uthorities on Friday sounded a high alert in Jammu province.

“Air bases and military installations in Jammu have been asked to remain in every ready mode with additional deployment troops on borders and sensitive locations,” an official told Greater Kashmir.

“Jammu Air Force station put on ultra alert since morning with drones hovering over and around air force station and Jammu’s only civil airport,” said a source.

He added that many battalions of paramilitary forces have been deployed in Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Doda, Banihal and Ramban areas of Jammu in addition to extra deployed of Army and Border Security Force at the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC).

“Romeo, Delta and Uniform forces of Rashtriya Rifles and other regular units of Army deployed on Line of Control and hinterland have been asked to be prepared for any situation,” the source maintained.

China recently released a white paper titled “China’s national defence in the new era”, which sets the template and vision for her strategic architecture. The basic thrust is to create modernized People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by 2035 and establish global presence (implying dominance). Considering our geopolitical realities, paper surprisingly has not evoked adequate analysis and debate. While the paper makes only passing and even reassuring references to India, suggesting carrying forward experiences gained in resolution of Doklam crisis to other contentious issues.

The dynamics of unresolved border dispute with continued transgressions, trade war and impending visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping mandate objective and detailed appraisal of document. Paper is in keeping with articulation of ‘aggressively rising China’ and confirms jettisoning of Deng’s approach of ‘hide your shine, bide your time’.

It seeks to upscale and give global context to limited wars under conditions of informationalization (Chinese formulation for high-tech conditions), which was initially spelt out in ‘war zone concept’ in 2004. Leveraging of Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is envisaged to extend footprint to bases like Djibouti and Gwadar, thereby giving PLA capability to manage localized regional environments, in faraway lands. This outreach includes cyber dimension through ‘digital silk road’, backbone architecture of digital and convergence technologies with clear cut aim to achieve spectrum domination. It also places heavy reliance on technology and in specific on non-kinetic cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, quantum convergence technologies among others. At the same time, kinetic delivery means like hypersonic missiles and rocket force continue to provide hard under pinning.

Considerable share of resources is planned to be re-appropriated for Navy to make it truly blue navy. Consequently, only credible official reaction came from Chief of Naval Staff, “We will have to watch China carefully”. The need for dispassionate and thorough analysis is also warranted as psychological warfare is an essential part of ‘three warfares’ mandate of newly configured PLA Strategic Support Force. The exercise will indeed be painstaking one as war zone concept that generated much hype and even some panic till we realized limitations of translation from Mandarin to English. It is also pertinent that many technologies are yet to be operationalized and applied. Most importantly, performance of Chinese troops in low-grade conflicts, even in relatively benign UN deployment, raises its own set of concerns and cynicism. Similarly, sceptics may cite BRI overstretch and fatigue, but Dragon has tentacles firmly in place in relevant places. While we cannot allow ourselves to be psyched or intimidated, yet complacency will be suicidal. The abiding reality is that China is prosecuting long term strategy, which may include some hype but is essentially ‘on course’.

The obvious question is how do we cope with the second largest spender PLA, which, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), has increased its military expenditure by 5% to $250 billion in 2018 against our measly $66.5 billion? It is interesting that China maintains that it is reducing its defence spending as share of GDP. In a burgeoning economy and with high current GDP share, both are indeed possible. Coping, in our context is limited to bare essentials, which are, building ‘credible dissuasive deterrence’ and retaining ‘strategic autonomy’ in our immediate neighbourhood and core areas of interest like energy.

The foremost requirement is to reset strategic compass and, borrowing Admiral Raja Menon’s expression, “Defining our Strategic Environment”, especially with projected aspirations to become $5 trillion economy by 2030. Analytical exercise obviously cannot be driven by gut feelings, hunches and impulses, which appear to be the current trend. This presumption is based on the fact that very limited information on security dialogue is being disseminated by official agencies. It is possible that secrecy is partially driven by urge to build ambiguity and keep others guessing. Ambiguity is normally applied by stronger power against weaker one, but it has its inherent limitations specially when not backed by will and capability. Weaker nations like Iran in standoff with USA and Pakistan have nuanced irrationality to their advantage. We certainly are not aspiring to join this league. It has dangerous implications in exchanges among nuclear powered adversaries and, above all, can even confuse own forces. Hence, it will be in order if we have more inclusive dialogue and apply quantified net assessment and operational research techniques, which currently seem to be on back burner, to forecast and validate.

The dialogue should aim to build national policy after consultations with all parties and political consensus on key parameters. The role of bordering states is also catalytic as progress on key irritants like sharing of river waters as also economic co-operation needs to be driven by states concerned. Our efforts in the past have been stymied by lack of capability and infrastructure, both requiring considerable financial outlay.

Without creating capability for envisaged role of regional security and disaster relief provider, our endeavours even in immediate neighbourhood will remain contingent on friendly governments in power. It is heartening that issue of finding money, including non-lapsing funds for defence capital expenditure has been referred to Seventh Finance Commission. It is hoped that correctives will be applied on priority as with lapsing of time, another election will loom large adding to compulsion for populist measures like subsidies. The stability and political capital of current government should also be leveraged to push down reforms like CDS, theatre commands, National Defence University and genuine integration in MOD.

