Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 21

The J&K Police have lost 37 policemen this year, the highest in past 12 years. The figure is much higher than the last year’s 32 fatalities.

The slain include 29 regular policemen and eight Special Police Officers — the low paid part-time employees of the J&K Police. In 2006, 78 policemen and SPOs were killed.

The police said a majority of the policemen have been killed this year either at homes or at vulnerable places, and not during any anti-militancy operation.

While senior police officials said the attacks on policemen were “act of desperation” on part of militants, there was a serious concern among the policemen about the attacks.

Policemen, especially those hailing from south Kashmir, have been advised to visit home in times of emergency only. But the latest killings three policemen — two regular employees of the police and one SPO — at Shopian on Friday clearly indicate that they continue to go to homes in high-risk militancy-hit areas.

“How can one avoid home?’’ asked a police official from Shopian district. In the past month, 10 policemen have been killed in south Kashmir districts. “There are constant threats but one has to go home.”

J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said the latest killings were an act of desperation on the part of the militant outfits. “In the recent months, the police have conducted several successful operations against the militants. They (militants) target the police officers because they are soft targets,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Joshi was not only a hero in the 1999 Kargil war but is also a veteran when it comes to dealing with China.

New Delhi: Soldier-diplomat Lt Gen. Yogesh Kumar Joshi assumed charge of a crucial Army corps covering borders with both China and Pakistan over the weekend – a selection that indicates the importance the Modi government attaches to the sensitive region less than a year before general elections.

All choices for corps commanders are carefully studied before the appointments are made.

Yet, in choosing Joshi to command the 14 Corps, Army Headquarters and the government have selected an officer of outstanding merit who was not only a hero in the 1999 Kargil war but who also went on to deal with China in subsequent tenures, and is an expert on India’s eastern neighbour.

The 14 Corps, also known as the ‘Fire and Fury Corps’ was raised as a consequence of the Kargil War.

Also read: One year after Doklam, China intrudes again — in Ladakh

The frontage of Joshi’s Corps, headquartered in Leh, extends from the Drass-Mashkoh-Tiger Hill area where he fought in 1999 as a Lt. Colonel, through Kargil in the west, passing through Batalik and Turtok – all along the Line of Control in western Ladakh.

It includes the 78-km-long Siachen Glacier before turning south and east into the eastern Karakorams, covering Daulat Beg Oldi, the Chushul Valley including the Pangong Tso lake, the Spanggur Gap right up to Demchok and the Tso Moriri Lake near the border with Himachal Pradesh in the south of eastern Ladakh.

An expert on China

The uniqueness that Joshi brings to his office is not only his knowledge of the Chinese language. He also commanded a brigade and a division in the area.

Just before taking over as the General Officer Commanding the ‘Fire and Fury’ Corps, Joshi was Director General, Infantry, at Army Headquarters.

Joshi was Defence Attache to China (2005-2008) and negotiated the technicalities of the first India-China joint exercise “Hand-in-Hand” in Kunming in 2007. In Kunming that year he told this correspondent at the inauguration: “This is a beginning, let us see where this (India-China joint exercises) goes.”

He handled two sensitive positions on the China desk at the Directorate-General of Military Operations subsequently, cutting through patrolling disputes in Chumar and Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi in Eastern Ladakh, and then giving inputs to resolve last year’s 72-day Doklam stand-off.

“Be assured that General Joshi is being specially appointed keeping the complexities of China-Pak relations in Ladakh and his experience and success with both of them,” a source in the defence ministry told ThePrint.

Also read: China builds defences in PoK territory India claims, carries out joint patrols with Pakistan

One of these complexities is a recent joint patrol by Chinese and Pakistani armies in the vicinity of the Khunjerab Pass; the other is that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that overrides Indian interests passing through territories claimed by New Delhi, is now getting into an intensive phase with more Chinese deployments in territories under Pakistani control.

There are also vulnerabilities that get exploited from time to time, a recent one in June-July was at Demchok where suspected PLA soldiers intruded as graziers.

Next Army chief?

“Outstanding soldier, military leader. Did extremely well as CO (commanding officer) 13 JAK Rif during Kargil. Had a great career thereafter…heartfelt congratulations and best wishes,” General V.P. Malik (retired), who was the Army chief during the Kargil operations, tweeted on learning of Joshi’s appointment.

