Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 26

The Punjab State War Memorial and Museum will be hosting the first ever Army Literature festival on its premises on December 2 and 3.

The inaugural edition of the two-day festival will have multiple interactive activities and sessions on the famous historical battles by former Army personnel and experts. The festival is being organised in collaboration with the Army headquarters, Western Command.

“The focus of the festival would be to bring to the fore the stories of courage and sacrifice of our soldiers and to engage people in getting to know more about our armed forces. The literature festival has been conceived by the Governor of Punjab, VPS Badnore, and the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, who himself is an Army historian.

“We will host writers and experts talking about the famous Battle of Naushera in 1823 fought between Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s forces and Afghan tribals. Then there are so many stories of victory and loss, of love and longing that soldiers had to face fighting for the country. These are a part of our military history,” said Col HP Singh, Director, war memorial and museum.

Apart from these sessions, creative workshops in calligraphy, umbrella painting and music will also be held. The highlight of the festival would be a documentary titled Half Moon Stories, an account of the soldiers taken prisoners and detained at Halfmoon camp during the First World War. The documentary has recorded voices of Indian prisoners of war during the First World War that had been archived and kept among thousands of voice recordings at Humboldt University’s Sound Archive, Lautarchiv, Berlin.

Sourced and shared by Chandigarh-based Col Parminder Singh Randhawa, from German filmmaker Philip Scheffne, the documentary has voices of about 70 soldiers from Punjab, who shared their days, talked about missing their families and home, while kept detained at camp Halfmoon.

A madrasa is seen near the site where IAF struck near Balakot, in Pakistan. — Reuters file

New Delhi, November 27

The government on Wednesday said inputs indicate that attempts are being made to reactivate terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan which was bombed by the Indian Air Force fighters.

Union minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in Rajya Sabha that the central government is committed to take all necessary steps to protect the borders of the country and maintain its integrity and sovereignty.

“Inputs indicate that attempts are being made by Pakistan-based terror outfits to reactivate its camp at Balakot and restart their religious and Jihadi indoctrination courses against India,” he said replying a written question.

The fighters of the Indian Air Force had bombed and destroyed the terror camp at Balakot on February 26 after terrorists attacked a convoy of CRPF vehicles, killing 40 jawans on February 14.

Reddy said the government has adopted a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism and the security forces are taking effective and continuous action in countering it as a result of which a large number of terrorists have been neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir during the past few years.

The minister said in Jammu and Kashmir, this year till November 17, as many as 594 terror incidents have taken place in which 37 civilians and 79 security personnel were killed.

He said a total of 614 terrorist incidents have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 in which 39 civilians and 91 security personnel were killed.

Reddy said up to October 2019, there have been 171 infiltration attempts from across the border of which 114 were successful.

In 2018, there were 328 infiltration attempts of which 143 were successful. — PTI

The opening of Khokhrapar border would facilitate followers of Saint Moinuddin Chishti to visit Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan and allow Hindu pilgrims to visit Hinglaj Mandir in Balochistan

Washington, November 27

Congratulating Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for showing “admirable magnanimity” in the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims, a US-based advocacy group has urged him to now reopen the Khokhrapar-Munabao border with India for millions of Hindu and Muslim devotees.

The opening of the Khokhrapar border would facilitate millions of followers of Saint Moinuddin Chishti to visit Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. It will also allow Hindu pilgrims to visit the Hinglaj Mandir in Balochistan province of Pakistan, said the Voice of Karachi.

The group represents Mohajirs, Urdu-speaking Indian Muslims who settled in Pakistan after the Partition. It says on its website it is “committed to raise global awareness about the plight of the Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi”.

“Now that your government has shown admirable magnanimity by opening the Kartarpur crossing making it convenient for Sikh pilgrims to visit their sacred places in Pakistan, I would request you on behalf of millions of Muslim and Hindu followers of Saint Moinuddin Chishti and Hinglaj Devi respectively to show similar generosity by opening Khokhrapar-Munabao border with immediate effect,” the group’s Nadeem Nusrat said in a letter to the Pakistan prime minister.

“Your favourable response will not only win you millions of hearts, but it will also help ease tensions in the region by improving people-to-people contact. The failure to do so, on the other hand, would justifiably reinforce rumours and speculations about the real intentions behind the opening of Kartarpur crossing,” Nusrat said.

He said millions of Muslims and Hindus living in Pakistan and India have been facing difficulties in visiting the two places of worship since 1947. “Fortunately, both issues could quickly be resolved with the same level of kindness you have demonstrated in the Kartarpur crossing issue,” he said.

