Sanjha Morcha

MoD has politicised security for electoral reasons. Opening of cantonment roads shows that by LT GENERAL PRAKASH MENON and RAM GANESH KAMATHAM

Cantonments may be colonial creations in their origins, but that does not mean that the military does not need exclusive spaces.

The opening of cantonment roads to public has become a raging controversy and another point of friction in the civil-military relations. This friction is part of a larger struggle between the civic needs of society and security imperatives for the country’s military assets.

The battle is being waged in an ambience of growing security threats and deteriorating civic infrastructure, which is unable to cope with the steep growth in urban population. Mobility within cities and towns is impeded by traffic density and narrow thoroughfares. Commuting within urban spaces is a harrowing experience. Expanding city space has enveloped most cantonments and in many places, urban commuting can be made easier if passage is permitted through cantonments. But such passage is blocked by the security requirements of the military.

In the government structure, the ministry of defence (MoD) is responsible for ensuring security to military assets. In an era of terrorism, military assets are high-value targets and therefore require a greater degree of protection. The responsibility of provisioning civic facilities is essentially that of the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) at the Union level and the municipal authorities at the state level. It is therefore revealing that the MoD, the guardian of military assets, is playing a role that seeks to alleviate the suffering of citizens, a role which must be addressed by the MoHUA and the state-level authorities. The MoHUA and state-level authorities are completely absent from any deliberation to resolve the commuting problem raised by the local politicians directly with the MoD. This is surprising since in many earlier cases when private parties waged a legal battle with the MoD, the courts have upheld the superiority of military security requirements over civic convenience.

In the case Mani Enclave Welfare Association Vs Union of India, where the Union of India was represented by the MoD, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 26 September 2014 ruled that –

“The principal grievance against imposing restrictions on 9 roads in issue in these cases is that there are no proper alternative roads which civilians can use and if civilians are not allowed to use these roads it would cause grave hardship to them. This is a matter which requires immediate attention of civilian authorities. As the imposition of restrictions on above roads may cause added pressure on alternate roads, which are narrow and not planned to take heavy traffic as contended by the Traffic Police and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), all the concerned authorities shall take expeditious steps to improve the alternate roads so that ordinary people are not subjected to any inconvenience. Conscious of the difficulties of commuters, the army authorities have imposed restrictions in a phased manner and such decision cannot be held as one made in an arbitrary manner. Subject to security concerns and training schedules, it is for the General Officer Commanding to allow civilian traffic on the subject roads till alternative road network is developed. It is necessary for the civic administration to rise to the occasion and take immediate urgent measures so that the civilians are not put to inconvenience and hardship in commuting by using alternative roads that are available. The GHMC and the Hyderabad District Collector shall file a report to this Court on the steps taken in this regard within two months from the date of receipt of copy of the judgment. For the aforesaid reasons, the Writ Petitions and Public Interest Litigations fail and the same are hereby dismissed.” See full judgment here.

From statements emanating from the MoD, it is apparent that the MoD, based on pressure exerted by local politicians, deemed it appropriate to open, as a temporary measure, all “public roads” that were closed to civilians due to security concerns in 62 cantonments. It has also simultaneously appropriated the powers that were vested in the Cantonment Boards and General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC in C) by the Cantonment Act of 2006. Although the appropriation of powers has been veiled through procedural cul-de-sac, the intent is obvious.

Even a temporary closure of public roads on security grounds is now procedurally complicated and nigh impossible to implement. Worse, the security grounds that have been justified by the Local Military Authority (LMA) and GOC in C will be subjected to “legal vetting” by the MoD. The competence of the MoD to subject security assessments to legal scrutiny is questionable. It also means, in practice, that the spirit of Article 258 of the Cantonment Act 2006, which states that the LMA under the oversight of the GOC in C is in the best position to judge on-ground security concerns, has been completely undermined. The end result of such a move has grave security implications.

