Monthly Archives: August 2018

A navy sailor has died in an accident onboard one of Indian Navy’s under-construction nuclear submarines. Considering the secrecy of the project, the Navy has not divulged the name of the submarine.

The Incident happened at Navy’s Vizag-based eastern naval command ship building centre jetty on April 1. Four Arihant class nuclear submarines are based at Vizag, while the first submarine INS Arihant was commissioned in August 2016. In 2017, the second boat of the Arihant class—the bigger, improved and better-armed INS Arighat—was launched and presently undergoing sea-trials. Remaining two submarines of the class are under construction. Naval sources expect that all four Arihant class submarines can be commissioned by 2023.

According to naval sources, 26-year-old sailor Paramajit Singh was on duty when accident happened in the boat.
“An incident of material failure happened onboard at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. A sailor was grievously injured and taken to hospital. subsequently, he succumbed to the injuries,” said a naval official. Later on, his body was handed over to the family. Since he died while performing duty, he was given full military honour funeral at his home town.

Meanwhile, a Board of Inquiry has been ordered by the Navy to investigate the cause of the incident.

Arihant class submarine, the nuclear-powered submarines with ballistic nuclear missiles (SSBNs), are meant for deterrence with its long legs. Naval experts believe that SSBNs are not meant for fighting wars, but to prevent wars and we need to have at least four of such submarines to have a 24×7 deterrence. However, India’s plan to build six SSNs (attack submarine) with a displacement capacity of 6,000 tonnes is underway.

In 2017, dedicating the boat to the nation as a Diwali gift, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said: “Arihant is an open warning to enemies of India and enemies of peace” and a “fitting response to nuclear blackmail”. With that, India joined another club where the same big five— the US, Russia, Britain, France and China—have been sitting.

INS Arihant, an SSBN category submarine, is both nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed. She is armed with 750km range K15 Sagarika nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. In future, she will get 3,500km (intermediate range) K4 ballistic missiles.

Three of its sister ships of same class are getting ready in the Navy’s secret yard at Visakhapatnam as follow-on ships. And all of which will move around the depths of the waters close to China’s and Pakistan’s coast.

Navy’s fleet of attack submarines, all diesel-powered, has dwindled from an awesome 21 in the 1980s to just 14 at present. Worse still, at least half of the 15 available boats are old and creaking, and undergoing mid-life upgrade. It means India has just seven-eight submarines that are battle-ready at any given time, against 65 of the Chinese navy.

Ideally, the Navy needs at least 24 submarines to meet its 30-year submarine building plan, which was approved by the cabinet committee on security in 1999, months after the Kargil conflict. The plan was to induct 12 diesel subs by 2012 and another 12 submarines by 2030, but repeated delays forced the Navy to rejig the plan.

Now, the plan is to have 18 diesel-powered submarines and six SSNs. The SSNs will be constructed in Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, to develop skills and drills for operating SSNs, the Navy has got one Akula-class SSN on lease from Russia.

Chandigarh, April 4

When their husbands are in the field to fight coronavirus, the better halves are ensuring free food distribution to cater to the poor in Punjab’s Ropar district.

Also, the wives of policemen are making masks at home to handle the pandemic.

Over 33,000 meals of dry ration along with 800 masks have been prepared by family members of police officials in last one week at their homes and community centres, said Senior Superintendent of Police of Ropar, Swapan Sharma.

The ration packets have been distributed in slum areas, while the masks at every check point by mobile patrolling teams, he said.

“Together we stand stronger is the message that families of the Ropar policemen are out to convey,” Sharma said, adding each family has contributed Rs 500 towards the fight against deadly virus.

Women and children have taken upon themselves to make masks and pack ration packets.

With policemen on duty for 14-16 hours a day since the lockdown that came into effect on March 23, their families are showing all their support.

Out of 100 families that stay in police quarters, about 30 of them have come forward to help. By stitching masks at home, they are doing their bit to ensure safety and health.

