Sanjha Morcha

Punjab mulls policy of promoting gallantry awardees joining police

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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 29

http://Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said his government is making a policy to award a one-rank promotion to anyone who has won a gallantry award and is joining the state police. If any such officers/personnel wished to join Punjab Police, their service and bravery would be given due recognition, said the Chief Minister, while pipping the stars of ASI on the uniform of Kargil war hero Satpal Singh.

Satpal finds mention in Amarinder’s book ‘A Ridge Too Far–War in the Kargil Heights’.

Amarinder had promoted the Vir Chakdra awardee on Friday, from senior constable, in which capacity he was managing traffic in Sangrur district till July 26. DGP Dinkar Gupta was also present at the pipping ceremony.

Amarinder said he had merely set right the wrong done to Satpal by the previous SAD-BJP government, which had ignored the valour of the soldier, and failed to give him the recognition he deserved.

The Chief Minister said he was not aware of the situation and what he had done now was merely a case of “too little too late” for the brave soldier. This should have been done at the time of Satpal’s recruitment in 2010, he added.

The policy to be drafted by his government would leave no scope for such injustice, Amarinder said, making it clear that the policy would cover police gallantry award winners, including JCOs and NCOs, in addition to the jawans of the defence forces.

The Chief Minister said his government is committed to the welfare of soldiers/ex-soldiers whose sacrifices to the nation and its people could not be allowed to go unrecognised.


Financial powers for ECHS officials

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 28

To streamline the functioning of the beleaguered Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and expedite payments, the financial powers of officers at various levels have been enhanced.

From July onwards, the powers of the ECHS Managing Director to reimburse medical bills have been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. The powers of the Deputy Managing Director and Regional Director have been hiked to Rs 8 lakh and Rs 4 lakh from Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively.

Set up in 2003, the ECHS provides free medicare to over 50 lakh ex-servicemen and their entitled dependants through a network of polyclinics as well as empanelled private hospitals and diagnostic centres across the country. The empanelled hospitals, after providing cashless treatment to ECHS beneficiaries, get reimbursement from the ECHS.

Over the years, the scheme has been facing some problems such as budgetary constraints, non-availability of certain medicines and inflated billing by some private medical centres. In 2017-18, ECHS spent Rs 2824.99 crore on reimbursements, which came down to Rs 2142.49 crore in 2018-19 .

Apart from misappropriations in hospital billing, for which certain check procedures like third-party scrutiny and vetting were put in place, a major concern for the beneficiaries was shortage of medicines at polyclinics. At times, medicines could not be purchased because of budget.

The change 

  • The power of the ECHS Managing Director to reimburse medical bills has been increased from  Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh
  • In case of the Deputy Managing Director, it will go up to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 5 lakh
  • Regional Director will be able to sanction reimbursement of up to Rs 4 lakh as against old limit of Rs 3 lakh

Vijay Diwas: Tributes pour in from tricity

HANDIGARH : On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Punjab governor-cum-UT administrator VP Singh Badnore Friday paid homage to the Indian Armed Forces personnel who sacrificed their lives in the Kargil War. While placing a wreath at the war memorial of Bougainvillea Garden, Chandigarh, Badnore said, “This day reminds us of India’s military prowess and the great sacrifices of armed forces, while steadfastly keeping the country safe.” A two-minute silence was also observed in memory of the deceased personnel.

■ Punjab governor-cum-UT administrator VP Singh Badnore laying a wreath during an event to commemorate Kargil Vijay Diwas at the war memorial in Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 3, Chandigarh on Friday.

Punjab chief minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh also paid floral tributes to the martyrs and exhorted the youths to follow their ideals in upholding the country’s sovereignty and integration. Director defence services, Brigadier Satinder Singh, informed the CM that similar commemorative programmes were simultaneously held in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Sangrur. The CM also interacted with the young cadets of Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, Mohali.