At one point during the war, Joshi, commanding his unit, the 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rif), took over a gun emplacement from a nervous young soldier and began firing himself. In the Bollywood movie LOC Kargil that was subsequently made, his character, essayed by Sanjay Dutt, was known as “Jo”.

Joshi could be in the reckoning as the Army chief after General Bipin Rawat’s scheduled tenure ends in December 2019. But, as Rawat’s appointment has shown, the Centre does not go by seniority or by mere convention in choosing service heads. The Modi government executes its political prerogative to make senior appointments.

Meets new Guv amid heightened militant activity in state

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, interacts with troops in Keran sector on Sunday. PTI

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 2

Close on the heels of the announcement of panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army Chief General Bipin Rawat arrived in Srinagar on Sunday to discuss internal and external security situation with newly appointed Governor Satya Pal Malik.

It was their first meeting together since the new Governor assumed office.

“They discussed several important issues concerning effective management of internal and external security, particularly in the context of increasing attempts at infiltration and the ongoing anti-terrorist operations,” an official spokesman said.

The two held discussions on the urban local bodies and panchayat elections to be held in October-December.

The meeting comes at a time when terror group Hizbul Mujaideen has issued an open threat to those contesting the polls. “People who want to participate in polls should keep their shroud ready,” Hizbul chief operations commander Riyaz Naikoo said in an audio message. J&K Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid on Sunday said they were prepared for the elections.

The state has already retained over 15,000 Central Armed Police Force personnel deployed for the Amarnath Yatra. However, the situation on the ground is quite difficult, especially in south Kashmir, which continues to remain on the edge.

Militant attacks on policemen have risen sharply in recent months. On Eid, three off-duty cops were shot dead and days later, four more were killed. For the first time in decades of insurgency in Kashmir, militants abducted 10 family members of policemen from south Kashmir in retaliation to the detention of militants’ family members. Though they were later released, it is a cause for concern for the police.

The forces, on the other hand, have intensified anti-militancy operations and killed at least 28 militants along the Line of Control or hinterland since August.

Militants are continuously making attempts to infiltrate into Kashmir. On Saturday, three suspected Pakistan militants were killed in Bandipore.

The militant recruitment this year has overtaken the number of local youth who joined militant ranks in 2017. The spike has set alarm bells ringing for the security forces.

Visits Kupwara forward posts

Accompanied by Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited forward posts in Kupwara on Sunday. She was briefed by commanders about the operational preparedness and counter-infiltration grid, said an Army statement.

As per media reports, a holistic review is being undertaken to “restructure” and “right size” the Indian Army to bring about a Revolution in Indian Military Affairs (RIIMA) for its transformation. Four different time-bound studies are underway to achieve an agile structure for field formations, a responsive mechanism at Army headquarters, a youthful profile for officer cadre and optimum terms of engagement and colour service for JCOs and ORs.

Recommendations made by these four reviews will form the basis of “transformation” of the Indian Army. They are expected to be ready for final discussion at the

Army Commanders’ conference, normally scheduled for October.

As per public domain information, terms of reference of the four reviews are based on four assumptions: Combat effectiveness of the Army in both current and future threat scenarios will be ensured, vertical promotional avenues for officers will not be affected, profile of the force remains younger than the existing one and there is no additional financial burden.

Revolution in Military Affairs (RIIMA) is an all encompassing military theoretical hypothesis about the future of warfare connected with technological, structuring and organisational changes to enable the armed forces to fight wars of the future.

If this be so, the proposed study to bring about RIIMA must have government approval. It must be tri-service in nature and the defence minister should be the prime mover. More importantly, the government needs to formalise the National Security Strategy, only after which can it formulate the Force Development Strategy in tune with the RIIMA.

The government has to finance the RIIMA which is a very costly exercise. Thus, RIIMA has to be top-down in concept and bottom-up in execution. Once the recommendations for RIIMA crystallise, trials would have to be carried out before final approval. Funding and execution of such a transformation takes place over 5 to 10 years.

At the moment, RIIMA does not seem to be on the radar of the government. Therefore, in the absence of the above prerequisites, the Indian Army study will remain a standalone exercise for internal reforms and nothing more.

How can the Army ensure that the restructuring and reorganisation will ensure combat effectiveness for present and future threat scenarios, when political leadership has not even formalised the National Security Strategy? How can you carry out technology driven transformation without incurring additional cost?

