Monthly Archives: August 2018

New Delhi: Five months after the Supreme Court granted permanent commission to women Army officers, the Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter (GSL) to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers in all 10 streams of the Army.

This includes the Army Air Defence, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence Corps, in addition to Judge and Advocate General and the Army Educational Corps, where women officers already had permanent commission.

The Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment on 17 February, had granted permanent commission to women officers in the Army irrespective of their number of years of service. The women officer-litigants had been fighting the case for 14 years.

A statement issued Thursday stated that the Army Headquarters had set in motion a series of preparatory actions for conduct of the Permanent Commission Selection Board for affected women officers.

“The selection board will be scheduled as soon as all affected SSC women officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation,” the statement read, adding that the Indian Army is “committed to provide equal opportunities to all personnel including women officers to serve the nation”.

Also read: ‘Women aren’t adjuncts’ — what SC said while granting permanent commission to women in Army

‘Different rules for women’

However, women officers whom ThePrint spoke to said on the condition of anonymity that the GSL, for which the Army had sought six additional months in the Supreme Court citing Covid-19 pandemic, is a “delayed response” that came after the Army initiated four major policy changes.

This includes the central government’s move to make the Battle Physical Efficiency Test (BPET) mandatory for all women officers, including those commissioned before 2009 and above 35 years of age, who were earlier exempt from it.

The BPET is a series of tests meant to test the physical fitness of an officer or a jawan to perform military tasks.

A senior woman officer said many of them have been asked to do junior command courses, which are for officers with 5-13 years of service, to train them for junior command appointments in the Army.

“This course was made compulsory 1998 onwards, but women officers of the 1994 batch have now been detailed for that, despite the fact that male officers of the same batch have not done it,” the officer said.

The officer added that the grant of permanent commission is dependent on the annual confidential report (ACR) in the first 10 years of service, a ‘Shape 1’ medical category and discipline and vigilance clearance.

“But out of the 620 women officers awaiting a board, 100 women with downgraded medical categories have been detailed for the JC course. With lifestyle diseases common after the age of 45, is it not harassment to them?” she asked.

‘Late by 16 years’

The officer also pointed out that women officers have been asked to go for another ‘adequately exercised (AE) tenure’, despite many of them having completed it in their years of service.

“Every officer has to undergo ‘AE tenure’ of minimum 24 months to prove that he/she is fit for handling command appointments, and the weightage of AE tenure in ACR is 50 marks,” the woman officer explained.

“Women officers have tenanted 48 to 60 months of AE appointments against 24 months, which has not been endorsed in their ACRs and now when they are due for promotion they are being asked to undergo a new AE to delay their board by another two years,” she said.

“Most women officers are late by 16 years for permanent commission. If we are to do that tenure now, we will hardly be left with any residual service for command appointments before we retire,” the officer said.

A second woman officer pointed out that the study was ordered by the Army to assess employability of women officers in select positions and also induction of women in the Army below the rank of jawans.

“But the panel has no representation of women,” this officer said. “The GSL is too little, too late,” she added.

Also read: SC permanent commission order likely to open last frontier for Navy women — service at sea

Gupta drew on Ninan’s latest column and Fukuyama’s comments on ThePrint’s ‘Off the Cuff’ to take an overall “broad-brush look” at the political situation in India.

In his column, Ninan wrote that “Narendra Modi was too smart for propaganda around him”.

Anything that Modi does, the entire cabinet endorses it in a style that is sycophantic, and the friendly media also endorses it.

However, according to Ninan, while Modi is too sharp for this and should know what the reality is — leaders begin to get delusional, particularly, when the media is extremely friendly and institutions are weakened.

Furthermore, he wrote, “Modi obviously can see that the positive change narrative around him is untenable” because it is evident, with everything that is happening, that India is not going through “a big positive change and resurgence”.

On the other hand, Fukuyama, in a conversation with Gupta on ‘Off the Cuff‘, noted that India gave China the space to move in and exploit it when India looked weak.

He highlighted three primary points: First, India’s economy and military are not as strong as they should have been and they cannot match China; second, India is not so cohesive and united internally; and third, India’s non-alignment policy is not going to work.

