Monthly Archives: August 2018

Handwara: Two militants were killed in an overnight gun battle in the Qaziabad forest of the Handwara area in Kupwara district, the Army said on Thursday. A search operation launched in the forest area on Thursday morning following the gunfight was called off this evening, a police officer said. “The bodies of the two militants were found during the searches. Their identity, however, could not be established. Some ammunition was also recovered from the forest area during the search operation,” he said. The gunfight which lasted about three hours broke out on Wednesday evening after the militants opened fire on an Army patrol, he said. OCVideo of ultras questioning SPO goes viralSrinagar: A video showing militants interrogating a Special Police Officer (SPO), who was shot at and critically injured by the ultras in Pulwama district, has gone viral on the social media. SPO Aqib Wagay was shot at in his both legs by the militants in Puchal village of the south Kashmir district on Tuesday, leaving him with critical injuries. The video was shot before he was fired upon. The 1.23-minute-long video shows that he was being questioned by the militants for being involved in supply of liquor to villages from an Army camp. Immediately after being shot, Wagay was shifted to a nearby hospital. Later, he was referred to 92 Base Hospital here. A police official said Wagay was recovering in the hospital but his leg was amputated to save his life. PTIVillager killed in landmine blast Jammu: A villager was killed in Poonch district on Thursday when he accidentally stepped on a landmine near the LoC. He has been identified as Imam Din of Bagyal Dara village. Landmines are planted by the Army near the LoC to prevent infiltration. IANS Guv congratulates Real Kashmir FCSrinagar: Governor NN Vohra has congratulated Real Kashmir, a football club in the state, for qualifying the I-League by defeating Hindustan FC in a match held in Bangalore. In a message, the Governor has wished the captain, coach and all team members success in the remaining matches. TNS

Nashik, June 27

A Sukhoi aircraft awaiting induction in the Air Force crashed near here on Wednesday. The pilot and a flight test engineer on board ejected safely before the plane, which was on a routine sortie, hit ground near a grape farm, 25 km from Nashik.The under-production Sukhoi Su-30MKI twinjet multirole air superiority fighter of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) crashed shortly after taking off from the HAL airstrip near the city, police said.“It was piloted by Wing Commander Prashant Nair. He was accompanied by Squadron Leader L Biswal, Flight Test Engineer. Both ejected safely,” it said. Some labourers working in the field where the aircraft crashed, were injured after being hit by splinters and were admitted to the rural hospital at Pimpalgaon.A top official involved with the aircraft production said the crashed Sukhoi was the first of the batch produced at the Aircraft Manufacturing Division at HAL Nashik this year. — PTI

› Such shows can help create the much­needed awareness about the battle as it is a vital part of Sikh history.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 20

Almost a year after Delhi and Beijing were locked in 73-day intense military stand-off at Doklam, the People’s Liberation Army troops conducted a three-day tactical exercise close to last year’s confrontation point at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. The only difference this time was India was informed in advance about the drill.The exercise was conducted from June 6-8 in the southern-most edge of Chumbi valley, which is a Chinese territory located between Sikkim and Bhutan. The last year’s stand-off had started on June 16 and ended on August 28.India closely watched the exercise and an assessment had been made, said sources. Some 500 Chinese troops are now permanently based in the area close to Doklam, “which is the new normal”, said a senior functionary. India has much superior defence with more than 30,000 troops and even a regiment of tanks lined up along eastern Sikkim, which literally overlooks the Chumbi valley — 25 km at its widest and 2 km at its narrowest.In the past decade or so, India has “militarily tailored” its defence set-up along the Himalayas. In early-2004, Delhi stepped up efforts to secure areas along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control—the de facto boundary. Every possible route of ingress is now continuously “war gamed” — it’s the art of predicting future outcomes of military postures of rivals — fine-tuned by regular military exercises, study of satellite imagery and available inputs.In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had, at an informal summit in Wuhan, issued “strategic guidance” to their respective militaries. “Build trust and have a mechanism to prevent incidents in the border regions,” said a statement issued from Wuhan. The local commanders of both sides have been meeting at Nathu La in Sikkim and China had informed in advance about the exercise.China’s control over Chumbi valley has an interesting anecdote. Patrick French, author of ‘Younghusband: The last of the great imperial adventurer’, writes: “The article which allowed British access to Lhasa (after the 1904 annexation) was torn up and Younghusband’s hard-earned indemnity reduced to two-thirds of a more manageable Rs 2.5 million (Rs 25 lakh). The Chumbi valley was to be vacated by 1908.”