Spouses, children and even parents are enthusiastically participating to ease the burden on the policemen by making packs out of ration donated by the NGOs and the public, he said.

“We couldn’t think of anything better than making masks to keep our men in khaki safe in these tough times,” said Sukhwinder Kaur, 48, wife of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jagtar Singh.

Shruti, 16, daughter of ASI Chandermohan with the help of her elder and younger sisters is making use of her sewing skills in making masks.

ASI Vinod Kumar’s wife Praveen Kaur has enlisted the help of her three children to make ration packs for the less fortunate.

“Lending a helping hand even if little means huge in this time of uncertainty. Also, our children imbibe value of standing with everyone in difficult times with doing as much as they can,” she said.

Lovepreet Kaur, daughter of ASI Jagir Singh, added: “Making ration packs may not mean much in ordinary times but at moments like these when policemen are overworked each little help counts. I am glad that we are taking off a little of the burden off the shoulders of forces by making use of the time.” — IANS

Quarantine centres run by the armed forces in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and other places, are already up and running. Several thousand people, mostly Indians who have flown in from abroad, are there. Now, the defence ministry in order to ensure more efficient functioning has issued special guidelines— or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)— relating to COVID-19 related work.

The SOPs relate to emergency powers— mostly financial—to deal with COVID-19. The government document says: “The emergency powers are to expedite the procurement/ repairs for establishing and running quarantine/isolation facilities by the Indian armed forces”.

The powers relate to purchases of “stores, rations, hygiene and chemicals, medicines and transportation.”
An emergency of this magnitude demands immediate action; what is required is required right now and has to be readied almost by yesterday. Normal procedures do not allow for that. If something is required and particularly, large amounts of it, in the age of global short supply in this ‘sellers’ market’ differences in specifications and quality variations, have to be set aside, given the unprecedented emergency.

Which means if masks have to be bought, anything between outstanding to good in terms of quality is acceptable. Purchase from a number of vendors is allowed owing to supply problems because of closed factories or transportation breakdowns even if there are differences in price. Basically, pay more if you have to, but buy something you really need.

Cutting red tape, paperwork and the necessary world of tenders and bid can be avoided right now. It can always be done later. It is a seller’s market, and also, there are considerable logistical challenges.If it is necessary to pay a 100 percent advance, unprecedented in normal circumstances, it can be given to a public sector firm. For the private sector, an advance can be considered, if it is felt necessary. And at this point, additional time-consuming measures like discussions on bank guarantees need not happen.

Also, as these are forbiddingly difficult times, a “post-audit system of accounting” can be followed. Cash transactions are also acceptable. The new guidelines will apply when it comes to the purchase of medical equipment, medicines and other essentials required to establish new quarantine centres and run the ones already in place.

With bureaucratic restrictions on the back burner, patients and all those under quarantine can receive the best possible treatment and importantly, quickly. Lives matter and worldwide, 65,000 people have died and a staggering 900,000 are ill, about 45,000 critically.

Kabul, April 5

Afghanistan’s intelligence has arrested an ISI-linked Pakistani Islamic State (IS) militant who was the mastermind behind the attack on a Kabul gurdwara last month that left 27 persons, including an Indian citizen, dead.

Abdullah Orakzai, alias Aslam Farooqi, a key leader of IS’ Khorasan branch, was arrested with his 19 associates during a “complex operation” by the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in the country’s southern province of Kandahar on Saturday.

A native of Pakistan’s restive northwestern Orakzai agency, he was “enjoying close relations” with Pakistan-based terror groups such as the Haqqani network and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the NDS said in a statement.

Farooqi was appointed IS’ shadow governor in Afghanistan after the killing of Abu Saeed Bajawri. He was operating as the commander of ISIS’ military wing in Peshawar and was deployed in Abdul Khel valley of Achin district of Nangarhar, it said. — PTI

Pakistan just appointed its first Hindu Major in the Pakistan Army. It is historic but it is also eye-opening as to the opportunities afforded to the minorities. With not much representation and support for them into the mainstream, incidents like this are still making news after more than 70 years since the birth of Pakistan.

