Washington, July 25

US President Donald Trump is undoing the achievements of his predecessors on India by “blundering” to volunteer to mediate over the Kashmir issue and has committed “diplomatic malpractice of a high order” that could further alienate an important country, according to a top American daily.

The US President on Monday stunned the world by saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, sought his help in resolving the Kashmir issue.

India quickly denied it saying Modi made no such request and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

“Trump just committed diplomatic malpractice of a high order,” said a report in The Washington Post.

“After his trade war with India, his blundering into the Kashmir conflict further alienates an important country whose friendship the United States needs to counter the rise of China,” it said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has refuted that Modi ever made the request to Trump.

“I would like to categorically assure the House that no such request has been made by the Prime Minister to the US President. I repeat, no such request was made by the Prime Minister to the US President,” he said in a statement to Parliament.

After Trump’s remarks, the US State Department, in a damage control effort, later said it considered Kashmir a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and was ready to help only if the two countries wanted.

“Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama had cultivated India; Trump is undoing their achievements with a few ignorant words,” the top American daily said.

The report alleged that Trump was incapable of seeing the big picture and unwilling to listen to advisers who did.

“He is focused on a pullout from Afghanistan, and he is convinced that if he flatters Pakistan, it will make it possible for the United States to exit ‘with honour’, as Richard M Nixon said of the Vietnam War,” it said. PTI

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 13

India’s second aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, is all set to be sold as scrap after the Maharashtra government failed to turn it into a maritime museum.

After several attempts to get private bidders to jointly develop INS Viraat into the country’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-hospitality facility failed, the state government has given up all efforts, according to officials here.

The Devendra Fadnavis government had last November sought to set up the facility off the Sindhudurg coast and had even earmarked a sum of Rs 852 crore for the purpose.

However, despite several efforts no bidder showed interest in developing the facility, according to Maharashtra government officials. “We have not received a single bid so far,” said a source from the Maharashtra Maritime Board which was to develop the project.

Recently, Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik told Parliament that the Central government in consultation with the Indian Navy has taken a decision to sell INS Viraat as scrap.

It will, however, be a while before INS Viraat meets the fate of its predecessor INS Vikrant which was broken up at a scrapyard.

Some retired naval personnel have suggested that INS Viraat be turned into a maritime museum off Colaba in south Mumbai.

The proposal envisages grouting the aircraft carrier on a bed of concrete before turning it into a tourist destination. However, similar attempts to salvage INS Vikrant too had failed.

On INS Vikrant way

• The British-made INS Viraat has been docked at the Mumbai harbour since its decommissioning on March 6, 2017
• The Devendra Fadnavis govt had earmarked Rs 852 crore to turn the carrier into a tourist destination
• Similar attempts to salvage INS Vikrant had failed

The recommendations for restructuring were made by the army for turning itself into an agile, lethal and capability-based force to tackle the challenges of future warfare.

The Defence Ministry has approved the proposal to restructure the Army Headquarters under which the force would be revamped to face the challenges of modern warfare.

“The Defence Ministry has approved the proposal to restructure the Army Headquarters. Now we will start the implementation of the plans,” Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said.

The recommendations for restructuring were made by the army for turning itself into an agile, lethal and capability-based force to tackle the challenges of future warfare.

Restructuring is part of transformation plans of Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat for the reorganisation of the amy headquarters which would result in saving of 20 per cent officers posted in Delhi who would now be posted to field fighting formations along the borders.

According to defence ministry officials, after the approval, 229 officers would be optimised from army headquarters and would be relocated to units and formations of the field armies.

As per the new plans, the army will get a third deputy chief who would be known as Deputy Chief (Strategy) and who will look after all the important directorates of military intelligence, information warfare and operations in the force.

Currently, there are two deputy chiefs in the Army. The first Deputy Chief is known as Deputy Chief (Planning and Systems) who looks after capital procurement in the force while the second one is known as Deputy Chief (Informations systems and Training), officials said.

As per the new plan which is the brainchild of Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, the Army will get rid of the post of the Director General of Rashtriya Rifles who would now be shifted to Northern Command in Udhampur and will now be looked after a Major General rather than a Lieutenant General.

In the other significant plans of the restructuring of Army Headquarters and reorganisation of the force, entire modernisation and revenue procurement of the Indian Army is going to be done by the Deputy Chief (Capability Development) who was earlier known as Deputy Chief Planning and Systems.