It would be prudent for the three Chiefs to get together and prevail upon the government to create prerequisites and pilot RIIMA.

During the gestation period of conceptualisation and execution of the RIIMA, there is ample scope for the three services to carry out in-house reforms. To that end, the Army Chief’s initiative to carry out a review to reduce the flab of manpower is laudable. In view of modern weapon systems with much higher accuracy and lethality, there is no point in hanging on to World War 2 structures and organisations. This exercise alone can downsize the army by 25%.

The approach to in-house restructuring and reorganisation must be ruthless and regimentation must not be allowed to interfere with the same. Unit and formation organisations must be function and technology driven and not driven by regimentation, which revels in tradition. In fact, as part of the cadre review, we must examine afresh the entire regimental system. Why must we hang on to the single class (a polite word encompassing religion and caste) units/sub units? Let the recruitment be merit driven with all units to become all India mix. If the officer corps can be selected in this manner, why not the soldiers?

With all our potential adversaries being nuclear weapon armed states like us, the probability of a full-scale decisive conventional war are very low. However, conflict will continue over the rest of the spectrum from fourth generation warfare to a limited conventional war. We need a more agile Army for the 21st century.

All arms battle groups, as is being proposed, are more suited for the kind of wars we are likely to be engaged in. We should make a clean break from existing brigades and divisions. Battle groups must be tailor made and mission oriented. The proposal to do away with the rank of Brigadier and all battle groups to be commanded by Major General suits the new structure. We must be equally ruthless in reviewing organisation of units. Even these can be mission and terrain oriented, with varying number of sub-units. Interoperability, both intra and inter-battle group should become second nature. Our mechanised forces have successfully followed this concept for four decades.

Various aspects of the review underway, will be covered by me in the subsequent columns.

I urge the government to get over inaction and carry out national security reforms to create prerequisites for RIIMA and act as its driver. I wish the Army Chief well in his endeavour to bring about the standalone reforms to improve functional efficiency.

How the Rafale purchase turned out to become a boondoggle — meaning a wasteful, unnecessary or fraudulent project in Americanese — is an interesting story. It tells us how ignorance, vested interests and bureaucratic turf wars hijack our system.

It all began when the Indian Air Force put in a requirement for more Mirage 2000 fighters, to augment its small fleet of these fighters, particularly since they were deemed to have done well in the Kargil War. Since we already operate the Mirage 2000, bought during Rajiv Gandhi’s time, the IAF reckoned buying more under the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) would circumvent the cumbersome procedure of buying a new aircraft. But they didn’t contend with the creative minds of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) bureaucracy when it comes to obstructing any proposal. Complying with the IAF’s requirement, the French manufacturer Dassault Aviation offered the Mirage 2000-5, the latest variant of the original Mirage 2000s purchased in 1982.

But technology and the strategic environment had changed by 2000. The Mirage 2000 was a fighter designed in 1972 and entered service a decade later. By 2000, the competition had moved on. Newer variants of the F-16 had begun entering service and Dassault needed to upgrade the 2000. The Mirage 2000, renamed Vajra by the IAF, did not have the capability to engage multiple targets simultaneously, and its weapons load capacity was smaller than the F-16 variants. Dassault now called it the Mirage 2000-5.

The MoD bureaucrats seized on the “dash five” suffix and deemed it a new aircraft and hence, not covered by the DPP route. There had to be a fresh tender. Since it was going to involve a lengthy procedure, the IAF saw it as an opportunity to buy many more new squadrons. The MIG 21, 23 and 27 fleet was rapidly depleting and so they too had to be replaced. That’s how the tender for the 126 MMRCAs came to be.

We know what happened to the MMRCA shootout. It was a shootout between apples and oranges, involving aircraft of capabilities, tonnages and ranges. Of the six competing, two were single engine light fighters, a better replacement for the fleets being replaced. At that time an IAF officer joked that it was a race between Maruti 800s, Honda Citys and BMWs. After seven long years two contenders were shortlisted: The Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale. The Rafale was chosen.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi suddenly canceled the order for the 126 Rafale aircraft. He was visiting France in April 2015 and announcing the Rafale purchase was his way of crowning the visit. So he announced it quite dramatically. “I have asked President Francois Hollande to supply 36 ready-to-fly Rafale jets to India,” Modi said at a news conference on the first day of a State visit to France. “Our civil servants will discuss (terms and conditions) in more detail and continue the negotiations,” he said, speaking in Hindi through an interpreter.

