Monthly Archives: August 2018

Life is difficult for people in the Armed Forces. It is also difficult for their families, especially women who are married to Armed Forces personnel. Recently we lost 13 Air Force Pilots to a crash. While the rest of the country does mourn the passing away of its soldiers, it is their families who have to live with that loss.

Garima Abrol, however, decided to honour her husband’s martyrdom in an unforgettable way – she is set to step into his shoes and join the Indian Air Force. Author Swapnil Pandey recently put out a post about Garmia – wife of Samir Abrol who was martyred in Mirage 2000 fighter place crash this year in February. This is what the post reads:re is a special metal Armed Forces wives are made off. While it takes years to make a soldier and create a whole legion of warriors for the nation. It takes exteamly special women to be in relationship with these men bound by the uniform first.Remember Mrs Garima Abrol, wife of squadron leader Samir Abrol who martyred in Mirage2000 fighter plane crash while test flying it at HAL Airport this February?

Her last Instagram Post said “my tears are still not dry and I loved sending my husband to serve the nation with a cup of tea and head held high.” she also mentioned no one cries when they leave but the family. It does not make you a celebrity. Media covers it for a day and drops it and how it takes decade to make a fighter pilot.”

Srinagar

As a part of the routine process, the Army has begun online registration for its ten-day recruitment rally in Jammu and Kashmir. The recruitment would start from September 1 for the next ten days; media reports quoted defence spokesperson as saying.

The rally, according to reports will be held at the Subsidiary Training Centre (STC) of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Reasi district’s Talwara. He also said that all categories of soldiers will be recruited during the ten days recruitment process.

The eligible candidates from Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi districts can take part, media reports quoted spokesperson as saying.

The online registration for the recruitment process is mandatory and it has begun from July 3 and it will go on till August 16 at the Indian Army website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, the report mentioned.

NASHIK: A video of Indian Army showing its firepower at the Deolali Firing Range in Maharashtra’s Nashik has come to fore.

The video shows rocket launching practice by Indian Army’s BM 21 Grad BM 21 at the Deolali Firing Range earlier this week.

The video was shared by Zee Media on Instagram with a caption: Rocket launching practice by Indian Army at School of Artillery, Nashik, Maharashtra.

The video shows multiple rockets being fired by troops from the multi-barrel rocket launchers at the Deolali Firing Ranges in Nashik.

It was a practice firing for troops from the multi-barrel rocket launchers.

The Army had in past held a spectacular demonstration of its firepower with 155 mm Howitzers blazing and multi-role helicopters displaying their might in the sky at an annual event organised by Artillery Division at Deolali Camp here.

Under “Exercise Topchi”, major artillery guns including 120 mm mortar, 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 155 mm Bofors and multi-barrel rocket launchers were showcased by the Artillery Regiment here.

It not only showcased the artillery firepower, but also the aviation and surveillance capabilities of the Indian Army.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 29

Blaming the National Conference and the PDP for “creating a noise” in the Valley over the deployment of an additional 10,000 security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said the move was part of a security drill and that the two parties were distressed “as they can feel they are losing the people’s mandate”.

Speaking to the media here, he said: “The additional deployment is for security arrangement… They (political parties) have been carrying forward their legacy with 8-10 per cent voter turnout. They are scared  if the situation changes their sovereignty built in the last 30-40 years will come to an end.” 

He highlighted the government’s action against alleged corruption in the J&K Bank and said big names were about to come up in connection with the alleged scam. “These parties are worried… they know that they will be exposed.

They are distressed about that,” he said. The Centre had recently announced 100 more companies (10,000 personnel) of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the state. It had said the troops were being deployed to strengthen the counter-insurgency grid and law and order duties in the Valley, as it had received Intelligence input regarding infiltration. 

Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 26

The heroes of Kargil war, who were disabled while reclaiming the hills in Kargil and Drass sectors, shared their tales of war with The Tribune. Everyone had lost and achieved something.

Sukhwant Singh of Mamanke village in Tarn Taran said, “I served in Rashtriya Rifles and got three bullets during war. I was saved due to bullet-proof jacket but lost many of friends in war. HC Swaran Singh also got injured in same firing, unfortunately he died.

