Bhatt was commissioned into the 9th Gorkha Rifles (Chindits) and has had an illustrious military career spanning 36 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments.“The General Officer Commanding has an incisive understanding of J&K as he has served here thrice before,” the spokesman said.A graduate of Staff College, Camberley, UK, Lt General Bhatt has also held several appointments at the Army Headquarters and had an instructional appointment at Commando School, Belgaum. The General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps has also represented the country as the Deputy Force Provost Marshal in Lebanon.On assuming charge, Lt General Bhatt conveyed his greetings to the ‘awaam’ of Kashmir and the entire Chinar Corps fraternity.Lt General Sandhu’s tenure will be defined by the successful execution of ‘Operation All-Out’ launched by the security forces in the Valley. During the operation, a large number of militants were eliminated in the Valley.


AF officer detained for ‘spying’

IAF officer detained for ‘spying’
Photo for representation only. Source: iStock

New Delhi, January 31

An Indian Air Force Group Captain, equal to Colonel in the Army, has been detained by the IAF’s counter-intelligence unit for possible espionage and exchange of classified documents,  routed through  a  woman.The officer, an  instructor but not in the flying  branch, struck friendship with the woman on Facebook and then took to WhatsApp over which he passed on certain classified  documents.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Posted at the IAF headquarters in New Delhi, the officer had access to certain levels of plans and documents. Sources suspect he may have been ‘honey-trapped’ after his ties with his woman friend grew deeper. The identity of the woman is not clear. The IAF suspects more people may be involved in the ring.Armed forces officers can have a social media presence but are barred from posting their pictures in uniform, revealing  their place of posting or any official material, information on visits or plans regarding operations.Each letter or document in the armed forces is graded for security as confidential, secret, classified and top secret. — TNS