The official joint statement read: “Government of India conveyed to the Government of France that in view of the critical operational necessity for Multirole Combat Aircraft for Indian Air Force (IAF), Government of India would like to acquire 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition as quickly as possible.”

“The two leaders agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway; the delivery would be in a time frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of IAF; and that the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as had been tested and approved by IAF, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France.”

But did he consult the IAF? The then defence minister Manohar Parrikar too had publicly voiced misgivings about the cost of the fighter. It would now seem only Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence — set up two weeks earlier to serve as Dassault’s offset partner — was privy to this.

In the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR) provided by the IAF, there were 13 “India-Specific Enhancements” demanded by India in the 126-aircraft MMRCA contract. These included radar enhancements, helmet-mounted display, towed decoy system, low-band jammer and the ability to operate from high-altitude airfields.

That these were the same for the 36 Rafale jets ordered by Modi is made clear by the joint statement of 10 April, 2015 issued by Hollande and Modi, which reads: “…that the aircraft and associated systems and weapons would be delivered on the same configuration as has been tested and approved by Indian Air Force…”

There is much noise about the huge costs at which the 36 Rafales have been contracted. The comparable costs of the 126 and 36 deals can only be read when all the costs are factored in. The cost of the new deal for 36 Rafale fighters is €3.42 billion as the cost of the bare planes; €1.8 billion for associated supplies for infrastructure and support; €1.7 billion for India-specific changes to the planes; and €353 million for “performance-based logistics support”; with the weapons package of €700 million being the extra. So take €1,053 million out and you have the comparable cost, which means it is €7.1 billion euros. It appears the fiddle is in the India-specific costs, additional infrastructure and support, and performance logistics support.

But how much more are we paying for the “new” Rafales? According to Air Marshal M Matheswaran (retd.), the officer who participated in the evaluation of the six fighters bidding for the MMRCA contract, the Rafale was chosen as it was “an exceptional aircraft in a multirole capability, but was an expensive aircraft”. According to him the MMRCA tender was cleared “for $10.5 billion for 126 aircraft”. The French Air Force acquired its Rafale for €55 million. The IAF was hoping for a minimum of four squadrons of Rafale fighters, but the Modi government kept the initial order down to 36 fighters in a flyaway condition for €7.8 billion or $9.13 billion (€1=$1.17).

Clearly a huge cushioning has been provisioned to meet the needs of all the parties concerned. Look at these other facts now. According to the Ministry of Company Affairs, Reliance Defence Ltd was registered on 28 March, 2015. On 11 April, Reliance Defence Ltd becomes the main partner to ensure the 50 percent offset clause, under which Dassault and other related French parties would invest half the contract value back in the country.

Government officials insist that 74 percent of the offsets will be exported, earning €3 billion for the country in the next seven years. The experience with all offsets suggests that this is far-fetched. It has not happened so far. In the AgustaWestland offsets, investigators discovered money trails from Mauritius, Singapore, UAE, Tunisia, the UK and British Virgin Islands linking the agents and the manufacturer.

Incidentally, Anil Ambani’s flagship company, Reliance Communications Ltd (stylised as RCom), just defaulted on a major foreign loan and its future ability to fulfil its Rafale offsets commitment should now be in doubt. Recently, IDBI Bank filed an insolvency application before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking debt resolution of Reliance Naval and Engineering, the shipbuilding company, under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Yet Reliance Defence is so confident about fulfilling its Rafale-related obligations. I suspect there are no obligations. Reliance Defence is just a pass through.

Serving IAF officers are now being sent out to justify the purchase at the price now revealed. One IAF-deployed “spokesmen” have even been justifying the Rafale purchase because the package includes the Meteor air-to-air missile. The Meteor is the new game-changer in the air. It increases the “no-escape” zone for a hostile aircraft by about three times. The Meteor is an active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by MBDA. It will offer a multi-shot capability against long-range maneuvering targets in a heavy electronic counter-measures (ECM) environment with range in excess of 100 kilometres (62 miles). According to the manufacturer, in a head-on engagement, the Meteor provides a no-escape zone three times greater than a conventionally-powered missile.