KHATTAR LAYS WREATH In a bid to mark the 81st Foundation Day of the CRPF, Shivanand Choubey Memorial Charitable Trust and Environment Saving Society, Chandigarh, took ahead the environmental fortnight campaign. CRPF’s 13th Battalion also supported the campaign and planted 50 saplings.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP’s) basic training centre, Bhanu, organised a five-kilometre run to commemorate the occasion. Under similar initiatives, members of BJP Yuva Morcha’s Chandigarh chapter also visited the war memorial at Sector 3, Chandigarh. UT BJP president Sanjay Tandon was also present on the occasion.

Joining the list of politicians who hailed the sacrifices of Indian soldiers, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar laid a wreath on the war memorial in Panchkula.


Tiger Hill Vir Chakra now directs traffic in a small Punjab town

Kargil Vijay Diwas, 20 years of Kargil, Tiger Hill, Indian army, Vir Chakra, India Pakistan

Kargil Vijay Diwas: “May be I made a wrong decision. I did not get any weightage for my Vir Chakra. Sports persons winning medals are also given higher ranks… I killed a man who was awarded Pakistan’s highest gallantry award. Anyway, God is kind. He kept me alive,” Satpal Singh said.

At a road intersection in Bhawanigarh, a small town in Sangrur district of Punjab, Head Constable Satpal Singh is busy directing traffic. But a close look at his uniform tells you he is no ordinary traffic policeman. On his shirt, he wears four rows of medal ribands, including one that’s half blue-half orange. The Vir Chakra.

Twenty years ago, Satpal Singh was a Sepoy, battling Pakistan Army’s counter-attacks on Tiger Hill in which he killed Captain Karnal Sher Khan of the Northern Light Infantry and three others — Sher Khan was later conferred the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest gallantry award, on the recommendation of the Indian brigade commander who vouched for his bravery on the icy heights.

He was part of the 8 Sikh team of two officers, four JCOs and 46 ORs (other ranks), tasked to help the 19 Grenadiers capture Tiger Hill.

Eighteen personnel, including three JCOs, died while beating back Pakistani attacks on Helmet and India Gate positions on Tiger Hill. Most who survived the battle were wounded, including the two officers Major Ravindra Parmar and Lt R K Sehrawat.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, 20 years of Kargil, Tiger Hill, Indian army, Vir Chakra, India Pakistan

Twenty years ago, Satpal Singh was a Sepoy, battling Pakistan Army’s counter-attacks on Tiger Hill. (Express photo)

“We had reached out position by the evening of July 5, 1999. It was bitterly cold and all we had with us were the clothes we were wearing. Either we could carry extra woollens or extra arms and ammunition. The choice was obvious,” recalls Satpal, now 46.

READ | ‘Want to remember him as a responsible son, a soldier who did his job well’

The first Pakistani counter attack came early July 7, pushing back Indian troops. “The attacks came one after another. We would beat one and then there would be another. The Pakistanis had a good officer leading them.” With the officers and JCOs wounded, Subedar Nirmal Singh, among the injured, retained command and remained in touch with the brigade commander, Brig M P S Bajwa, on the wireless.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, 20 years of Kargil, Tiger Hill, Indian army, Vir Chakra, India Pakistan
Satpal Singh. (Express Photo)

“Before he was killed with a direct hit to the head, Subedar saab told us to shout our jaikara ‘Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal’, rush the enemy and the officer leading them. I took four bullets as I fired my LMG (light machine gun). There was hand-to-hand combat. I pounced on this tall, well-built man dressed in a tracksuit. He was leading the Pakistani troops. There was chaos all around, both sides hurling abuses at each other as they fought. I managed to kill him,” he said.

Read | Pakistani Commanding Officer urged Indian Brigadier for bodies – ‘for paltan’s izzat’

He did not know then that the man he had killed was Capt Karnal Sher Khan. “I killed four of them — the officer, his radio operator and two jawans providing him close cover.” The death of the officer left the Pakistanis in disarray. “We could see him (Sher Khan) leading his troops, using the fire-and-cover method to attack us again and again. He fought well,” he said.