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 1

Low-cost carrier AirAsia started its Chandigarh-Delhi-Chandigarh flight operations from the Chandigarh international airport at Mohali today.

The airline’s Chandigarh-Delhi flight took off from here at 12.50 pm and reached Delhi at 1.55 pm. The launch fare of the flight has been set at Rs 1,365 per passenger.

The airline is already operating its Chandigarh-Bengaluru flight from here. The response to the low-cost flight is said to be encouraging.

Based in Pakistan, Rai Bular Bhatti’s descendants desire to visit Golden Temple

GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Nankana Sahib (Pak), August 4

The descendants of Rai Bular Bhatti, a 15th Century Muslim landlord of undivided Punjab and a disciple of Guru Nanak Dev, are a dejected lot for not getting fulfilled their desire to visit the Golden Temple. Their application for furnishing visa formalities was repeatedly rejected by the Indian authorities.

Rai Saleem Bhatti (41), a lawyer at Lahore High Court and the 19th generation of Rai Bular Bhatti, said till date the visa could not be procured for the reasons best known to the Indian authorities.

SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal confirmed that the programme could not be held due to non-availability of Bhatti family. “We will take up the matter with the Union Home Department for facilitating visa to Bhatti’s descendants,” he said. 

The Bhatti family, despite being devout Muslims, has kept alive their ancestral links with Sikhism for the past several generations.

Rai Saleem Bhatti and his 11-year-old son Rai Waleed Bhatti visited Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib on the occasion of nagar kirtan dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The family still continued the legacy by contributing in every way for the wellbeing of people living in the area. The 16th generation, Rai Bashir Ahmed Bhatti, Rai Hadayat Khan Bhatti played important role in Pakistan politics too. Rai Saleem Bhatti said his cousins Rai Sarvar Khan Bhatti and Rai Ahmad Khan Bhatti’s family had donated 10 acres at Kot Hussan Khan, 5 km from Nankana Sahib, for setting up Nankana Sahib Foundation. The purpose was to generate jobs and revenue for the upkeep of Sikh shrines in Nankana Sahib.  “We desire to get it revived and take up the matter with the Pakistan government,” he said.

His father, Rai Akram Bhatti, also a lawyer, wishes to strengthen Sikh-Muslim cordial ties by conducting Sikh pilgrimage to the holy shrines and invite them to his place.

“Our family owes my birth due to the blessings of Baba Nanak only. Sikh devotees from any part of the world who visit Nankana Sahib hold special place in our heart and we take it as a divine opportunity to serve them,” he said.

Guru Nanak’s father Mehta Kalu was a munshi at Rai Bular Bhatti’s estate. Rai Bular Bhatti, who owned over 36,000 acres, had donated half of it to Guru Nanak in late 15th century. “Bhatti had donated around 18,750 acres. On some part of the land Gurdwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Bal Leela were built. The remaining was leased to locals. The land is now under the control of the Evacuee Property Trust Board, Pakistan,” he said.

SGPC to honour them 

• The SGPC wants to set up a portrait of Rai Bular Bhatti, a 15th Century Muslim landlord of undivided Punjab and a disciple of Guru Nanak Dev, in the Central Sikh Museum.
• The programme was scheduled for May 5, 2018, but had to be deferred as Bhatti’s descendants were denied visa.
• Rai Saleem Bhatti, a lawyer at Lahore High Court and the 19th generation of Rai Bular Bhatti, said till date visa could not be procured for the reasons best known to the Indian authorities.

Reminiscing about happy events is most rejuvenating. Memory takes me back to the sweltering summer of August 1994 when Udai Mehta, as Col Administration, and I, as Col General Staff designate, reported to the Corps HQ at Nagrota, of a yet-to-be raised new headquarters. Our temporary HQ, housed in a building, had bare essentials — skeletal staff of clerks, some stationery and limited furniture. The impending task was a cornucopia of challenges. Besides the enormity of administrative work was the added responsibility to find a suitable permanent location for the HQ.

We were to immediately take over the operational responsibility of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Doda district. South of the Pir Panjal, spread over 2,625 sq km, and enclosing the townships of Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar from where the Warwan valley stretches northwards, it ended just below the Amarnath cave. We got the ball rolling; chair-borne functions were carried out by night, and by day, we were road-bound.

Armed with maps and haversack meals, travel along the national highway (NH-44) from Nagrota to Banihal and other laterals became a routine. Location after location didn’t meet the military requirements. However, an interesting highlight is worth mentioning, the Aparna Ashram of late Dhirendra Brahmachari at Mantalai. He had a 101-point plan to create here a yogic centre-cum-holiday resort, with casinos and the works. It provided shelter and comfort, but we were not looking for that. Finally, the Dharmund Ridge, near Batote, caught our attention — a standalone mountain, with flat expanses along the top, and slopes dropping sharply into the swiftly flowing Chenab far below.

