Monthly Archives: August 2018

Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, August 12

Around 150 senior division/senior wing cadets of Lyallapur Khalsa College, Doaba College, MC Polytechnic, ITI Government College (Tanda), GS Khalsa College, Daroli Kalan were honoured with the NCC certificates here on Sunday, in a facilitation ceremony organised at DAV College Jalandhar.Brig HMS Chatwal (NCC Group Headquarters, Jalandhar) was present as the Chief Guest of the ceremony. He congratulated the cadets and wished that they would join the Armed Forces through NCC special entry scheme soon.Brig HMS Chatwaal, while addressing the cadets gave information about Indian Army. He said the holder of C certificate enjoyed priority in exams such as NDA and CDS, as compared to ordinary applicants. He also said B and C certificates provided an edge to the cadets in such exams.He said for the NCC cadets, there are separate vacancies in the army. Apart from these, the hard work of the players has significance in Indian Army. The most of the work for cadets is done by the C Certificate.Throwing more light on the importance of the NCC-C certificate, Brig Chatwaal said, “If you have a C certificate of NCC, you can get a discount for higher studies in Indian universities and institutions.”

The sponsored proxy internal conflict in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed a plethora of methods by the state to break the resistance of the terrorist groups through measures other than military. It needs to be understood why this is necessary despite a clear advantage that the security forces (SF) enjoy in numbers and domination. All over the world it is well understood that with tight control over resources and effective operations the strength of terrorists can be brought down to a minimum but the last remnant can rarely be vanquished. A remnant strength mostly remains which takes up a frustratingly large focus without commensurate results, especially if it has local moorings.. Even marginal success by a lower strength of terrorists helps sustain the movement as is being witnessed in J&K at present. Funeral ceremonies of local terrorists act as motivation for fresh recruitment and the pipeline can be maintained such for a very long time. At intervals a new terrorist leader with a charisma a little beyond the ordinary and better organizational skills will emerge and lead the charge, giving an impetus to the movement until he too is neutralized and another upsurge of sentiment is witnessed. Little do non-military minds realize that this frustrating cycle can continue interminably. Most such minds favor a kinetic approach towards the neutralization of the last terrorist. Yet, this is never achievable because there is a finite amount of resources that the state can deploy in the fight against terror; beyond that it becomes counter-productive. In fact the returns start diminishing. Lower strength of terrorists tempts hierarchies to reduce force levels and this many times may lead to resurgence of terror activity. J&K has witnessed both the above phenomena. The Shupiyan-Kulgam belt has witnessed a resurgence of such activity due to the space made available to the terrorists after downsizing Army presence there. We also saw how the killing of Burhan Wani gave energy to local terrorism leading to resurgence with greater recruitment. Now it seems another charismatic young terrorist leader Manan Wani has emerged in South Kashmir. Manan Wani is a former research scholar from Aligarh Muslim University who was pursuing research in applied geology. He has in all probability joined the Hizbul Mijahideen (HM). Inquiries to me on social media all harp on whether Mannan Wani is the new Burhan Wani of South Kashmir.

To beat the flawed approach of attempting to neutralize the last terrorist we often have weak attempts at trying to break the will of the remnant. One of the ways is through offer of surrender for a reward. It is not easy formulating a surrender policy and it is even more difficult implementing one. Many times in the past we have resorted to such policies and each time these have come to a naught, mostly due to the misreading of the environmental reality, insincerity of the bureaucratic and police follow up and inability to take it to the last. There is no doubt that on many an occasion the exploitation of loopholes leads to financial rackets by some of the marginal elements such as over ground workers (OGWs). In 2003-4 a sincere attempt was made but the process of verification was weak and took inordinately long to inspire any desire on the part of local terrorists and their families to undergo the same. In addition there was any number of weapons available for OGWs to purchase at a marginal price and attempt to surrender these to qualify for the label of a terrorist. To beat that the State Government made it mandatory for an individual to be listed as a terrorist in the list maintained by the local intelligence authority. That had its own negative connotations. In 2006-7 an attempt was made through a surrender policy to attract back to our side some of the young men who had gone across to PoK in the Nineties. Some did manage to return on terms of this policy before it was realized that the Pakistan ISI was attempting to create a few sleeper agents through the legitimate route of the surrender policy. A near similar attempt was made in 2011-13 but again came cropper.