Brigadier Bajwa, Satpal’s former brigade commander, said: “I recommended Satpal’s name for Param Vir Chakra given his exceptional bravery on Tiger Hill. He was awarded Vir Chakra.”

After completing his service in the Army, Satpal was discharged in 2009. He joined Punjab Police the following year. “May be I made a wrong decision. I did not get any weightage for my Vir Chakra. I joined under the ex-servicemen quota. I am a Head Constable now.”

“Sportspersons winning medals are also given higher ranks… I killed a man who was awarded Pakistan’s highest gallantry award. Anyway, God is kind. He kept me alive. I just feel bad for my unemployed post-graduate son,” he said.

ARCHIVES: 20 years ago, here is how India came together to support its Kargil heroes

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Uri to be screened free in Maharashtra theatres on Kargil Vijay Diwas

Uri to be screened free in Maharashtra theatres on Kargil Vijay Diwas

A still from the movie Uri.

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, July 25

The Maharashtra Government has ordered all theatres and multiplexes in the state to organise a free screening of ‘Uri – The Surgical Strike’ on July 26 as part of the Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations.

A media release issued by the state government said Ex-Servicemen Welfare Minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar and senior bureaucrats met with representatives of theatre owners and multiplexes in the state where they were told to hold the special screening for ex-servicemen and students of colleges.

“A special screening of the movie will be held at 10 am on July 26 for ex-servicemen and students of colleges on production of their identity cards,” the media statement said.

The department said film distributors and cinema theatre owners have agreed to the screening.

District collectors have also been asked to co-ordinate between theatre owners and college managements to ensure that the event was a success.

However, owners of several theatres told newspapers here that the screening would leave them in losses since they would have to spend on electricity and air-conditioning.

Later on Thursday, the education department sent out circulars to colleges in Mumbai asking principals to inform students about the screening of the movie in the theatres.


Bezzati ho gayi’: Why honour compels India & Pakistan’s regiments to fire across LoC

Generals on both sides of the border recount how inability to take revenge brings collective shame. And shame is not something a soldier can live with

Ceasefire violations on LoC

If I have commanded a battalion there and have done a lot of fire exchange with the other side as a part of psychological dominance, the officer who replaces me will inherit that confrontation … and that goes on. —Col Ajai Shukla (Retd)

Personal and regimental honour are the lifeblood of soldiery around the world; Indian and Pakistani militaries are no different. Izzat (or honour) is a powerful tool for motivation, which leads men in arms to kill and to get in harm’s way without any hesitation or asking any questions, at a mere nod of their COs. This unique feeling of comradery, fraternity, and discipline can also, however, cause more violence. Responding in kind to the aggression or an attack by the other side is seen as an important element in this hyper-nationalist cosmology. As a senior Pakistani general put it, ‘After Indians kill one of our men, it becomes a matter of honour for Pakistanis to respond in kind’. In situations of that kind, which every commander knows will occur from time to time, honour and strategy make a deadly combination. And the other side knows that there will be no let-up till one retaliatory kill is made.


Also read: Indian Army to buy American howitzer ammunition for use along LoC


Honour goes beyond mere revenge for the fallen men on one’s side [of the line of control]—it is also about the prestige and history of the regiment, handed down through generations and held sacrosanct. While the blood of the dead should be avenged, the honour of the living needs to be preserved as well. Those who have a reputation of being brave must continue that tradition, others will have to earn it—either way, the result is aggression and blood feuds.