Wuhan effect

• After the Wuhan summit in March, Army representatives from both sides have been meeting at Nathu La in Sikkim or China.

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, June 15

The last rites of Rifleman Aurangzeb couldn’t be held on Friday as the helicopter carrying his body couldn’t take off from Kashmir due to bad weather.Hundreds of people had gathered for Aurangzeb’s last rites at Salani village when the news arrived that bad weather had grounded the helicopter carrying his body. The last rites are likely to take place on Saturday now.Aurangzeb, son of ex-serviceman Mohd Hanif, had joined the Army about five years ago. He was on the way home to join Eid celebrations with his family when he was abducted.“Army men stopped a private car outside the 44 RR camp at Shadimarg (Shopian) at about 9 am and requested the driver to drop Aurangzeb at Shopian. As the car reached near Kalampora, it was stopped by the militants and Aurangzeb was abducted. Later, his bullet-ridden and mutilated body was found near Gussu village in Pulwama district,” said the police.“My last contact with Aurangzeb was at 3 am on Thursday before ‘sehri.’ While on the way to Shopian in the car, he contacted his younger brother Shabir. For a few minutes, Shabir could hear Aurangzeb requesting someone to stop the car but then the phone got disconnected,” said Mohd Hanif.Senior officers and politicians visited the aggrieved family on Friday.His father sets 72-hour deadlineRifleman Aurangzeb’s family has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a decisive action on the Kashmir issue. His father Mohd Hanif, an ex-serviceman, said his family would avenge Aurangzeb’s killing if security forces failed to take action against militants within 72 hours

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 11

Emphasising that the onus of peace rests on Pakistan, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Monday said India was “waiting and watching” for quantifiable pointers to indicate if the two ongoing ceasefires in Jammu and Kashmir and on the border with the neighbour have worked.Talking to The Tribune at South Block, Gen Rawat said: “We are waiting and watching if the level of infiltration from across the border decreases manifold over a sustained period; that there are no major incidents of violence in Kashmir valley; and the Amarnath Yatra (starting June 28) goes off peacefully.” These could be the main parameters to judge the success of “peace” initiatives, he added.On May 16, India had announced a Ramzan ceasefire, suspending proactive operations against terrorists in Kashmir during Ramzan (ending June 16), while on May 29, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations called up his Indian counterpart and offered to abide by the 2003 agreed upon ceasefire along the LoC and International Border in J&K. India accepted the offer.On whether the ongoing “Ramzan ceasefire” could be extended, Gen Rawat said: “It is too early to say if there will be an extension.”“Let’s give peace a chance was the thought while accepting the offer (of the LoC ceasefire) made by Pakistan,” he said. Within the government, there is a stream of thought that the Army’s sustained operations in the Valley are actually making more local boys join the ranks of terrorists. The idea behind suspending the operations was to give these boys a chance, even as a political solution is found.Indications from the Army Chief are that there has to be a sustained effort from Pakistan to ensure peace along the LoC and control terrorists backed by it from crossing over into India.So far, infiltration has not stopped. The Army killed six infiltrators on Sunday morning. Within the Valley, there have been incidents of grenade throwing and a standoff attack on the 13 Rashtriya Rifles camp.WhatsApp ban in J&K? Govt to examineNew Delhi: With security agencies flagging the issue of militants and extremists using WhatsApp calling services to take directions from across the border in insurgency-hit areas, including  Jammu and Kashmir, the government has decided to examine the technical feasibility of blocking the facility. The issue came up for discussion during an inter-ministerial meeting, chaired by Union Home Secretary Raji Gauba. TNS