Lakhbir Singh of Kadgill village, who served in the 8 Sikh regiment, said, “When we entered the battle ground, we forgot about death. When we were heading towards the top of Tiger Hill, the enemy showered bullets on us. That was barbaric attack. We did not consume food for three days as weather condition were not allowing staying or cooking anywhere. I received three bullets on legs and laid there for next 24 hours. I tied my turban on legs. My close friend died in attack. Finally, an Army helicopter came and took us to hospital.

HC Sukhbir Singh öf 8 Sikh regiment said, “I served as a commando. Pakistan was the not only enemy, we fought with snow, hill, height, sharpen edge stones, invisibility due to clouds and unexpected weather conditions. After bullet I got hospitalised, the day when we occupied Tiger Hill 18 men of our group died. We had 15 year association. We won war, but lost our friends.

Captain Balwant Singh, engineer regiment, said, “After occupying Tiger hill, we went beyond it to get our posts back. Pakistan army requested for ceasefire. They laid anti-personnel mines in the area. After short ceasefire, firing resumed from both side. We were asked to occupy the post on hills, which were vacated by Pakistan army. Col Rajbir Singh was leading us. I have defused a large number of mines. On July 30, finally Pakistan army surrendered. We returned dead bodies of Pakistani soldier to their army troop and occupied all the hills.”

Sukhjeevan Singh of Thetherke lost one eye in the war. Subash Rani, mother of martyr Mukesh of Light Regiment, said, There is a primary school after the name of Mukesh, we need up-gradation of school. The road leading to the village, which was named after martyr, is in bad shape. The government should address these issues”.

Washington, July 13

India is likely to continue supporting Afghanistan with its financial and other assistance despite the US’ troop withdrawal to limit the Taliban, Pakistani and Chinese influence, the Pentagon has told the Congress.

In its latest report to the Congress on Friday, the Pentagon said a significant deterioration of security conditions in Afghanistan, however, may adversely affect the ability of India to provide aid to the war-torn country.

 With $3 billion in aid since 2001, India remains the largest regional donor to Afghanistan, the report said.

“In the event of a US drawdown in Afghanistan, India likely will attempt to continue its support to Afghanistan and try to limit Taliban, Pakistani, and Chinese influence,” the Pentagon said.

India desires a stable Afghanistan that does not harbour terrorists who could target Indian interests and does not have close ties with Pakistan, it said.

“There are no reports indicating that India has taken any serious action during the reporting period that would affect the situation in Afghanistan,” the Pentagon said.

It said that in the 1990s, India supported the former Northern Alliance and maintains contact with Afghan power brokers.

India has transferred a total of eight Mi-35 helicopters to the Afghan Air Force, four during 2015/2016 and four more during 2018.

“This aid marks a significant departure from India’s previous policy of providing only non-lethal military assistance,” the Pentagon told the Congress.

“Pakistani sensitivities towards Indian involvement in the country ultimately limited the assistance. Additionally, the Indian military provides procurement and training support to help professionalise the Afghan military and to improve its vehicle maintenance capabilities,” it said.

However, Indian aid to Afghanistan focuses primarily on four main categories: humanitarian assistance, major infrastructure projects, small and community-based projects, and education and capacity development, the report said.

US President Donald Trump in his new South Asia strategy unveiled in August 2017 had sought a major role for India in bringing peace in Afghanistan.

He had accused Pakistan of giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror,” and said the time had come “for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace”.

In December last year, Trump had announced that the US would pull out troops from Afghanistan.

The US still has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, nearly 18 years after the US-led invasion to topple the Taliban. PTI

Tribune News Service
Drass (Kargil), July 26

The three chiefs of the armed forces paid homage to martyrs on the 20th anniversary of the Kargil war at a memorial in the frontier town here today.

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Naval Chief Admiral Karambir Singh laid wreaths at the Kargil War Memorial. When they led the ceremony, Cheetah helicopters flew overhead and showered flower petals.

The Army Chief said it was the day to pay homage to soldiers “who laid down their lives, to those who were wounded in the battle and those who fought the war and supported the units that were actively involved in combat”. “Over the past two days, we witnessed accounts of the battles that were fought on these icy heights under very difficult circumstances yet the Indian soldier did not fail in his duty,” he said.

General VP Malik (retd), the Chief of Army Staff during the Kargil war, civilian dignitaries, war veterans and other Army officers also paid tribute to the soldiers who fell in the battlefield 20 years ago.

IAF Indian Air Force has published the recruitment notification for Airmen Recruitment Rally in Group Y Trade, Details Here

Tilak Devasher
Member, national security advisory board

When Imran Khan set foot on American soil, it was the 43rd time that a Pakistani leader was visiting the US since PM Liaquat Ali’s first visit in May 1950.