Gen. Panag explains how it works in real life on the front lines using an appropriate example. Every regiment, he says, has an honorary colonel, a patriarch of some kind. One day, suddenly he would read in the newspapers that 13 Rajputana Rifles, for instance, has had an incident and suffered casualties. He, stationed somewhere else, would call up the CO and say, ‘Bezzati ho gayi ’, that the regiment has been shamed and now the CO must do something. This will then become a matter of ‘safekeeping’ the regimental prestige and honour for the CO who would be psychologically compelled to act, to take revenge. A failure to do so would not only be a personal setback for the CO but also a collective shame for the regiment. And shame is not something a soldier can live with.

Gen. Ghazi of the Pakistan Army gives a similar example from the time he was posted as the CO on the LoC in 1990: When I went to take command in the area opposite Poonch sector, the orders were in place to curb unnecessary firing by our troops. Earlier, due to some construction activities undertaken by our side, the Indians had blasted our posts with big-calibre anti-aircraft guns and three guys were killed on our side. The LoC had been very live as a result and the divisional commander (GOC) felt that needless provocations had to stop. My predecessor had issued orders not to fire even a single bullet without his personal permission, even if the other side was firing. The morale of the unit plummeted. The CO was removed and I was posted in his place.

When I arrived to take command, I found some troops from the unit standing on the road, blocking my way. They were all Northern Light Infantry (NLI) troops who had a different sense of loyalty and were far more independent-minded than others. When I got out of the jeep, I was told that I wouldn’t be allowed to proceed to my HQ until the problem of ‘murdaar maut’—a humiliating death— was sorted out. I was taken aback by what some may see as mutinous behaviour but I realized that they were right. The other side was firing and these guys had to duck down and keep quiet on the orders of their officers! They were really riled up. So, I asked them to load the nearest weapon they had, identify the target, and fire to their heart’s content. Around five or six men fired for a long time. It uplifted the morale of the battalion immediately and we bonded in a mutual affection that survives to this day. It is another matter that I had hell to pay before my GOC that day for initiating a major CFV on my first day in command! There is also the element of a regiment’s history preceding its induction in a particular area.


Also read: Politicise all you want, but Indian soldiers don’t fight in the name of nationalism alone


The adversary on the other side of the newly inducted sector/area would come to know about the reputation of the incoming unit/battalion and this may trigger a certain behaviour on the other side. As Gen. Panag says, ‘each unit has its own reputation, which is known to both sides. Within the army, the individual commanders are chosen for the job depending upon the unit’s characteristics, its performance, and its value systems that are assigned to it.’ He recalls the reputation of the 4 Sikh regiment when he was part of it and was sent to the LoC in 1968: ‘In 1968, when my unit, 4 Sikh, went to a sector that witnessed sporadic firing, our CO sent a message to the other side that “ jo ho gaya, so ho gaya ab 4 Sikh aa gayee hai ” [“what is done is done, now 4 Sikh (Indian Army unit) has arrived”]. So now if you guys do any mischief, you are going to have it.’

This had a calming effect in the area. Put differently, aggressive regiments often lend peace to an area. Sometimes, certain locations have a history of aggressive deployment, patrolling, and violence, which tends to be handed down to the new incoming units, which stick to the behaviour patterns of their predecessors. Col Shukla explains it: ‘If I have commanded a battalion there and have done a lot of fire exchange with the other side as part of psychological dominance, the officer who replaces me will inherit that confrontation … and that goes on.’

The contours of such military subcultures and their implications should be carefully analysed to understand how and why certain areas report more violence, and sometimes calm.

This excerpt from Ceasefire Violations and India–Pakistan Escalation Dynamics by Happymon Jacob has been published with permission from Oxford University Press.

Read Global Pulse for a sampler of the big international stories, and why they matter

 


To keep Aurangzeb’s legacy alive, his brothers join Army

To keep Aurangzeb’s legacy alive, his brothers join Army

Rifleman Aurangzeb

Ranjit Thakur

Jammu, July 23

To keep his legacy alive, two younger brothers of slain rifleman Aurangzeb, Mohammed Tariq (22) and Mohammed Shabbir (18), have joined the Territorial Army.