Based on the directions from the MoD, the army has apparently issued instructions to open “all roads” in the cantonments and put measures in place to only monitor the density of traffic. This “all roads” instruction is obviously a result of poor drafting because the MoD letter pertains to “public roads”, which are on the land that is classified as Class C and is under the jurisdiction of the Cantonment Board. Be that as it may, the idea of traffic density is connected more to civic convenience than to security concerns, for security concerns are related closely to preventing a free avenue to inimical forces. But this issue has already been decided, so what remains to be gained from such an exercise? There is more to the MoD’s behaviour here than meets the eye.

The MoD has politicised security for electoral purposes, by privileging civic convenience over security of military assets of which it is the ultimate guardian. Opening of cantonment roads that have been closed for security reasons enjoys great popular support and justifiably so, considering the hardships of urban commuters. It is the natural proclivity of politicians to key into this popular mood with an eye on electoral gains. The victory processions through roads recently opened to public, the statements of some MPs and MLAs, and posters advertising the role of politicians in getting the roads opened offer ample proof. In the process, it has turned civic society against the armed forces who are seen as wanting to retain their “colonial privileges” within cantonments. Cantonments may be colonial creations in their origins, but that does not mean that the military does not need exclusive spaces. This is an unfortunate and undesirable fall out.

While the MoD must be cognizant of the demands of civil society, its primary concern is the defence of India. It should, therefore, review the closure/opening of roads from a security perspective and also attempt to assuage the difficulties of citizens. Its attempt to undermine the security judgements of military commanders when it has no competence to do so is fraught with serious implications to national security. Currently, it seems to have defected to the side of civic convenience from its natural abode of national security.

If the defection by the MoD is not arrested, the natural trajectory would be the usurping of military lands by the nexus of corrupt politicians and powerful estate lobbies in the name of another popular sentiment that understandably envies the military occupying prime urban locations. It is not that such an onslaught on military lands have not happened before, but even when defence ministers themselves were complicit, the Service chiefs have stood their ground.

Now, if the opening of roads on A1 land (land exclusively for military and not administered by the Cantonment Board) in Secunderabad, despite a favourable high court ruling, is any indication, the danger is a pliant military leadership and an MoD that has defected. It is a deadly combination and sounds the death knell for striking a just balance between military and civil requirements.


Lt Gen (Dr) Prakash Menon, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is Director, Strategic Studies Programme, Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.

Ram Ganesh Kamatham is a Research Fellow at Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.


Ambala war widows get Veerangna cards

Ambala, June 17

Deputy Commissioner Sharandeep Kaur has handed over Veerangna cards to eight war widows in her officer here.The cards will allow war widows priority access to government offices of the district. They will be spared the burden of making endless rounds of offices to get their work done.Along with Veerangna cards, the DC gave gratitude letters to war widows, saluting them for the sacrifices made by their husbands.The district administration will also issue Gaurav cards to families of unmarried martyrs.Col VM Sharma (retd), secretary of the District Military Board, said 54 Veerangna and four Gaurav cards were to be issued.Of the total beneficiaries, 21 are from Naraiangarh sub-division, 20 from Ambala Cantonment, nine from Barara and eight from Ambala City.The onus would be on the office concerned to attend to Veerangna and Gaurav cardholders on priority, the DC said.Acceding to the demand of war widows, the DC instructed the Secretary, District Sainik Board, to organise a camp for them and guide them on job avenues. War widows will also get help in getting bank loans. — TNS


NCC commander inspects city’s Air Squadron

NCC commander inspects city’s Air Squadron

Chandigarh NCC Group Commander Brig RS Thakur (centre) being briefed by Wg Cdr MR Pandeya (second from left) at No. 1 Chandigarh Air Squadron on Friday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 15