According to Fukuyama, Modi’s priority should be to restore India’s social cohesion and unity. Secondly, India needs to reposition itself strategically and third, it has to strengthen its economy and military power.

Also read: Five elements make up Modi’s charisma. 4 are beginning to lose lustre

Modi government does not accept mistakes

Ninan focuses on what is good about the Modi government. He noted that it had ambition in 2014 and wanted to bring India to double digit growth and keep it there, but that has not happened in six years, Gupta said.

He wrote that while ambition is good, each of the agendas that the government put out for itself are running into trouble because they go contrary to BJP’s own political and ideological DNA.

The government’s DNA implies that it must never admits its failure — a global phenomenon among strongmen leaders like US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin among others.

If they admit something is wrong, it confuses their base and they would rather allow their base to defend them, Gupta said.

For instance, in the Covid situation in India, there is no introspection by the Modi government on where they went wrong.

Ninan added that even when the numbers look bad, these governments still play with them. Despite the GDP declining, the government found a new criteria to dismiss critics, to please its base.

Another instance is the situation with China. Several reports suggest that Chinese have caused a fair bit of mischief in Ladakh but the government has not admitted it. Instead, it is attacking people who are trying to reveal the reality in Ladakh.

Similarly, demonetisation was a disaster and GST is bringing even less tax compared to the past.

Also read: ‘Wicked’ Pakistan tried to backstab a friendly India — PM Modi on Kargil war

How Modi can reverse situation

Therefore, if Modi wishes to reverse the situation then he has to accept that China exposed India’s internal weakness. It is time for him to stop this tendency of fudging the truth on the border, accept reality and deal with it, said Gupta.

Secondly, he needs to understand the limitations of personalised diplomacy, particularly if our neighbourhood is so widely alienated with us. Third, don’t neglect the defence. Fourth, accept the fact that the economy is going into decline and it needs to be fixed, and fifth, restore national cohesion, Gupta added.

As Ninan wrote, PM Modi is too smart to buy into this propaganda but he should give himself a reality check, even if he and his system don’t like critics.

Watch the full CTC episode here:

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Brigadier (retd) Vivek Sohal has in a letter to ThePrint said a part in Cut The Clutter episode 456 has left Mahar Regiment fraternity ‘in deep anguish’. Read excerpts.

Quoting Sundarji, he narrated an incident from the first war of Kashmir in 1947-48 when one platoon of the Army regiment “ran away” after the raiders attacked, while another valiantly faced the enemy — with the General making a point that “fear is infectious, and so is courage”.

In response to the episode, Brigadier (retd) Vivek Sohal, on behalf of veterans from the Mahar Regiment, has written to ThePrint, saying the part from “this otherwise well conceptualised, researched and delivered programme has left the Mahar Regiment Fraternity in deep anguish”.

The letter said the episode picked up “an unsuitable parallel with an unfortunate narrative that is short on facts” on the history of the Mahar Regiment.

Here are relevant excerpts from the letter:

“The programme (Cut The Clutter episode 456) deals mainly with the topic ‘Why Oxford team breaks ahead of the pack in COVID vaccine race, its science & prospects’. A logical, comprehensive and much needed exposition on the subject, and suffice it to say, your talk has been very well received for it brings hope to humanity.

“However, towards the end of the programme, while paying tribute to Late Gen K Sundarji, PVSM you had, in the manner of motivating your viewership to shed fear for courage to face COVID 19, ended up picking an unsuitable parallel with an unfortunate narrative that is short on facts on the subject history of the Mahar Regiment. This narrative has caused a great deal of mortification and consternation amongst the Mahar fraternity that needs earnest correction.”

The Narrative…

We got talking about fear and courage…Gen Sundarji said that all the talks of the fighting abilities of martial races, certain nationalities or religions over others were not true…it all depended on the environment…he gave example of his Mahar Regiment…in 1947-48, in Poonch area, one platoon of the regiment deployed on a hill feature ran away once attacked by the raiders…another platoon of the same battalion on an adjoining feature faced the enemy because their JCO stood up and charged at the raiders…he was beheaded by the raiders with a sword…a legend was built amongst the troops that the JCO kept fighting even headless and that’s what gave them courage… Gen Sundarji made a pertinent point that “fear is infectious, and so is courage”.