After graduation from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences , he got selected as a Captain in the Pakistan Army.

He is the first Hindu officer of the Pakistan Army to get selected for the Emergency Medicine course in University Hospital Birmingham.
Dr. Kelash has represented Pakistan in Uganda, Egypt, Dubai, Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland and won a Tamgha-e-Dafa (a medallion given to personnel posted at Siachen) for staying 36 days in Baltoro Sector near K2, which is the world’s highest post saddle, and a major tension point between India and Pakistan.

Dr Kelash has served Pakistan by participating in Operation Aimeezan in Waziristan and Operation Rah-e-Nijat in Swat.

He presented a study on the civilization of Indus valley and won a UN medal. He has also served as a Senior Pakistani Army Officer (SPAO) in a United Nation peacekeeping mission.

Currently, Dr. Kelash is posted in Quetta in the 86 Medical Battalion of Pakistan Army as in charge of health services delivery.

Hindus have been allowed to join the Pakistan Defence Forces, and many have joined and served the country, rising to top-posts like Air Commodores and Naval Commanders in the Air Force but this is allegedly the first high-ranking Army appointment from the community.

In the wake of the tensions in Kashmir, this news is a breath of fresh air and a positive towards acceptance and diversity by Pakistan.

Melbourne, April 4

The Sikh community in Australia is working tirelessly to deliver free meals daily and groceries to people struggling with self-isolation and financial hardship amid the coronavirus crisis.

In a recent facebook post, the Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) has called upon families in Victoria to reach out to the group for free meal deliveries.

From soup and pasta to rice and curries on the menu, the group, which has over a dozen of delivery vans and only 20 volunteers, deliver more than 800 meals a day.

“The initiative was started three years ago in South East part of Melbourne and we have been serving free food packs to those in need, like elderly, single parent or people in self isolation,” SVA member Manpreet Singh said on Saturday.

“We have also started a new service for international students now and we expect the deliveries to go up,” he said, adding that the group follows all the rules, put in place in the wake of the pandemic, while preparing the food, packing and loading it in vans.

Another organisation named the United Sikhs has also come forward to help the needy by providing free meals and basic food supplies.

They are also providing basic over-the-counter medicines to overseas students, senior citizens, low income families, disabled and self-isolated people.

According to Gurvinder Singh, a member of the United Sikhs, the group cooks 100-200 meals twice a day for the needy and then delivers the food at their doorstep.

“We are also helping them with over-the-counter medication and basic food supplies like milk, canned food, flour, rice and lentils. We are working with the local councils and the state and federal governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Pritam Singh Gill of Gurdwara Sahib Tarniet said he provides close to 70 meals a day in his personal capacity and almost 30-40 meals are collected from the gurdwara premises everyday for international students living in the area.

“We are giving free meals and even groceries,” he said.

The Sikh community in Australia is well known for their community services during crisis situations. They have earned accolades and praises for their selfless services.

In a “thank you” note to Sikh Volunteers Australia, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews recently said the volunteers “fed countless Victorians during the bushfires” and this time they “hit the road again — delivering hundreds of home cooked meals to isolated people across Melbourne’s south east”. PTI

Besides the brigadier, a former lieutenant general, who held crucial positions like Director General of Military Operations, is serving a 14-year jail sentence.

New Delhi: The Pakistan Army Saturday hanged Brig. Raja Rizwan (retd) after he was convicted of spying for a foreign intelligence agency, social media posts indicated.

“We have received reports about the hanging. Currently, there is no confirmation,” a source in the Indian security establishment told ThePrint.

Pakistani journalists said they were awaiting official word from the ISPR. No Pakistani mainstream media has reported about the hanging.