Two cadets from NCC’s No.1 Chandigarh Air Squadron have been selected to join the Army as commissioned officers during the current training year. This is in addition to five cadets from the squadron who joined the forces during the last training year.Chandigarh NCC Group Commander Brig RS Thakur paid an inspection visit to the squadron here on Friday.The unit’s commanding officer Wg Cdr MR Pandeya said the city’s Air Wing cadets had also excelled at national and international competitive events.Apart from reviewing the unit’s training activities, Brigadier Thakur visited the aeromodeling section and took stock of the projects being undertaken there.He also awarded appreciation certificates to Dr Rakesh Thakur, caretaker officer of the Air Wing at the Post Graduate Government College, Sector 11, and to Rajinder Prasad of the unit for contribution to the NCC activities.He interacted with other officers and staff members of the unit. Congratulating the unit for excellent achievements in 2017-18, Brigadier Thakur emphasised the role of the NCC in the personality development of the youth and motivating them to become disciplined citizens.


2 militants, army jawan killed in encounter in Kashmir’s Bandipora

2 militants, army jawan killed in encounter in Kashmir's Bandipora

The operation is still in progress. Tribune file

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 14

Two militants and a soldier were killed on Thursday in an encounter in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, Army said.The fierce gunfight broke in the morning at Panar forest in Bandipora, 60 km from here, where a massive anti-militancy operation has been going on since June 9.“In the ongoing operation, two terrorists were killed and an army soldier was martyred,” Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.The operation is still in progress.The identities of the slain militants and the soldier could not be established immediately.The Army has been carrying out massive combing operations in a dense forest area at Panar from Saturday to trace out a group of militants who were hiding in the area after infiltrating into the Indian territory recently.During the past six days, security forces and militants have exchanged fire on at least six occasions. But each time the militants managed to give security forces the slip in the forest area. The Army, however, maintained a tight cordon around the forest to ensure that militants did not escape.The first contact with the militants was established on Saturday evening when a patrol party of the Army was fired upon by the militants. This was retaliated and the exchange of fire lasted for a brief time.


Lashkar ultras behind Army camp attack in Bandipora

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 6

A group of five to six Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants are giving sleepless nights to security forces in the Hajin area of Bandipora district.The group was involved in the firing on Army’s 13 Rashtriya Rifles camp and a police installation in the vicinity of the camp in Hajin on Tuesday night.“It is the same group of the Lashkar that is active in the area which carried out the attack on forces on Tuesday night,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bandipora, Sheikh Zulfikar Azad said.Azad said militants fired at the camp from across the Jhelum and at a distance of nearly 200 m. “It did not look like a fidayeen attack. They had to cross the river to reach the camp,” the SSP added. “The militants fired a few gunshots and also lobbed two grenades propelled by under barrel grenade launcher,” he said.The SSP said sentries guarding the police installation and the Army camp retaliated the fire and there was no injury in the attack.A search operation was also launched around the camp. Soon after the attack, the Army had said the militants resorted to standoff firing on security forces.Another security officer said they had “advance inputs that militants may try to do something in the area”.“Last year on June 5, security forces had foiled a fidayeen attack on a CRPF camp at Sumbal in the vicinity of Hajin. So we were expecting that Lashkar will do something around this date,” the officer said.The Lashkar owned the attack on the Army camp. The outfit claimed that a few soldiers were killed in what they termed a “fidayeen attack”.


In nod to ties with India,US renames Pacific command

‘HOLLYWOOD TO BOLLYWOOD’ The Indo­Pacific Command spans 38 nations

WASHINGTON: The US has renamed its Pacific Command as the IndoPacific Command, a move widely seen as an acknowledgment of its growing defence ties with India, even if largely symbolic.

GETTY IMAGES■ The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, in April 2017.“In recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans, today we rename the US Pacific Command to the US Indo-Pacific Command,” secretary of defence James Mattis said in Hawaii, the command’s headquarters, at a change of leadership ceremony on Wednesday.