Also read: India, China hold talks as Beijing’s ‘lack of cooperation’ slows Ladakh disengagement

Flaws in the Narrative

In 1947-48, Mahar battalions were Machine Gun (MG) battalions. The Machine Guns, by virtue of their Long Range, Automatic and Rapid Rate of Fire, were deployed with Infantry troops to engage enemy at distances beyond the short range of weapons authorised to individual soldiers. The MGs were deployed along with regular Infantry Battalions in support role(s) for Offensive, Defensive and Withdrawal operations in war. Owing to their being an effective long range automatic weapon, the said MGs were deployed in detachments in support of Infantry. Hence they were never deployed in Platoons.

In no eventuality would a platoon of MG battalion be deployed together and compactly; leave alone two platoons being deployed on neighbouring hills.

Most of the battles in the first six months of the said war took place in Jhangar, Naushehra, Rajauri and Thana Mandi. Poonch Garrison, then occupied by state forces, were in a state of siege until regular army troops got inducted with effect from April 1948.

There is no instance recorded or recollected by the veterans where a JCO was beheaded while he was motivating his troops to repulse the attack by raiders. But there is definitely an instance of a sub-section commander, Hav Rawoo Kamble, who manned the MG after all his team members had got killed while Jhangar feature was under fierce attack from the raiders, and who continued firing till such time he was himself beheaded. His finger was found inside the trigger guard… The rigour mortis that had set in had ensured that they couldn’t remove his finger from the trigger. This was at the battle of Jhangar located amidst Naushehra and Mirpur.

It is grossly incorrect to quote or aver that any Mahar troops ever ‘ran away’ leaving their post. There had been instances, both in 1947-48 and in 1962, when the infantry troops, with whom the MGs were affiliated, withdrew either on the orders from top or of their own volition. “The MG detachments of the Mahar battalions had on all such occasions continued to, first, cover the withdrawal of infantry, and secondly, to fire at the enemy till the last man, last round or till they attained martyrdom”.

It is a well-known fact of history that the units and troops of the Mahar Regiment have never had any operational debacle nor had committed a disgraceful act of ‘running away from a post’ upon being attacked. As a matter of fact, the battalions of the Mahar Regiment have emerged to be the last ones standing in many an operation in all the wars.

Also read: Chinese deception at LAC is just like Pakistan in Kargil — former Ladakh corps commander

New Delhi: Barring some forward locations in Galwan Valley, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso, the Chinese presence in Ladakh has only grown since May this year with the deployment of additional equipment and defensive structures such as trenches and berms at existing encampments, satellite imagery experts have revealed.

This is despite multiple diplomatic and military talks between the two countries, including four corps commander level talks, and discussion between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Defence sources have told ThePrint that there has not been any movement from the Chinese positions since the last corps commander level talks between 14 corps commander Lt Gen. Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart Major General Lin Liu on 14 July.

After the last talks, the Army had said that both sides have agreed to discuss “complete disengagement” in Ladakh, but had added that the disengagement process at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would be intricate and require complete verification.

Talking to ThePrint, Sim Tack, a Belgium-based military analyst with Force Analysis and Statfor said that a continuous growth of the Chinese presence in Ladakh has been observed over the past months.

“This means that we have seen the deployment of additional equipment and new encampments, as well as additional defensive structures such as trenches and berms at existing encampments,” he told ThePrint.

He added that China is also still working rapidly to upgrade the roads connecting these positions, which will facilitate future deployments.

“The only locations where we have seen a reversal in this trend have been the forward positions at Galwan Valley, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso, where mutual withdrawals have led China to remove its encampments within several kilometers of the Line of Actual Control,” he added.

Some military experts, however, said such Chinese build-up might be “posturing” and a display of their equipment, while some suspect it could be “deception”.

Also read: Chinese deception at LAC is just like Pakistan in Kargil — former Ladakh corps commander

‘Satellite images could well be used for display’

Some military experts felt that such images might as much be for display by the Chinese to be captured by commercial grade satellites for psychological operations.

Former 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen. P.J.S. Pannu told ThePrint in an interview that when considering satellite images for analysis, multiple factors have to be taken into account.