Millions of Muslims from India who had settled in urban areas of Sindh Province of Pakistan, still deeply revere Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti, and want to visit his shrine in India, Nusrat said.

This should not be an issue because Pakistan’s Sindh Province shares its border with India’s Rajasthan state, and the journey from Sindh’s Khokhrapar border crossing to Ajmer Shrine is just a few hours long.

“However, this border crossing is closed for years, which forces the visitors to undertake an almost four-time longer journey to Ajmer Shrine via Punjab and Delhi. This unnecessary longer journey also places a substantial financial burden on visitors whose overwhelming majority comes poor and middle-class people,” the group said in the letter.

“If you look at it from a human perspective, it is a blatant case of the violation of millions of peoples’ fundamental religious rights,” he said.

Hinglaj Mandir is a sacred Hindu temple on the Makran coast in Balochistan province.

“A large number of Hindu worshippers every year undertake a four-day pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mandir. The deity is also worshipped and visited by many Hindus in India who want to visit this temple but face the same challenges as do the followers of Saint Moinuddin Chishti,” Nusrat said

Kumar was the Navy Chief from 1998-2001. iStock

New Delhi, November 27

Former Navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar died at a military hospital here on Wednesday morning following a brief illness, his family sources said.

He was 79. Kumar was the Navy Chief from 1998-2001. PTI

Players from the Patiala Polo and Riding Club in action during the Western Command Polo Challenge at the Polo Ground Aviation Club in Patiala. Tribune photo:Rajesh Sachar

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 25

Patiala Polo and Riding Club witnessed Western Command Polo Challenge exhibition match, organised in the run-up to the MLF (Military Literature Festival) to be held in December, here today.

The day witnessed a nail-biting match between Patiala Chargers and Patiala Raiders. Lieutenant General RP Singh GOC-in-C Western Command was the chief guest.

Patiala Raiders, ably led by Arjuna Awardee World Cup player Colonel Ravi Rathore, dominated the four chukkars and won the match by 5-3. Both teams equalised in first three chukkars, but in the third chukkar, Colonel Ravi Rathore scored the fourth and fifth goal and kept Patiala Chargers under pressure in the last two chukkars blocking their every effort to score the goal.

In the first chukkar, Patiala Raiders controlled the game in their favour with first two goals by Colonel Ravi, but by the third chukker (round), both teams were on a par with three goals each. 

By this time, the Patiala Raider team with Colonel Ravi Rathore was the star performer who scored two more goals.

By the time third Chukkar finished, Patiala Chargers led by Colonel N.S. Sandhu scored two goals with the third goal being scored by Capt. Raghav Raj But in the last two Chukkars Patiala Chargers couldn’t s score any goal losing match to Patiala Raiders.

The best pony award was clinched by Messiah rode by Colonel NS Sandhu of Patiala Chargers.

Jawans of 61 cavalries showed their horsemanship skill that included standing salute lance peg, triple tent pegging, indian file, hanky picking and trick tent pegging.

Earlier, in a perfect show of aerobatic skills, Senior Instructor Captain Malkiat Singh, having 10,000 hours of flying experience on various kinds of aircraft, displayed multiple manoeuvres. Earlier, the Military Band, led by N Subedar Mahinder Kumar, marched with melodious tunes and set the tempo of the function.

Best pony award

• The best pony award was clinched by Messiah rode by Colonel NS Sandhu of Patiala Chargers.
• The jawans of 61 cavalries showed their horsemanship skill that included standing salute lance peg, triple tent pegging, indian file, hanky picking and trick tent pegging.

Photo courtesy Twitter handle: @patrickbrownont

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, November 26

To mark the 550^th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, a part of a street in Canada’s Brampton city has been named after him.

A ceremony to unveil the street signboard was held on Sunday and inaugurated by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.

The ceremony was attended by Member of Provincial Parliament for Brampton East Gurratan Singh, police officials, local Sikh community among others.

https://twitter.com/patrickbrownont/status/1198698382967132160

It’s official! #GuruNanakDevJi #Gurpurab550 pic.twitter.com/X2bPzDYiuV

— Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownont) November 24, 2019

Proud to speak at the Guru Nanak Street unveiling this morning to celebrate the 550th anniversary. The @CityBrampton is proud of our multicultural mosaic.

‘Guru Nanak St’ has been written on the signboard on the tailend of the street which has Gurdwara Guru Nanak Mission Centre located next to it.

A stretch of around 550 metres was named after Brampton’s former Mayor Peter Robertson and a part of that stretch has been renamed after Guru Nanak Dev to mark his 550^th birth anniverary.