Thus the reported attempt at a new policy having been formulated in J&K under the current Governor’s rule, while being a welcome step, needs circumspection because of past experience. On the face it is revealed that the financial reward is substantially higher at Rs 5-6 lakh, to be placed in a fixed deposit for a lock in period during which the individual has to showcase his good behavior. Rs 5000 per month stipend for living expenses will be available during the lock in period along with some self-employment incentive under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana and Himayat.  It needs to be remembered that there are an undetermined number of surrendered terrorists in J&K; some figures put them as high as 20,000. No sincere attempt was ever made to integrate these elements into society and after an initial period during which they were to give ‘haazri’ (attendance) at local army units or police stations they simply melted into society. While on one hand it is good that the melt in effect took place, there always remains a nagging doubt about their sense of loyalty and desire to re-enter the bush. In fact for long it has been felt that with dwindling infiltration the return of surrendered terrorists always remains an option to continue fueling the separatist/terrorist movement.

What the current hierarchy of security specialists in J&K will have to ensure is that the pitfalls experienced in the last few such surrender policies are closely examined. The financial terms are indeed attractive and this will invite many fraudulent attempts to gain entry to surrender. The successful sustenance of the policy is highly dependent upon the monitoring of the surrendered individuals to ensure they do not subsequently act as OGWs. They also need a degree of security for which some separate incentives can be offered to the mohallas and villages they hail from. Self-employment is important but in J&K this is never easy as people have confidence only in government jobs and these are far and few in a system already bloated with government servants. What is needed in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh is start up activity with more easily available loans. Large scale consultancy is required by the J&K Government with many of India’s corporate houses to examine how ancillary support can be provided from these areas for main manufacturing. Horticulture, tourism including adventure sports, privatized higher education and other traditional methods of employment   must the core areas.

The success of a surrender policy is also largely contingent upon the degree of alienation existing in the environment. Unless more innovative methods are employed to reduce alienation a surrender policy will remain in suspense with dubious takers only. Yet, the establishment needs to be complimented for coming out with such a policy so soon after imposition of Governor’s rule.      

Col Dilbag Dabas (Retd)