ThePrint had reported in June that the Brigadier, along with Pakistan’s former Director General of Military Operations, Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal (Retd), were accused of spying for American Intelligence Agency CIA during the infamous Raymond Davis saga in 2011.

Court case led to information getting out

Brig. Rizwan was sentenced to death alongside Wasim Akram, a civilian doctor employed by an army organisation. Lt Gen. Iqbal, meanwhile, was sentenced to 14 years in jail.

ISPR chief Major General Asif Ghafoor had confirmed the arrests of the senior officers in a press conference on 22 February.

At the time, he had said that the two cases were not linked to each other, and there was no network of spies as such, a claim that sources in the Indian establishment said was completely untrue.

The case came to light in October 2018 after the Brigadier’s son Ali Rizwan filed a habeas corpus petition in the Islamabad High Court, saying his father had gone missing on 10 October near a shopping centre in the capital city.

Justice Aamer Farooq, who heard the petition, had sought a report from the authorities, and the Pakistani military was forced to admit that the officers were in their custody.

While Lt Gen. Iqbal retired in 2015, Brig. Rizwan, who was the Pakistani defence attaché in Germany, retired in 2014.

It is believed that both officers were recruited by the CIA earlier in their careers and were used by the Americans to get information on the country’s nuclear programme and the Army’s plans and support to jihadi groups.

Also read: This Pakistani General had seen everything by age of 4. He now wants you to read his doctrine

Tilak Devasher

Tilak Devasher
Member, National Security Advisory Board

The coronavirus pandemic has presented a challenge to the global community like none other for several generations. It will, however, ultimately wane like others before it. Two memories will nevertheless stand out among the host of memories that this disease would have left behind. One is from our northern neighbour from where the entire disruption started, and the other is from our western neighbour, where despite the crisis, it could not resist taking potshots at India.

On March 22, the spokesman for the Communist Party of China tweeted: “If ‘Made in China’ is contagious, then don’t use made in China face masks, don’t use made in China PPE, don’t use made in China ventilators. Only by doing so can you avoid the virus.” Such arrogance reeks of total disdain for the crisis that the world is going through as a result of China’s acts of omission and/or commission (The jury is still out on this).

It also highlights the fact that for too long has the world outsourced manufacturing to China and is now facing the consequences. Many countries, including the US, are dependent on China for basic medical equipment and drugs. Now, when the US needs these vital medicines and equipment, it finds itself at a fatal disadvantage. The New York Times quoted an article by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, saying that if China banned the export of drugs, ‘the United States would sink into the hell of a novel coronavirus epidemic’.

The lesson for the world, therefore, is to reduce the dependence on China, not only for critical drugs and equipment but also for manufacturing and supply chains. It will take time, it will be painful and expensive, but that would be far better than being held hostage to China at crunch times when lives are at stake. This should also be a wake-up call for not involving Chinese companies like Huawei for the impending 5G rollout that could impact the entire critical infrastructure of the country.

The boast of the CCP spokesman about medical equipment has been belied by media reports from Spain, Czech Republic, Ukraine, the Philippines, the Netherlands and Turkey. These reports indicate that China supplied faulty test kits that only had 30% accuracy, and at least in one case, reused masks.

Finally, China cannot escape the consequences of its disastrous action that allowed the deadly virus to spread globally. While there continues to be a debate on how the virus started in Wuhan, there is no doubt about its spread. Despite knowing about human transmission, China allowed at least 7 million people, including from Wuhan, to travel to all parts of the world. This is criminal and China will have to be held accountable. No amount of bribing the WHO and disinformation would help it escape responsibility.

Our western neighbour Pakistan is in a league by itself. Starting from the first case on February 26, the number of confirmed cases have jumped to over 2,400. At a time when the world was battling the pandemic, the Pakistan representative, during the SAARC video conference, raised the issue of communication restrictions and medical supplies in J&K. Its foreign minister and foreign office have repeated this on several occasions. Pakistan even wrote to the then Security Council president, China, requesting ‘urgent and appropriate consideration of developments in J&K that posed a threat to international peace and security’. The fact that China refused to take notice of the ‘urgent’ request was very disconcerting for Pakistan.