It was an ideal location for the HQ tactically, administratively and for command and control purposes. By the time our first General Officer Commanding, Maj Gen Yogi Bahl, arrived, we had a running HQ. We were extremely lucky to have him head our fledging HQ. A sound professional with great human qualities, directions were clear-cut and mission accomplishment was at our initiative. Three months later, our flag fluttered with pride at Dharmund, housed in tents and fully operationally functional.

The severity of the winter of 1994-95 welcomed us, heavy snow added to the difficulties and often  our snow-laden tents collapsed, literally on our heads. To add to it, the villagers started objecting to our presence and nefarious charges followed. Resoluteness, determination and subtle diplomacy with the villagers helped.

Creating a helipad was a major challenge. As starters, we managed a small clearing, but then like the proverbial camel, we expanded. Soon large enough to take four-five helicopters simultaneously and serve the dual purpose of a six-a-side hockey ground for our evening constitutional! We had firmed in.

Operations continued relentlessly through the long winter; summer was very welcome. Building of prefab shelters got underway and the HQ started shaping up: operational room, offices and accommodation for men came at priority, followed by the Flag Staff House (FSH), the Officers’ Mess and accommodation. To preserve some history, the FSH got the acronym ‘YOGSUM LA,’ comprising the first alphabets from the names of the GOC, and his two senior staff members, Sujlana and Mehta, and ‘LA’ meaning ‘beyond limits’. It was a salute to the dedicated team who worked conscientiously to establish the HQ. Interestingly, the bar in the Officers’ Mess found a very appropriate name: “Changa Bar”, named after a long-deserted village of the same name. The first ‘chhota’ there was indeed most ‘changa’!

This year marks the silver jubilee of Delta Force, and it has created a niche for itself in the Indian Army. On September 6, the Delta Force flag will proudly swell in the wind, promising many more years of dedicated service to the nation.

The Kartarpur Gurdwara in Pakistan. File photo

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 7

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday expressed concern over Pakistan’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India but hoped the move would not adversely impact the construction of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Reacting to reports of Pakistan’s decision to expel the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad and to review ‘bilateral agreements’ with New Delhi, the chief minister described Islamabad’s reaction as knee-jerk and uncalled for.

Kashmir was an internal matter of India, which was in its rights to take any decision with regard to the region, he said, adding that Islamabad should not have used this as an excuse to undermine its diplomatic relations with India.

Pakistan’s decision was not in the interest of regional security, he said, warning that any such move to destabilise the fragile peace of the South-East Asian region would make the neighbouring country itself vulnerable.

At the same time, Capt Amarinder hoped these developments would not affect the Kartarpur Corridor and Pakistan would not hurt Sikh sentiments by putting the much-awaited corridor on hold.

The decision to build the corridor to mark the historic occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji had been welcomed by Sikhs all over the world and any move now to scuttle the project would leave millions of devotees disappointed.

Political considerations should not be allowed to overshadow the religious feelings of the Sikhs, for whom Kartapur Gurdwara stands out as a symbol of reverence, said the chief minister.

Capt Amarinder urged the Indian government also to take up the matter with Islamabad on priority and ensure that the development of the Kartarpur Corridor remains on track, notwithstanding the diplomatic and other developments between the two nations in the wake of the revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir.

Both countries could take adequate steps to ensure that the corridor’s progress and security is not jeopardised in the light of Pakistan’s decision to scale down diplomatic relations and suspend trade ties with India, said the chief minister.

Kartarpur had nothing to do with Kashmir or any other issue of concern for the two countries, he said, adding that the 550th Prakash Purb was a momentous event with enormous importance for the people of India, especially the Sikhs.

Pak move on ties shouldn’t affect corridor: CM

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, August 7

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed concern over Pakistan’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India, but hoped the move would not adversely impact the construction of Kartarpur corridor.

Reacting to reports of Pakistan’s decision to expel the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad and to review bilateral agreements with New Delhi, the Chief Minister described Islamabad’s reaction as “knee-jerk and uncalled for”. Kashmir was an internal matter for India, which was in its rights to take any decision with regard to the region, he said, adding that Islamabad should not have used this as an excuse to undermine its diplomatic relations with India.

Pakistan’s decision was not in the interest of regional security, he said, warning that any such move to destabilise the fragile peace of the South-East Asian region would make the neighbouring country itself vulnerable.

At the same time, Captain Amarinder hoped these developments would not affect the corridor and Pakistan would not hurt Sikh sentiments by putting the much-awaited project on hold. The decision to build the corridor to mark the historic occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev had been welcomed by Sikhs all over the world and any move now to scuttle the project would leave millions of devotees disappointed.

Political considerations should not be allowed to overshadow the religious feelings of the Sikhs, for whom Kartapur Gurdwara stands out as a symbol of reverence, said the CM.