The summit between PM Imran and US President Trump generated a lot of interest since it took place against the backdrop of several years of a discordant relationship and their tense Twitter exchange last year. Even before he assumed office, and especially since then, President Trump had frequently singled out Islamabad for being a duplicitous partner in Afghanistan. In the past, Imran Khan, too, had been critical of his country’s partnership with the US, accusing previous Pakistani leaders of being too deferential to American dictates.

For Pakistan, the visit provided an opportunity to ‘reset’ the acrimonious relations with the US, building upon the significant change in Trump’s attitude towards Pakistan. For the US, the Afghan peace process leading to the withdrawal of US troops was the key issue on the agenda, with Trump viewing US exit as the key to his re-election in 2020. 

By all accounts, Imran went with a long wish list. Substantive items were economy, the Afghan peace process and issues related to India, though not necessarily in that order. Underlying the wish list was Pakistan’s desire to look for a broader engagement with the US that was not confined to Afghanistan, but also encompassed economic and trade cooperation as well as peace and stability in South Asia.

Though the visit was meant to focus on Afghanistan, two issues diverted attention. The first was Imran’s confession that there were 40 terrorist groups in Pakistan and between 30,000-40,000 terrorists who had fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The full ramifications of this acknowledgement of Pakistan being a state sponsor of terror are still a work in progress and more will be heard about it in the days to come. 

The second was Trump’s patently false assertion that he had been asked by PM Modi to mediate on Kashmir. Imran possibly couldn’t have believed his ears and egged Trump on by saying: ‘Mr President…you would have the prayers of over a billion people if you can mediate and resolve this issue.’

Within minutes of the claim being aired, India’s External Affairs Ministry refuted it, saying the PM had made no such request. The External Affairs Minister made a stronger statement in Parliament.

Hours after Trump’s remarks, US officials did damage control by clarifying that Washington still believed that Kashmir was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan; the administration welcomed Pakistan and India sitting down and the US stood ready only to assist the two parties. This showed that the US State Department was caught unawares by Trump’s leap into the Kashmir issue.

A factsheet issued by the White House at the conclusion of the Trump-Khan talks, while avoiding all mention of Kashmir, stated, ‘Pakistan has taken some steps against terrorist groups operating within Pakistan. It is vital that Pakistan take action to shut down all groups once and for all,’ adding that ‘Pakistan has made efforts to facilitate the Afghanistan peace talks, and we are going to ask them to do more.’ It also cautioned, ‘The path to a strong and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the US lies in working together to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan.’

While Trump said, ‘I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves,’ and Imran assured of full cooperation, could the US be overestimating Islamabad’s influence over the Taliban? For Pakistan, the danger is that Trump could quickly change his approach if it is unable or unwilling to meet the US expectations regarding the Afghan peace process.

What the US is seeking is for the Taliban to agree to a permanent ceasefire and an intra-Afghan dialogue. Can Pakistan deliver? Does it have this kind of influence? Or is the influence limited to getting the Taliban to talk, but not being able to influence Taliban demands? The jury is out on this, but if Trump is not satisfied, Pakistan could be back in the doghouse.

Trump’s frustration was also apparent in his shocking comment that ‘I could win that war in a week. I just don’t want to kill 10 million people’, adding that Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth in 10 days.

The key takeaway of the visit from Pakistan’s perspective would be Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir. His offer was a clear departure from the long-held US position that Kashmir was a bilateral issue between the two nuclear neighbours.

Other than that, the US insistence that Pakistan ‘do more’ continued; no trade deal was announced or hinted at; no investment was promised; there was no announcement of the restoration of aid/loan; and Trump called Pakistan subversive in the press conference. For the visit to result in ‘deliverables’ a lot would depend on the follow-up when diplomats get down to the nuts and bolts.

Overall, therefore, the visit alone is unlikely to lead to a reset in relations with the US or a multi-faceted long-term engagement. If at all, the reset would be driven by purely tactical considerations of the role that Pakistan can play in helping the US exit Afghanistan. The dilemma for Pakistan would be that if it does not deliver an honourable exit, Trump is likely to come down hard. If, however, it delivers a face-saving exit, it would no longer need Pakistan’s cooperation. The months ahead would provide a clue on how Pakistan resolves this dilemma.