In a tweet Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said, “Proud to speak at the Guru Nanak Street unveiling this morning to celebrate the 550^th anniversary. The @CityBrampton is proud of our multicultural mosaic.”

Islamabad, November 26

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the decision to grant a three-year term extension to the powerful Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a major blow to Prime Minister Imran Khan who had cited “regional security environment” for the move.

The move came just ahead of 59-year-old Bajwa’s retirement on November 29.

The petition against Bajwa’s extension was filed by one Raiz Rahi, who later filed an application to withdraw it.

However, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa rejected the withdrawal bid and took up the petition as a public interest litigation under Article 184.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice said the notification issued on August 19 mentioned an ‘extension’ while the notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said the army chief had been ‘reappointed’.

“As per rules, there is no authority of extending army chief’s tenure or his reappointment. The government can only suspend his retirement and the army chief has not retired yet,” Khosa said.

Khosa after suspending the government’s notification adjourned the hearing until Wednesday.

Prime Minister Khan had approved an extension to the tenure of General Bajwa for another three years, citing “regional security environment”.

Ties between India and Pakistan worsened following India’s decision on August 5 to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370.

Khan also took into account the ongoing Afghan peace talks between the US and the Taliban militants, facilitated by Islamabad, for extending Bajwa’s tenure.

“General Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of Army Staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of the current tenure,” according to the notification.

Khosa during the hearing said that only the president of Pakistan could extend the tenure of the Army chief.

He also observed that when the matter was discussed in the Cabinet, only 11 of the 25 members approved the extension.

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor contested the observations by the Chief Justice, saying the extension was announced after approval of the President.

However, the Chief Justice suspended the extension notification and fixed the next hearing for further proceedings.

It is for the first time that the top court has suspended a notification by the government to extend service of the powerful army chief.

The Army so far has not commented on the development. PTI

Cabinet Meeting: PM Imran khan Orders To Resolve Army Chief Extension Issue

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The General – who is serving a rare full three year term as the Army Chief after he superseded two officers in 2016 – is likely to get a term of over two years as the CDS, which will largely see the creation of a new structure to provide military

NEW DELHI: General Bipin Rawat is on a series of farewell visits to military establishments as his tenure as the Army Chief draws to an end in December.

However, the top officer is unlikely to shed his uniform anytime soon, with the decks being cleared for him to take over as the first Chief of Defence Staff – a four star position being created as part of a defence management overhaul.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has opened channels of communication with 32 detained political prisoners of the regional parties, but put riders on their release. Meanwhile, two leaders, Jammu and Kashmir People Democratic Front’s Hakeem Yaseen and Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Mohammad Ashraf Mir, were released on Monday, indicating a move to release the leaders in a phased manner.

In the past 10 days, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)-level officer visited senior leaders of the National Conference (NC), the PDP, the Peoples Conference (PC) and the J&K Peoples Movement (J&KPM) more than three times and discussed ways and means to ensure their release.

Reject condition

The officer, sources said, “insisted on abiding by the administration’s suggestion to sign bonds in lieu of their release.”

Senior officials confirmed to The Hindu that NC’s top leader Ali Muhammad Sagar, a former legislator and minister; PDP’s Naeem Akhar, a former legislator and minister; PC chief Sajad Lone, a former legislator and minister, and J&K PM chief Shah Faesal, an IAS topper who quit his job join politics earlier this year, “have repeatedly refused to sign a bond for their release.”

Mr. Sagar and Mr. Akhtar, sources said, told the government point man that such bonds were aimed at “curtailing the rightful political space of regional players, discredit the local leadership in front of the eyes of the locals and were being publicised later only to add to the political vacuum post August 5.”

All these leaders were detained and taken into preventive detention on August 5 under Section 107, Section 109 and Section 117 of the Cr.PC. The bonds, which the leaders were being asked to sign, reads: “He/she will not make any comment or issue statement or make public speeches or participate in the public assembly related to recent events…for a period of one year from the date of signature of the bond.”

Some headway

The move by the authorities to release NC leader Mubarak Gul for a night on Saturday on parole to meet his ailing sister has failed to break the ice with the regional leaders, “who have put up a joint front inside the sub-jail of MLA Hostel in Srinagar.”

However, sources said Mr. Lone’s plea to meet his mother was turned down by the authorities. Meanwhile, Mr. Yaseen and Mr. Mir’s release is a signal that the officials negotiating have been able to make some headway.

A close relative of a senior NC leader said the government is not following legal procedure related to preventive detentions.

“To prolong detentions under Section 107, a preventive custody, these are supposed to be proven with witnesses and evidences, which has not taken place in most of these cases,” he said. However, officials insisted that such bonds were “a legal requirement to secure releases in such cases.”