“Over many decades, this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstance and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west,” he said, adding that the command is “our primary combatant command, it’s standing watch and intimately engaged with over half of the earth’s surface and its diverse populations, from Hollywood to Bollywood, from polar bears to penguins”.

The move was also seen to signal the increasing focus on a part of the world that is close to China, which has been described by the Trump administration as a “strategic competitor”.

The newly renamed Indo-Pacific Command is one of the six US geographical combatant commands and its area of responsibility spans 38 countries, including India, China, Australia, Japan, and the Asean countries.

Officials from both India and the US described the rechristening as significant but symbolic because nothing is going to change materially. Though an Indo-Pacific strategy is expected to be announced by the US at a later stage, it could put more meat on the bare-bones name-change.

India-US defence ties have grown rapidly in the last few years, especially after President Barack Obama in 2016 declared India a “Major Defence Partner”.

These growing defence ties are never publicly acknowledged to have anything to do with China, but there is no other issue or challenge that drives the world’s two largest democracies closer strategically, other than their shared concern about terrorism.

“Without focused involvement and engagement by the United States, and our allies and partners, China will realise its dream of hegemony in Asia,” Adm Harry Harris, the outgoing chief of the command, said. “We should cooperate with Beijing where we can, but stand ready to confront them when we must.”

And there is Russia, a longtime trusted defence partner of India that has watched the growing India-US ties with some alarm. “American Raj,” said RT.com, a Russian state-funded media outlet, said in a headline on a report on the rechristening of the US command, in an attempt to exploit India’s colonial history.


Very SAD!! An UNGRATEFUL NATION!! FORGETS 1971 WAR HERO

Wreath laying at Parsi Cemetry Ooty. It incl the imdt family members of Fd Mshl Manekshaw & offrs of DSSC
how soon nation forgets army heros,  we only remember politicians. Is any body in media remembering Sam on his death anniversary?
 Very SAD!! An UNGRATEFUL NATION!!
IMG-20180628-WA0153

Policeman, 4 IS militants killed in Kashmir gunfight

ENCOUNTER More than 20 civilians injured in clashes with the police

SRINAGAR: Four militants suspected to be running a local module of the Islamic State (IS), a policeman and a civilian were killed in Nowshera village of Anantnag district on Friday in the first encounter between militants and security forces since Jammu and Kashmir came under Governor’s Rule two days ago.

WASEEM ANDRABI/HTJammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid (R) carrying the coffin of policeman Habibullah who died on Friday. He was critically injured in a militant attack in the J&K capital last week. (Right) A police officer comforts the wife of the slain cop.

More than 20 civilians were injured in clashes between the police and local residents that erupted in the neighbourhood. The local villagers were trying to break a police cordon to help the militants escape.

All four militants, including the leader of the module Dawood Sofi, were locals who, the police said, were inspired by the ideology of the IS. It is the first time the local police have admitted that members of a militants’ module inspired by IS ideology had been killed in any operation.

Jammu and Kashmir director general of police, SP Vaid, said that the militants used to post on a website of the IS information about any attack they carried out on J&K police or the Central Reserve Police Force in J&K.

“The IS has no infrastructure in Kashmir. This group was headed by Dawood Sofi; earlier they were affiliated with Tahreek-ul-Mujahideen. In our records they were the only four (remaining IS-inspired) militants present in Kashmir,’’ he said, adding that a few of its members had died in an encounter in the past. “This group had carried out many attacks on the police and the CRPF.’’

Governor NN Vohra took charge of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked out from its alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party, forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign.

On Friday morning, after receiving credible information about the presence of the militants in Khiram area of Sirigufwara in Anantnag, a search was launched by a joint team of the army, CRPF and J&K police.

As they advanced towards a house where the militants were suspected to be holed up, gunmen inside opened fire, hitting policeman Ashiq Hussain and a civilian, Mohammad Yousuf Rather, 53, and his wife. Hussain and Rather died of their injuries.