Aurangzeb was abducted from Pulwama by militants and later, his bullet-ridden body was recovered last year. Aurangzeb was proceeding towards his home for Eid when he was abducted in broad daylight from a vehicle.

Mohammad Haneef, 56, himself an ex-Army man, said, “I have proudly dedicated my elder son to Mother India. I am a man of strong will and have prepared two of my younger sons too to serve in the Army. They have recently got selected for training in Ramgarh, Ranchi. I also believe that this is the only way to provide solace to the proud soul of my martyred son.”

He said, “I would ask each Indian to send their children in the Army as our sole motive should be to extradite the intruders from the country. I also want my other two sons to join the Army. They have got admission at Sainik School.”

“My son Aurangzeb is no longer just my son, he is the son of every Indian. I had support from the government and my countrymen. They all helped me through difficult times,” he added. I would also say, “My son has taught me to live one day at a time and make the most of everything you do and believe. We stand proud in the midst of pain.”

 


HAL delivers Chetak helicopter to Indian Navy

HAL delivers Chetak helicopter to Indian Navy

Bengaluru, July 24

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) delivered a Chetak helicopter to the Indian Navy, with the latest communication and navigation systems, said the defence behemoth on Wednesday.

“The documents of the chopper were handed over to Commodore Vikram Menon by our helicopter division general manager S. Anbuvelan at our facility,” said the city-based aerospace major in a statement here.

The Navy signed a contract with HAL in August 2017 for 8 Chetaks to be delivered by August 2020, with the first two by August 2019.

“The helicopters are fitted with the systems developed indigenously. We will also provide support to the copter fleet,” said HAL Chairman R. Madhavan on the occasion.

The company, however, did not mention the cost of the naval order for supplying the 8 choppers in the statement.

“It is an honour to receive the first helicopter one month ahead of the delivery schedule. We are aware of the vital role Chetak plays in our aviation,” said Menon.

HAL’s helicopter complex chief executive G.V.S. Bhaskar said the company had revived the Chetak production line after upgrading it with the latest technologies.

“We will deliver the seven helicopters by August 2020 as scheduled,” he added.

The company has been rolling out Chetaks over the last 5 decades under licence from France-based Eurocopter or Airbus Helicopters.

The Navy uses the multi-utility Chetaks for communication operations spanning passenger transport), cargo/material transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, aerial survey and patrolling, emergency medical services, electronic news gathering, anti-hijacking, off-shore operation and under-slung operation.

HAL has till date produced over 350 Chetaks and delivered 80 to the Navy.

Presently, 51 Chetaks are in operation with Navy. — IANS


Kashmir issue will be resolved soon, says Rajnath Singh

Inaugurates bridge over Ujh river and another at Basantar

PANDORI/KATHUA : Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday assured the country that the a solution of the vexed Kashmir issue is on the cards and soon Jammu and Kashmir will get rid of militancy.

NITIN KANOTRA /HT■ GOC-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, chief of army staff General Bipin Rawat, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and Union minister Jitendra Singh during the inauguration of the Ujh Bridge in Kathua on Saturday.

Indicating a tough posture of the government, Singh said, “We know how to find a solution and I am assuring that Kashmir issue will be resolved soon and no force can stop it from coming true.”

Singh was addressing a public gathering while inaugurating a 1000 metres bridge over Ujh river in Kathua district, built at a cost of ₹50 crore.

Citing the attempts made by him as Union home minister, Singh said he made numerous attempts to hold dialogue with stakeholders to arrive at some sought of solution which may bring the region out of decades old morass.

“I don’t think any other home minister has taken more initiatives to resolve the issue as I did in my five-year tenure. I tried many times and appealed the stakeholders to come to a negotiating table and find a meaningful solution. I took an all-party delegation to Kashmir to hold talks. But everyone saw, the separatists did not open their door,” said Singh.