Sajjan Singh Yadav, a third generation soldier, was born at Kanina village in Gurgaon district of undivided Punjab on March 30, 1953. Kanina now is in Mahendragarh district. He did his matriculation from Ahir High School Kanina and got himself enrolled in 13th Battalion of Kumaon Regiment. Since there was no caste based Ahir Regiment in the Indian Army, Ahirs, besides in logistical services, were generally recruited in the Regiment of Artillery or in the Kumaon Regiment of Infantry. At present, the overall strength of Kumaon Infantry Regiment comprises almost 30 per cent of Ahirs from all over India but mainly from North and Central India, including Bihar. 13 Kumaon was inducted into Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in 1992 when the entire Kashmir valley had become a hotbed of militancy. As part of ‘Operation Rakshak’, the battalion was deployed in Kupwara district in the Kashmir valley to flush out, eliminate or nab hiding militants. Sajjan Singh, now a Subedar, was the Platoon Commander of C Company in 13 Kumaon, the same Ahir Company which created history 32 years ago in the Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 war with China when its jawans  fought the Chinese ‘till last man-last round’ and 108 ‘Veer’ Ahirs laid down their lives defending the motherland. Subedar Sajjan Singh carried forward the legacy and valour of the Rezang La brave-hearts and performed the most conspicuous act of bravery and self sacrifice during ‘Operation Rakshak’ for which he was awarded the Ashok Chakra (AC), the highest peacetime military decoration. The summary of the fiercest encounter of 13 Kumaon in the Kashmir valley with militants, with Subedar Sajjan Singh in the lead, is available in the War Diary of 13 Kumaon.Subedar Sajjan Singh, AC, belonged to the most courageous part of the Ahirwal where almost every village has a memorial with the names of the martyrs engraved on it dating back to World War I. And military is still the love of lifetime for the Ahirs of this part. Even now, youths in large numbers from Kanina and other villages can be seen queuing up outside the recruiting office Rewari. Col Lilavat Singh Yadav, a veteran from Kanina, proudly claims, “For Ahirs of Kanina and nearby villages, right from World War I, military has not just been another profession, but a way of life, an honourable life”. The summary of encounter in War Diary of 13 Kumaon reads…On April 26, 1994, 13 Kumaon received information that a few militants were hiding in the jungles near Zalurah village, about 4 km north-west of Kupwara, along with inputs about their suspected hideouts. The Battalion immediately cordoned off the targeted area and began searching the dense forests for the terrorists. At 9 am, Subedar Sajjan Singh, as search party commander, spotted two hideouts of militants alongside a narrow and steep nullah. He began moving his party close to the hideout. When the party was about 15 metres from the hideout, militants started firing at them. The intense and accurate fire made it impossible for Subedar Sajjan Singh and his men to make any move forward.Finding the search party in a difficult position, the C Company Commander along with some jawans moved towards the militants so that their attention gets diverted. However, Subedar Sajjan Singh feared that the Company Commander and his party were heading straight into the jaws of death. Not caring about his own life, Subedar Sajjan Singh decided to save the lives of his Company Commander and the men accompanying him. He along with a sepoy frontally charged the terrorists through a hail of bullets. Although he received a burst of bullets in his stomach, he continued to charge, firing from his rifle.Though grievously wounded, Subedar Sajjan Singh pushed himself forward still firing his last magazine. In this fight, some bullets pierced his helmet and head and he fell but not before killing three militants single-handedly.(The writer is a veteran Gunner, 6 Field Regiment)

New Delhi, August 2

The CBI has registered a murder case against Army Major Vijay Singh Balhara and seven others for the killing of a 12-year-old boy in Manipur in an alleged encounter in 2009, the agency said on Thursday.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named Maj Balhara in an FIR filed on Tuesday against the accused in the death of Azad Khan, a Class VII student with no criminal record. Balhara was attached with Assam Rifles and was heading a team when the alleged encounter took place.The CBI’s move comes after the Supreme Court on July 14 directed the agency to go through the records of the case, lodge necessary FIR and complete the investigation on the basis of a report submitted by the Justice Santosh Hegde Commission.Khan’s father Wahid Ali, a resident of Phoubakchao village in Manipur, had deposed before the commission that his son was killed by security personnel in a staged encounter after rounding him up from his home on March 4, 2009.Besides Balhara, Havildar Broason Thanga, then Havildar Suresh Meitei and driver Thangjapo Toithang are named along with four unidentified security persons in the CBI FIR. — IANS

Tribune News Service

Drass, August 19

The Army transformed the trans-Himalayan heights soon after the Kargil war 19 years ago and the measures with additional focus have heightened its confidence level that it can take meet any challenge along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC).The Ladakh region has borders with Pakistan — LoC — and also with China — LAC. The terrain and the forbidding low temperatures that dip to minus 40°C during winter multiply the challenges.Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh’s words during his interaction with media on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Divas on July 26 have become a template for the rules that the troops have to follow in Jammu and Kashmir, the state under assault by the infiltration of terrorists from across the LoC and those getting recruited from within.This kind of infrastructural developments and overall modernisation has increased the overall war fighting capacity of the soldiers. Now, they have the night vision devices and night fighting capabilities. Now, no adversary can surprise the Army.The situation on the LoC, particularly in the Kashmir valley and Jammu region, is connected to the situation in the hinterland. Pakistan is continuing with its infiltration bids and has sought to push a number of infiltrators from across the LoC, particularly the Kupwara frontier, over the past few weeks.For them, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had a stern message that “any terrorist coming from across the LoC will not live for another day. This is the level of the preparedness of our forces.”Within the Valley, the situation is better than the previous years, but the Army has maintained its vigil. The Army is committed to neutralising “those who undertake terrorist activities”.Lt Gen Ranbir Singh made it clear to the soldiers, “Our operations have to be carried out effectively and in a very professional manner.” He demanded of the soldiers “complete respect for human rights and minimal collateral damage during encounters”.The most profound part of the message was that “we should try to ensure that there shouldn’t be any kind of civilian casualties… civilians who are not part of terrorist groups”.This message has percolated down to every soldier on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 12