Pakistan needs to look at its own house instead. The cases in so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have reached almost 200. Ominously, as per media reports, there seems to be a move by the Pakistan army to shift positively tested patients from Punjab to quarantine centres in the region.

Four elements of Pakistan’s response are noteworthy. First, if the virus spreads, its healthcare system may collapse, given the paucity of beds in intensive care wards, ventilators, N95 masks and appalling conditions in quarantine camps like Taftan. A doctor was quoted in the media complaining, ‘We don’t even have anti-rabies vaccines. How can we deal with thousands of people who will come here for coronavirus treatment?’ All this has happened due to poor investment in healthcare by successive governments.

Second, there is a great deal of confusion about who is in charge. While Imran Khan has rejected a lockdown, saying it would ruin the economy, the provinces have gone ahead and done so in varying degrees, especially the PPP-led government in Sindh. Punjab, KPK and Balochistan have followed suit. The army has signalled that it would be working with provincial governments to enforce a lockdown. So who is calling the shots?Third, Imran Khan has been found wanting on all counts. Even in this hour of crisis, he has not been able to show leadership to unify the country and continues to have a belligerent attitude towards the opposition. Thus, after addressing a video conference of parliamentary leaders, he chose to go offline instead of listening to their views. He was not interested in their views on dealing with the crisis.

Fourth, Pakistan seems to believe that it is the last bastion of Islam. Despite other Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran banning all religious gatherings, the federal government has said congregational prayers would be offered in ‘limited numbers’ in mosques. Pakistan is literally standing at the edge of an unknown precipice. It needs to look internally rather than harping about J&K.

Views are personal

Pakistan authorities on Friday ordered Omar Saeed Sheikh, Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib and Sheikh Muhammad Adil convicted of 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief Daniel Pearl to be detained for a period three months despite Sindh High Court’s ruling to overturn their convictions a day before.

Omar was given the death sentence by Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court in 2002 while others were given a jail term of 25 years. The reason cited behind their was that the men may indulge in anti-national activities. Two other involved in the kidnapping, Amjad Hussain Farooqi was shot dead by Pakistan police in 2004 and Mohammad Hasheem Qadir was acquited in 2014.

Who is Omar Saeed Sheikh?

A two-member bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha had earlier found Omar Saeed Sheikh guilty of kidnapping but not of murder and overturned his death sentence to a seven-year jail term saying that he had already spent 18 years in prison.

Omar had also made headlines in 2008 after he called none other than Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari from Hyderabad jail in Pakistan pretending to be Indian foreign minister. Disguised Omar had threatened retaliation in response to an attack by Pakistan based terrorists on India’s financial capital – Mumbai.

The US denounced the decision of overturning the death sentence of British-born top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh terming the verdict an “affront” to the victims of terrorism everywhere. However, the re-arrest is questionable given that Pakistan is under close scrutiny by anti-terror financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for its inability to prosecute terrorists.

Daniel Pearl was kidnapped from Karachi and was killed in captivity after terrorists brutally decapitated his head and shared the video worldwide prompting outrage from all corners.

However, this is where the plot gets murkier. A report by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists found Omar Saeed Sheikh guilty of kidnapping only. Daniel Pearl was investigating the role of the main suspect Richard C Reid in the failed attack on a trans-Atlantic flight in December 2001, who was also called as shoe bomber because the accused had placed explosives in his sneakers.

Pearl was lured by Omar who introduced himself as Chaudhary Basheer and promised Pearl of providing access to an Islamic cleric who had ties to Reid. Omar was at the time was associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad a terror outfit.

Pearl is also believed to have discovered a charity link connecting Osama Bin Laden to Pakistan’s intelligence agency which had left the ISI red-faced. Omar is believed to have surrendered on February 5 to an old ISI contact Ijaz Ahmed who is currently the Federal Interior Minister and was later handed to police in February 12 2002.