Taking a dig at separatists, Singh said, “While such elements entice the gullible youth to pelt stones on the streets, their own children study and work abroad. They instigate youth to demand ‘Azadi’. Are they seeking same freedom as Pakistan.”

“Subversive elements had disturbed the atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the security forces have valiantly contained the terrorism in the state. Not in Jammu and Kashmir, the terrorism will end everywhere. The way international community has united to eradicate the menace of terrorism, I feel that entire world will get rid of terrorism,” he said.

Meanwhile, defence minister has described the border dwellers as ‘strategic assets’.

“While the security forces discharge their duties along both the International Border(IB) and Line of Control(LoC), people living on borders play a very strategic role. Unfortunately such people have been neglected since many decades and deprived of development despite their huge contribution,” he said.

Later, defence minister also inaugurated 618 metres Basantar bridge in Samba district, built at the cost of ₹41.7 crore.


India loses Afghan proxy war

Pakistan has worsted India in the Afghan proxy war and the defeat becomes a template of regional politics, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

The Four-Party Meeting on the Afghan Peace Process, held in Beijing last Thursday and Friday, comprising China, the US, Russia and Pakistan, is a dramatic development auguring a peace settlement in Afghanistan.

In a regional setting, it also signifies that Pakistan has inflicted a heavy defeat on India in the decade-old proxy war in Afghanistan.

The special envoys of the four countries who met in Beijing have issued a joint statement (external link) underscoring their consensus on peacemaking in Afghanistan and signalling their intention to speed up the peace process to a final settlement.

The salients of the joint statement are: First and foremost, the trilateral US-Russia-China format on Afghanistan has been expanded to include Pakistan, given the shared belief of the three big powers that ‘Pakistan can play an important role in facilitating peace in Afghanistan’.

Second, the four countries have endorsed the intra-Afghan meetings in Moscowand Doha in the recent months and called on relevant parties to ‘immediately start intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban, Afghan government, and other Afghans’ with a view to ‘produce a peace framework as soon as possible’. 

Third, they have urged that the peace framework should ‘guarantee the orderly and responsible transition of the security situation and detail an agreement on a future inclusive political arrangement acceptable to all Afghans’.

Four, the joint statement encourages the Afghan parties to scale down violence ‘leading to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire that starts with intra-Afghan negotiations’.

Finally, the four countries have resolved to maintain the momentum of their consultation and ‘will invite other important stakeholders to join on the basis of the trilateral consensus agreed on April 25, 2019 in Moscow, and this broader group will meet when intra-Afghan negotiations start’.

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Afghan great game moves centre stage

Afghan great game moves centre stage

All in all, the Four-Party format will henceforth chariot the Afghan peace process — monitoring its progress, mentoring the Afghan protagonists, fine-tuning the intra-Afghan negotiations and so on.

In an upbeat note, the US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted from Beijing on Friday that the four countries agreed that ‘intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and other Afghans should start immediately; that these negotiations should produce a peace framework as soon as possible; and detail a future inclusive political arrangement acceptable to all Afghans’.

‘We also agreed that violence needs to slow now and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire should start with intra-Afghan negotiations. We agreed we will expand and ask more international partners to join with the start of negotiations. Very positive’, Khalilzad added.

In sum, the US, Russia and China who are tiptoeing toward a new Cold War, seem to set aside their differences and disputes and seek and end to the Afghan war.

Curiously enough, the Pentagon’s recent Indo-Pacific Strategy Report (released in June) called China a ‘revisionist power’ and Russia a ‘revitalised malign actor’, but last weekend, all three were tangoing in Beijing like nobody’s business.

Indeed, this is how the ‘great game’ was always played in Central Asia — intense rivalries interspersed with interludes when rival powers retired to the shade, nursed their injuries and brooded over next moves on the shifting landscape.

It is hard to believe that post-war Afghanistan will witness the end of history.

For the present, the game stands suspended.