Her eyes well up when she recites “Qadam qadam badhaye ja”… a song that her husband used to sing the whole night with his comrades from the Indian National Army. However, it seems their contribution has been forgotten long ago, thanks to the Chandigarh Administration, which pays peanuts to its freedom fighters and has not increased their pension for the past one decade. A paltry Rs 2,500 is what Equbal Kaur (84), widow of Lt Harbhajan Singh of the Indian National Army, and five other beneficiaries of the Freedom Fighters’ Pension Scheme get in Chandigarh.  “Just six of us are left now. An amount of Rs 15,000 per month is the complete bill the UT Administration foots for pension of all freedom fighters. Haryana pays Rs 30,000 to each of them,” she says. While in the UT, freedom fighters’ kin get peanuts under Samman Pension, Punjab pays Rs 7,500 and is planning to increase it to Rs 15,000. There are 1,199 freedom fighters in the state.The scheme was notified as Chandigarh Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1994. However, the Administration started paying pension of Rs 250 with effect from October 1993. It was increased to Rs 1,500 on the golden jubilee celebrations of Independence in 1997. The last increase was a decade ago in July 2008 when the pension was increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.The Chandigarh Administration has failed to increase the pension despite the fact that the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the state governments and union territories to link the pension to the Consumer Price Index.In the past one decade, Equbal Kaur has given several representations to the Chandigarh Administration. She says her husband suffered from cancer before passing away in 2008. “However, it was not easy even to get peanuts. I used to hire a taxi to take him to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Sector 17 and then with the help of others, he used to climb the stairs to get the pension every month.”After a lot of struggle, the Chandigarh Administration started direct transfer of the amount. Now, she has given another representation to increase the pension to bring it on a par with neighbouring states. “I don’t wish to be dependent upon anybody, not even my daughters,” she has told the Administration.Equbal Kaur has endless stories to share about her husband — how he was recruited in Hong Kong, got injured in the jungles of Burma and later became a prisoner of war in Nilganj Camp in April 1945.  How just after their marriage, she, along with him, met his two comrades, Chaman Lal and Jaswant Singh, in Delhi and they sang songs of the INA the whole night. “I told their wives, let them sing. They have met after a long time.”After going through a bundle of papers turning yellow over the years and black and white photographs, she fishes out a couple of laminated pages. This is Harbhajan Singh’s pay book from the INA days. Wherever he stayed, he always kept it close to his heart. Perhaps it was the only memorabilia from the INA he had, she says. Then flipping the pages, after a long pause, she casually points to an entry of February 16, 1945, made in fountain pen: “Look! He used to get Rs 150 in 1945. Now, I get Rs 2,500. Can you calculate the difference for me?”