But the Meteor missile is not exclusive to the Rafale. The fact is that the Swedish Gripfen has now been integrated with the Meteor and open sources indicate the IAF too is contemplating integrating the SU-30MKI and the Meteor. Even the Tejas can be fitted out with Meteors. So we are not buying the Rafale for the Meteor. Besides, missile purchases can never be part of the capital cost of a fighter. Since they are expendable, and presumably meant to be expendable, they should be part of revenue expenditure.

Make no mistake. The Rafale is a top class 4+-generation fighter. Perhaps even the best. But we are concerned with prices and pay-offs. If this is a given, we must be happy that we made a good purchase.

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 26

Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal from Samba district is all braced up for the seventh summit. He has already scaled the highest mountain peaks in six continents of the world.

A serving Army officer, Colonel Jamwal, is preparing to scale Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December. By doing so, he will become the first person from the state and from the Army and the ninth Indian to complete seven summits in the seven continents of the world.

The other eight Indians who have achieved the extraordinary feat are late Malli Mastan Babu, Premlata Agrawal, Tashi Malik, Nungshi Malik, Commander Satyabrata Dam (retd), Satyarup Siddhanta, Ankur Bahl and Group Captain RC Tripathi.

Hailing from a small village of Badhori in Samba, Colonel Jamwal has the distinction of climbing the world’s highest peak Mount Everest in 2013, 2015 and 2016, besides undertaking 30 expeditions across six continents. Colonel Jamwal has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Carstensz Pyramid in Australia, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Mount Aconcagua in South America and Mount Denali in North America.

“Both my father and my grandfather also served in the Army. So, it runs in our blood,” Colonel Jamwal told The Tribune over the phone. “Whatever I am today is because of the Army,” Colonel Jamwal said.

“It is always a great feeling when you achieve something extraordinary in life. Scaling mountains in all seven continents was my long-cherished dream which I hope will come true now,” the Army officer said.

Colonol Jamwal said despite announcement of the state award by the government in 2016, he had not received it yet.

“The award was announced a few years ago by the government. In fact, I have sent reminders to the government but there has been no response,” Colonel Jamwal said.

Colonel Jamwal is the recipient of the highest adventure award of India — Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award — which was conferred on him in 2013. He was declared the best mountaineer of India by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation in 2017 and was also awarded a gold medal.

Washington, September 24

India’s reluctance to hold talks with Pakistan will not make Islamabad abandon its efforts to promote peace in the region, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said, days after New Delhi cancelled the foreign minister-level meeting in New York.

Addressing a news conference at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington on Sunday, Qureshi said India used incidents that happened in July to cancel peace talks that it agreed to in September.

India on Friday cited the “brutal” killing of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the release of the postal stamps “glorifying” Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani for calling off the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this month.

“India is reluctant; we will not close our doors,” Qureshi said.

“Hiding away from issues will not make them disappear. It will not improve the situation in Kashmir,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

The foreign minister said he was unable to understand India’s refusal to participate in peace talks with Pakistan.

“Engagement, no-engagement. Coming, not coming. We desired talks as we believe the sensible way is to meet and talk. They agreed, and then disagreed,” he said.

Qureshi said India’s response to Pakistan’s peace offer was harsh and non-diplomatic.

“We did not use a non-diplomatic language in our rejoinder. Our response was mature and measured. They adopted a new approach, and moved back,” he said.

The foreign minister also alleged that Swaraj’s “language and tone was unbecoming of a foreign minister”, the report said.

Asked if tensions between India and Pakistan could lead to a war between the two countries, Qureshi said, “Who is talking of war? Not us. We want peace, stability, employment and improving lives. You identify where is the reluctance.”

Qureshi said Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be mistaken for a sign of weakness.

“We want peace. It does not mean we cannot defend ourselves against aggression. We can, but we do not have an aggressive mindset,” he said.

Qureshi also rejected India’s concerns over the release of postal stamps “glorifying” a slain Kashmiri militant, saying “hundreds of thousands of people are fighting in Kashmir, not all of them are terrorists”.

The foreign minister also reiterated Pakistan’s offer to open the Kartarpur corridor for allowing Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the historic gurdwara on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

India initially agreed to a meeting between Swaraj and Qureshi, but later said it would be “meaningless” to hold talks after the “two deeply disturbing” developments.

Ties between India and Pakistan nosedived following a spate of terror attacks on Indian military bases by Pakistan-based terror groups since January 2016.