To look after the cases of corruption and ensure probity and transparency, a new officer of the Major General rank has been appointed under the Army Chief who would report directly to him while another post has been created for the Army who will look after human rights.

A group of 49 eminent personalities, including filmmakers, authors and actors, wrote to the prime minister on Tuesday, expressing concern over the recent instances of mob violence and lynching in the country. Photo credit: Instagram.

Kolkata, July 25

Actor Kaushik Sen, who is one of the signatories of the letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of mob violence, said on Thursday that he has received a threat call.

Police have been informed about it and the phone number has been forwarded to them, he said.

“Yesterday I received a call from an unknown number, where I was threatened of dire consequences if I don’t stop raising my voice against lynchings and intolerance. I was told that I would be killed if I don’t mend my ways,” Sen told PTI.

A senior police officer said the matter was being looked into.

“To be honest, I am not bothered about such calls. I have also informed other signatories about the call and forwarded them the number,” Sen said.

A group of 49 eminent personalities, including filmmakers, authors and actors, wrote to the prime minister on Tuesday, expressing concern over the recent instances of mob violence and lynching in the country.

The signatories also said that they regretted that “Jai Shri Ram” has been reduced to a “provocative war cry that leads to law and order problems, and lynchings take place in its name”. PTI

Lynchings in Ram’s name: Celebs to PM

Say democracy can’t exist without dissent

New Delhi, July 24

Fortynine celebrities, including artistes, have written a letter to PM Narendra Modi urging him to stop “religion-based hate crimes” and lamenting “Jai Shri Ram had been reduced to a provocative war cry with lynchings happening in its name”.

The letter, signed by the likes of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aparna Sen, Ramachandra Guha, Ashish Nandy, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sen and Mani Ratnam, among others, seeks answers from the government on steps being taken to stop hate crimes.

“These are not the Middle Ages! The name of Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest executive of this country, you must stop name of Ram being defiled in this manner,” it said. “No ruling party is synonymous with the country where it is in power. Democracy can’t exist without dissent,” they wrote, noting anti-government stand shouldn’t be equated to anti-national sentiments. — TNS

Pakistan has been extending just about 3,000 visas to Indian Sikhs every year for their visit to Nankana Sahib since many years. File photo

Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 18

To celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 12 , the Pakistan government would allow an over three-time increase in the number of members of Sikh jathas heading to Nankana Sahib from India to take part in the mammoth festivities — a first since partition in 1947.

There will, however, be no cap on the Sikhs visiting Nankana Sahib on the occasion from other countries like the North America, Europe, Central Asia, Australia and Europe.

A decision to this effect has been taken by a high-powered Religious Tourism and Heritage committee headed by Governor of Punjab (Pakistan) Chaudhary Mohammad Sarvar and comprising of Pakistan’s four federal ministers, three provincial ministers, representatives of the Evacuee Trust Property Board and representatives of Sikh bodies.

As a matter of practice, Pakistan has been extending just about 3,000 visas to Indian Sikhs every year for their visit to Nankana Sahib to take part in the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and there has been no increase in this number since decades.

The high-powered committee has urged Pakistan’s Federal government to make arrangements for the stay of pilgrims and for issuance of visas.

This was revealed by Pawan Singh Arora, Public Relations Officer to the Governor of Punjab (Pakistan), while talking to Tribune from Lahore over the phone.

“The decision has been taken so as to ensure maximum participation in the festivities by Sikhs from India. The preparations for the celebrations are going at a large scale and the Federal and the Provincial governments will extend a red carpet to the pilgrims from India and abroad,” said Arora.

Pakistan has acquired more land for the development of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur during the last week and the total land with the premises has increased to 104 acres.

The Government of Pakistan was also reaching out to the Sikhs based in the UK, Europe and other countries for making the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak as a gala event.

Pakistan Tourism Board Chairman Sayed Zulfiqar held a meeting with Sikhs of the UK in London on Monday.

He asserted in a meeting, organised by the Central Gurdwara (Khalsa-Jatha), London, that despite highs and lows of the Indo-Pak bilateral relationships, the work on Kartarpur corridor and preservation of other historic buildings has been going on unabated.

Zulfiqar, who was the Special Assistant to the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Pakistan was yearning to see the global Sikh community participating and contributing in the 550th birth anniversary celebrations in a big way.