Six beneficiaries in Chandigarh

• Rattan Kaur, w/o Joginder Singh
• Vimla Mehra, w/o Ved Prakash Mehra
• Sarda Devi, w/o Tek Ram Joshi
• Santosh Dhir, w/o OP Dhir
• Nasib Kaur, w/o Arjan Singh
• Equbal Kaur, w/o Harbhajan Singh

Imran Khan’s victory is a positive moment for India-Pakistan relations that should be utilised to commence bilateral dialogue and structured engagement, says Pakistani envoy to India Sohail Mahmood

IN an exclusive conversation with The Tribune, the high commissioner who has remained in touch with senior Indian officials and ministers, says multiple levels of communication and resumption of sporting and cricketing ties will help build confidence between the two neighbours and ties must not be tied down to domestic elections. Smita Sharma talks to Sohail Mahmood. The excerpts:How positive are you about some movement forward in ties with India after Imran’s victory?Chairman PTI Imran Khan in his first public address after the elections reached out to India and outlined a forward-looking vision of bilateral relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s subsequent telephone call to congratulate Imran Khan was another positive development. Beyond the contentions of a part of the commentariat, there is an evidently positive attitude among people of India towards Imran Khan’s victory.Appropriately, this reflects respect for the verdict of the people of Pakistan. There is every reason to build on this positivity and to commence a process of bilateral engagement leading to structured dialogue on all issues.Do you think bilateral exchanges can resume soon? Or will it be difficult as India prepares for elections to be held in 2019? This is a moment of hope and opportunity, which must be seized. Imran Khan has stated that if India takes one step, Pakistan will take two. It will, therefore, be desirable to utilise this window of opportunity and jointly work out a realistic and practical way forward. As for electoral activity in India, it has been said that this is a country of serial elections. This cannot and should not become a reason to postpone business of foreign relations. In any case, India-Pakistan relationship is too important to be kept in abeyance for any length of time.There is a strong perception that Imran Khan may have personal friends in India, but the Pakistan army will dictate foreign-defence policy.Such speculation is unfortunate and detrimental to the cause of fostering better mutual understanding. It will be unwise for anyone to sit in judgment on the competence of a democratically elected leader of a neighbouring country. Equally unwise will be to make motivated projections about its civil-military relations. I can tell you in the clearest terms that all major political parties in Pakistan support a peaceful and cooperative relationship with India, with a just and durable solution of the Kashmir dispute. All state institutions support this primary thrust of Pakistan’s India policy. Its strongest corroboration is found in numerous pronouncements of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa.What confidence building measures (CBMs) should be taken by both countries?The foremost is to have requisite channels of communication and multi-layered interaction. The established institutional mechanisms—such as BSF-Rangers, ICG-PMSA (Indian Coast Guard-Pak Maritime Security Agency), DGMOs (Director General Of Military Operations), 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines and so on—should be kept fully operational. Kashmir and security-related CBMs should continue to be implemented faithfully. Efforts can be made to accelerate progress on the humanitarian track. Facilitate people-to-people exchanges.Bridging the mutual trust gap, fostering better understanding, addressing mutual concerns, resolving outstanding disputes and nurturing a belief in peaceful coexistence are indispensable for a stable and normal relationship. In this regard, the principles of mutual respect and sovereign equality remain critically important. I will also stress the need for taking cognisance of the new reality in Pakistan. Old narratives no longer hold. Developing a balanced perspective on social, demographic, political and economic transformations underway in Pakistan is the key.Are you hopeful Pakistan can host SAARC summit this year?SAARC reflects the shared vision and common desire of all South Asian nations to promote process of socio-economic development through a collective, regional platform as well. Neither the charter’s letter nor its spirit supports stalling the SAARC process on account of bilateral differences. Furthermore, several other member states — which have a vital stake in SAARC’s uninterrupted continuation — have called for reviving the process and holding the next summit. At the SAARC ministerial held on the sidelines of UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) in New York last year, Pakistan reiterated its readiness to host the summit. We hope it can be convened sooner rather than later.The Indian envoy gifted a bat to Imran Khan. Do you think cricketing ties may be resumed?Cricket is indeed a great connector. It is part of the DNA of the Pakistani and Indian nations.The game is undoubtedly at its best when these two giants clash on the cricket field. Our teams faced each other in international tournaments in third countries. But hundreds of millions of cricket lovers in the two countries are yearning to see their stars play in India and Pakistan. Resumption of cricket and other sports ties will help strengthen efforts to bring the two peoples closer, which is essential for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.