However, when China’s shadows lengthen over the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan transforms as a hub of the Belt and Road Initiative, which is inexorable, the great game will resume.

As the US vacates its occupation, China becomes the dominant presence in the Hindu Kush.

The US would have no prospects of regaining its lost hegemony in Afghanistan for a foreseeable future — perhaps, never.

The Four-Party format crystallises Pakistan’s crucial role as a factor of Afghan security and stability.

This works in China’s favour and, paradoxically, makes Pakistan an indispensable partner for the US (and Russia) as well.

Washington and its Western allies have no option but to depend on Pakistan to ensure that Afghanistan will not become a ‘lab of terrorists’ (to borrow President Trump’s words.)

Pakistan’s relations with China will acquire a new verve as the BRI spreads its wings in Afghanistan.

The growing Russian interest in the CPEC will take concrete form.

A revival of Pakistan’s moribund strategic ties with the US is already under way.

Without doubt, India is the big loser.

Pakistan has worsted India in the Afghan proxy war and the defeat becomes a template of regional politics.

The Indian analysts put the blame on the US, arguing that Washington ditched India after leading it up the garden path.

Indeed, President Trump once hailed the Modi government as the US’s number one partner in its South Asian strategy.

But does the fault lie with the US?

From the American viewpoint, Afghanistan has become a ‘bleeding wound'(as Gorbachev described the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan), causing a big drain in resources.

In the final analysis, the Indian policymakers failed to read the tea leaves correctly when it became apparent that the so-called Afghan surge under General David H Petraeus ended inconclusively by September 2012, with no fanfare at the Pentagon and no proclamation of success from the Obama White House.

Fundamentally, the Indian policy failure lies in turning Afghanistan into a turf to wage a proxy war against Pakistan.

In the zero-sum mindset, Delhi overlooked that Pakistan has legitimate interests in Afghanistan — no less than what India would have in, say, Nepal — and that by virtue of culture, tribal and ethnic affinity or sheer geography and economic and social compulsions, Afghans can never do without Pakistan.

Delhi regarded the Taliban as a progeny of the Pakistani intelligence and military, but that was never the whole story of the Afghan insurgency and resistance.

Delhi was impervious to other ground realities too — such as that Kabul government was lacking legitimacy, that massive corruption was undermining the State; and, importantly, that this was an unwinnable war and a reconciliation with the Taliban was the only way out.

A long haul lies ahead for India now to regain the lost influence in Kabul.

Meanwhile, India will have to reconcile with the geopolitical reality that Afghanistan comes under the Chinese orbit for the first time in the history of our region.

But the spectre that is haunting Delhi is the strong likelihood of a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and of a Sharia State emerging in India’s neighbourhood.

How come Indian diplomacy failed to stop this happening?

The short answer is that the obsessive focus on the proxy war meant that India missed the wood for the trees.

The intelligence and security establishment was on the driving seat and there was no sustained effort to network at the diplomatic level with like-minded countries, especially Iran and Russia, or to mobilise international opinion against a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

This policy failure will have serious consequences.

Once the US withdrawal is over, India has to deal with a triumphalist Pakistan that gains immense strategic depth vis-a-vis India.

Meanwhile, the big powers are busy securing their specific interests with Pakistani help and cooperation, which leaves India out in the lurch.

The latest al-Qaeda call for ‘jihad’ in India needs to be taken seriously.

But India has cried ‘wolf’ so often that no one may take it seriously when the wolf finally arrives at the doorstep.

A close analysis of the Doha Agreement following the so-called intra-Afghan talks on July 7-8 shows disturbing signs that the Taliban may have ‘marched closer to their stated objectives of enforcing Islamic shari’a rule in Afghanistan and of restructuring the Afghan government institutions, including the military, to their liking’.

This is the expert assessment of the Middle East Media Research Institute headquartered in Washington, after studying the three different versions (external link) of the Doha Agreement and the Taliban’s own version.