However, that has not stopped his lawyer from claiming that the alleged delay was because the authorities held Omar in secret and forced his confession after torturing him.

Also, a former CIA captive confessed to the murder of Daniel Pearl which was confirmed by the FBI’s forensic team according to the report by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. However, another CIA officer doubted the finding saying that the captive appeared to be boastful and mentally unstable raising doubts about his confession.

At his initial trial, Omar had said that he did not want to defend his actions and that whatever he did he had his reasons and that he did want his country to be a pawn in America’s hands. Omar after being handed the death penalty had said to reporters, “We will see who dies first, me or the authorities who have arranged the death sentence for me.”

Omar Saeed Sheikh’s Indian Connection

Omar Sheikh was arrested following a shootout in India in 1994 for the kidnapping of one American and four Britons. Omar had introduced himself as Rohit Sharma and invited them to visit his uncle’s property in Kashmir.

Instead of taking them to Kashmir, the American captive was taken to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh while the British captives were held at Saharanpur in the same state. The captives were rescued and Omar was arrested after Uttar Pradesh police accidentally stumbled across the house which held the American captive while pursuing a case of robbery.

He was placed under arrest in Tihar jail until 1999 when an Indian commercial flight IC-814 en route to New Delhi from Kathmandu was hijacked and taken instead to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI bore the legal cost of Omar’s trial. The hijack forced Indian authorities to release Omar, Masood Azhar the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad and two others in a swap deal for 154 passengers of the hijacked commercial airliner.

Omar’s name had also popped up on American radar after FBI discovered a financial link between Omar and Al-Qaeda’s terrorist Mohamad Atta who was the key conspirator of 9/11 terror attacks. FBI found that Omar had wired $1,00,000 to Atta on the instruction of then ISI chief Mahmud Ahmed who had to later resign.

However, unlike many Pakistani militants, Omar was born to a middle-class business family in east England and spoke impeccable English. He went to Forest School in Snaresbrook and was a member of the British arm-wrestling squad and on his way to Geneva the next year.

According to one of Omar’s classmates, Omar was always near the top of his year but far from a model pupil. The classmate recalls Omar Saeed Sheikh as someone who always wanted to show his strength so much so that he once punched the daylight out of his teacher when he was just eight years old. He also had knocked a guy out who was four years older than him and split open his lips.

Later in 1987, Omar and his parents moved to Pakistan and studied at Aitchison College in Lahore but was expelled for fighting. On his return, his classmate said that Omar had become much more political and religious in his views. His friend recalls a particular instance when the two were playing chess. Omar is believed to have told his friend that playing chess was equivalent to a battle.

However, the turning point came after Omar Saeed Sheikh went to study at prestigious London School of Economics where he came in contact with radical Islamists and dropped out only in his first year. In 1989 Omar discussed the worsening situations in the Balkan region and felt that he needed to do something for Muslims who were being persecuted.

He soon packed his bag and headed for Bosnia where he came in contact with Islamists from Pakistan who later sent him for training in Afghanistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. He began working after his release with Masood Azhar and his terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad backed by ISI and resumed fighting in Kashmir.

After his arrest in Pakistan, he told police interrogators about his deep connections to ISI and tried to convince the interrogators to join the militancy in Kashmir. He also claimed to know the militants who bombed Srinagar Assembly in Kashmir which killed 38 people and also those terrorists who were responsible for the attack on the Indian Parliament.

One of the details that leaked from the interrogation talked about Omar calling the kidnapping as a warning shot against Pakistan Government. The story proved accurate as within weeks terrorists carried out three suicide attacks killing 30 people.

However former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had doubted this claim in his book ‘In the line of fire’ wherein he stated that Omar was recruited by British Intelligence Agency MI6 to operate in Bosnia but at some point, Omar had become a rogue agent.