Following the strikes, India announced it would not engage in talks with Pakistan, saying terror and talks could not go hand-in-hand. PTI

Pak’s ‘one-trick pony’ act on Kashmir has no resonance in UN: India

New York, September 24

With Pakistan expected to rake up the Kashmir issue during the high-level UN General Assembly session this week, India said a “one-trick pony” could “regurgitate” the same act but “single act plays” had no resonance on multi-lateral platforms like the United Nations.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the UN General Assembly session is a global platform to address global issues, yet each country is sovereign and could do what they feel is in their best interests.

“If somebody else would like to be a one-trick pony, it is for them to regurgitate and act. We have handled this act many times in the past and are confident that we will do so again,” Akbaruddin told reporters here on Sunday.

He was responding to a question on Pakistan expected to rake up the Kashmir issue “at a higher decibel” during the high-level session of the 73rd UN General Assembly beginning at the world body’s headquarters on Monday.

“Our contention is that the UN works best on multilateralism and multi-lateral platforms work best when nations work in partnerships.

“Single-act plays have no resonance in such matters. Anybody can try and be a solo player. However, solo players in a multi-lateral context have neither the past nor a future,” he said, adding that it is a country’s call on how they spent the time allocated to them during the UNGA session.

India works in partnerships, Akbaruddin said, adding that India is proud that its priorities during the General Assembly had great resonance in the international community.

Pakistan has consistently used the platform of the UN General Assembly to rake up the Kashmir issue and its leaders have sought to internationalise it during their addresses in the General Debate. India responds strongly to Pakistan, whose attempts to raise the Kashmir issue every year at the multi-lateral forum have found no resonance with the international community.

Following India’s acceptance of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s request for a meeting, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi were slated to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

However, India called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps “glorifying” Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani.

Khan had tweeted that he is disappointed at the “arrogant and negative” response by India to his call for resumption of the peace dialogue.

When asked about Khan’s response, Akbaruddin said India is a multi-literalist nation and responds to multi-lateral issues of a global nature that it is confronted with. “What you have raised is an issue relating to our bilateral ties. Those will be addressed bilaterally in the format that we desire to address them.”

On whether India would raise strongly the issue of cross-border terrorism during the UNGA session, Joint Secretary for UN Political in the Ministry of External Affairs Dinesh Patnaik said the issue of cross-border terrorism had been raised by the country since 1996 when it put in the idea of the Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism. Akbaruddin said the scourge had been and is a concern for India.

“It’s a global concern. Terrorism is threatening countries across vast spades of land in diverse continents,” he said, adding that terror outfits such as Boko Haram and Islamic State are a threat to several countries across Africa and West Asia.

“Even in our neighbourhood, terrorism has increased as a major threat. This has been our perennial concern and obviously perennial concerns will be articulated in unison with many other countries who are raising this,” he said.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is expected to highlight the situation in Kashmir during his General Assembly address, Pakistani media reported on Monday.

Qureshi arrived in New York over the weekend and is scheduled to address the annual world body session on September 29. PTI

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 21

Three police personnel were abducted from their homes in south Kashmir’s Shopian district and shot dead by Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba militants on Friday, the police said, as a new page opened in the three-decade chapter of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The bodies of Constable Nissar Ahmad and Special Police Officers Firdous Ahmed and Kulwant Singh were found in an orchard across a river, officials said.

A video purportedly from the Hizbul had warned all Kashmiri residents working as SPOs to tender their resignations. There are over 30,000 SPOs in the state.

“We have lost three of our brave colleagues in a barbaric terror strike. We will soon bring all the culprits before law,” IGP (Kashmir Range) SP Pani said. The three policemen were kidnapped in the morning from their homes at Batagund and Kapran villages, police said. The residents of Batagund chased the terrorists and pleaded with them to not abduct the men. The abductors fired shots in the air and threatened the villagers, officials said. The terrorists crossed a river in the area and shot them dead, the officials added.

After the killings, at least 20 SPOs publicly announced their resignations — many via mosques and social media.

However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) called such reports a “false propaganda” by mischievous elements. In a statement, it emphasised that J&K had a “professional and committed police force” which was fully geared up to meet security challenges, including those related to the ensuing panchayat and urban body elections. “There are over 30,000 SPOs and their services are reviewed from time to time. The services of some have not been renewed for administrative reasons. It is being falsely projected that they have resigned.”