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Rifleman Aurangzeb laid to rest Family ready to sacrifice lives for country, says martyr’s father

Rifleman Aurangzeb laid to rest

Family and relatives of Rifleman Aurangzeb during his funeral at Salani village in Poonch on Saturday.

Tribune News Service

Jammu/Rajouri, June 16

Mohammad Hanief, the grief-stricken and distraught father of Rifleman Aurangzeb, who was abducted and later killed by militants on Thursday, said his family was ready to sacrifice for the nation. He said the Tricolour must fly in Kashmir.Amid patriotic slogans, the braveheart was laid to rest with full Army honours at his native Salani village in Poonch district on Saturday. Despite the fact that it was Eid, hundreds of people came to the village from far-flung areas to attend his last rites. The body draped in the Tricolour was first airlifted to Jammu and then to the Sagra Army helipad near Aurangzeb’s village.“My son sacrificed his life for the nation and kept his promise. I was in the Army and my elder son is in the Army too. My third son is studying engineering in Mumbai. Our family is ready to sacrifice our lives for the nation. My sons were coming home for Eid, but those ‘lootere (referring to militants) didn’t let it happen,” he can be heard saying in a video that has gone viral on social media.Rifleman Aurangzeb of 44 Rashtriya Rifles was abducted and killed by militants in Pulwama district when he was on his way home to celebrate Eid on June 14. He was part of Major Rohit Shukla’s team, which eliminated top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger. He had boarded a private vehicle for Shopian, from where he was supposed to go to Rajouri district. The terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan.His bullet-riddled body was found by a team of police and the Army at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district.In the video, the martyr’s father can also be seen asking an Army man why Pakistani flag was being unfurled in Kashmir. “Kashmir is ours. Why is Pakistan’s flag flying in Kashmir? Why not the Indian flag? The Indian flag should be hoisted here,” Hanief says in the video.On Friday, he had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to avenge his son’s murder within 72 hours. “I give PM Modi 72 hours to avenge my son’s death or else we are ready to take revenge on our own. Kashmir is ours. We must not let Kashmir burn. Instead, we must eliminate the goons who are destroying the Valley,” said the ex-serviceman.Blaming the political class for the present situation in Kashmir, the dejected father said they were responsible for the death of soldiers to reap political benefits.He also blamed Pakistan for the killing of his son and said the neighbouring country was inflicting serious damage on India, which needed to be repulsed.At the Sagra Army ground, floral wreaths were laid by Javed Rana, MLA, Mendhar; Pardeep Sharma, MLC from Poonch; and senior Army and police officers.


Pakistan SC bars Pervez Musharraf from contesting election

Pakistan SC bars Pervez Musharraf from contesting election

File photo of Pervez Musharraf. Reuters

Lahore, June 14

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday withdrew a conditional permission earlier granted to former President Pervez Musharraf to contest the upcoming General Election after his counsel informed that the former military chief was unable to return to the country.

A four-member Bench of the apex court heard the case pertaining to Musharraf’s return on Thursday. He requested more time to return to the country, however, the court refused to entertain his requests after granting a day-long extension in the June 13 deadline, Geo News reported.

“Musharraf wants to return to the country but cannot owing to the current situation and Eid-ul-Fitr holidays,” his counsel told the bench during the hearing of a case filed by the former President in 2015 against the rejection of his nomination papers in the 2013 general election.

In response, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said that “we’ll adjourn the court hearing till indefinite time period, will hold it on your wish”.

The Secretary-General of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said that the former Army chief’s legal team will be applying for an extension.

“We will request them to set a date after Eid-ul-Fitr. If they agree, Musharraf will return,”  Mohammad Amjad Chaudhry told The Express Tribune.

Earlier, the court assured Musharraf’s counsel that the former President would not be arrested upon appearance. It also allowed the returning officers to receive his nomination papers for the upcoming election. However, it had said acceptance of his nomination papers would be subject to the final decision in the present case. — IANS