Nonetheless, SPO Shabir Ahmad Thokar of Shopian, claiming to have been working with the police for eight years, declared: “Without any fear or pressure, I have resigned. I will sit at home and raise my children with dignity.” Another said he didn’t want to continue on the job as he feared for his life.

“I feel threatened. My family wants me to quit,” declared yet another SPO, who has been part of the anti-militancy operations in the Valley, even as Constable Mukhtar Ahmad Lone of Hanjipora Shopian, posted with the Railways Department in Baramulla, submitted his resignation.

Adviser K Vijay Kumar told The Tribune: “We will consider all inputs. Ours will be a measured, calibrated and a professional response.”

Day began with abductions, ended with funeral of 3 cops

In coordinated raid, militants target two neighbouring villages in Shopian

Majid Jahangir & Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Batagund (Shopian), Sept 21

Slain Constable Nisar Dhobi’s inconsolable wife at the wreath-laying in Shopian

Policeman Firdous Kuchey’s shattered family. PTI/Tribune photos

Nisar Dhobi’s grieving daughter (centre).

On Thursday evening, Firdous Ahmad, 28, a police follower from Batagund — a sleepy village in Shopian — had returned home to announce his public resignation during the Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid in the district due to the constant militant threats. But hours before he could do that, he was abducted by militants along with two other policemen from adjacent villages and shot dead.

The killings of the two police employees and a special police officer have sent shock waves across the country.

Villagers say the toll could have been higher as two other policemen were not present at home when the militants carried out a series of coordinated raids in the two neighbouring villages of Kaprin and Batagund, nearly 11 km from Shopian district headquarters.

Locals and families of the slain policemen said the raids started around 6.30 am in Batagund when a group of militants entered two neighbouring houses of police follower Firdous Ahmad Kuchey and SPO Kulwant Singh. The militants also barged into the house of another policeman in the village, but he was not present.

At Batagund, Firdous, who was posted at the railway police post at Kakapora in south Kashmir, was sitting in his room with his wife when they heard a noise in the corridor. His 18-month-old daughter Arwa and five-year-old son Aman were sleeping that time.

“My husband’s brother Rameez was being taken away by two men, who were asking him are you Firdous? After my husband heard them, he came out and told them he was Firdous. They then got hold of him and took him along. When everyone in the family resisted, they beat upus and also kicked him and took him away,” Firdous’s wife Rukhsana, 30, tearfully says.

Opposite their house, Kulwant Singh was forced out of bed. His mother, Puspa Devi, 65, resisted and ran after the militants, but without any success. Locals even requested the militants to release Kulwant Singh, posted at District Police Lines, Kulgam.

Half a kilometre away, the militant group barged into the house of Senior Selection Grade Constable Nisar Ahmad Dhobi at Kaprin. He was in the toilet when two militants entered his house looking for him.

“Two men came inside looking for him. He heard them in the washroom and came out quickly. The two men told him to get dressed and then took him away,” said Rukhsana Nisar, Dhobi’s wife. Dhobi was posted at Rajbagh in Srinagar.

At Kaprin, Dhobi’s family members and some neighbours even chased the militants and pleaded with them not to kidnap him.

The kidnappers shot in the air and threatened the villagers, a local said. The militants also abducted a relative of a policeman.

Nearly half an hour after the abduction, the three policemen were shot dead in an orchard nearly 2 km from Kaprin. As people heard gunshots, they rushed towards the area and found three bullet-riddled bodies. The bodies were shifted to District Police Lines for the wreath-laying. The militants, however, set free the relative of the policeman before the shooting.

The police said the killings were carried out jointly by the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Toiba

“It is established that the Hizb and Lashkar are behind the killings. The two militants involved in the killings have been identified,” Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Munir Khan told The Tribune.

A pall of gloom descended on the otherwise peaceful villages of the Shopian volatile district. “Kaprin has never seen a gunfight, but today’s killing has shocked everyone in the village. Nisar Dhobi was a gentleman and had not done any harm,” said a local who attended his funeral.

The killings came just days after the “resign or die” threat by militants issued to policemen, particularly SPOs.

Last month, militants in south Kashmir abducted 11 relatives of policemen but set them free later. The abduction followed the detention of Hizbul Mujahideen operation commander Riyaz Naikoo’s father by security forces.