“For example, even at one metre resolution for a satellite, you cannot recognise if there is a soldier standing there or some other object or a stone,” he said.

“Also the fact that these satellites are crossing over and they are taking pictures when they are going over the area and may not even have the same angle when passing over the area,” he added.

Pannu said that for a professional military like the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the way these pictures were displayed on TV, it seemed they were more to show (their display of equipment) than to hide.

“In normal warfare, one is conscious in the military that satellites should not be able to detect where they are. So if the PLA is trying to put in the open lot of tanks, tents and trucks, it was more of a posturing … We don’t know how many are real and how many are dummy,” he said.

The Chinese, he said, are masters in creating tunnels, and hiding their intentions and military forces.

“Why would they want to show it? So, I would like to look at those things, which are not picked up by the satellites, instead of those, which have been so easily available in the commercial grade satellites,” he added.

Lt Gen. Vinod Bhatia (retired), former director-general of Military Operations, said satellite imagery could surely give inputs, but they needed to be confirmed by other intelligence sources.

“As far as China is concerned, it could be a judicious mix of actual build-up and posturing,” he told ThePrint.

He explained that day-time military movements were not common, and camouflaged concealment were not so easily picked up by satellites.

“But in this case, it possibly wants to show things to be picked up by commercial satellites,” he added.

Also read: The Indian Right cares about national security, except when China tip-toes near our territory

‘Tents, vehicles, infrastructural equipment look to be in use’

However, other experts believe that such large-scale deception may be difficult to pull off.

An anonymous satellite imagery analyst, who uses Twitter under the handle @detresfa, said deception is regularly observed in static environments such as airbases, research and development facilities, among others.

“However, in most of the data we have seen of Chinese positions in Aksai Chin, the various tents, vehicles and infrastructural equipment all look to be occupied and in use,” he added.

Military grade satellites, he said, can be answered on the basis of the country.

“For example, with the United States, President Trump’s tweet of the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran back in 2019 showed the sophistication of US spy satellites in orbit that not many people knew about,” he said.

Tack said that the commercial satellite imagery is very accurate, and they have relied on various different sources of imagery (such as Planet, Maxar, and Airbus) that provide up to 30 cm resolution to study these particular deployments.

“The potential for deceptions is definitely real, and this is something that we try to uncover in our analysis of satellite imagery by applying our analytical expertise relating to doctrines and procedures of the Chinese military, as well as ‘pattern of life’ analysis, where we see constant activity and movement of vehicles and equipment at these positions,” he said.

Tack added that a lot of the Chinese camouflage nets have a red hue indeed, which could be meant to stand out in satellite images.

He said that while there are limitations to satellite imagery analysis, deception can never be truly ruled out. “But in the current situation in Ladakh, we believe that the levels of activity observed, indicate this is not a large-scale deception effort.”

‘Inadequacies’ in assessing satellite images 

Sources in the defence establishment said that commercial data as is available today has varying levels of resolution and accuracy, some of which are much better in terms of spatial resolution, radiometry and location accuracy.

“However, there are inadequacies of assessment of these satellite imageries due to lack of understanding military image interpretation as well as actual alignment of LAC,” a source in the defence establishment said.

The source, who deals with satellite imagery, added that satellite image interpretation is a specialised activity with niche skills gathered over years of experience.

Also read: India, China disengagement at LAC could take until winter, de-escalation will happen first

New Delhi: Speculation about a former Army adjutant general’s probable appointment to the armed forces tribunal (AFT) has led a lawyer to write a letter to the Modi government and the AFT opposing it.

The lawyer has cited controversial comments made by Lt Gen. Ashwani Kumar (Retd) about disabled soldiers and call for a code of conduct for veterans to claim his appointment to the AFT would be in “total conflict of interest”.

The remarks in question were made by Lt Gen. Kumar in an interview to News X in 2019 amid a raging debate about a government proposal to tax disability pensions unless injuries suffered in the line of duty force one out of service. The proposal, brought amid allegations of the provision being misused, was subsequently rolled back.

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The lawyer’s letter has been marked to the appointments committee of the Cabinet, the AFT chairman, and the Department of Personnel and Training, among others. The fact that it was sent by a lawyer was confirmed by sources, but his/her identity remains unknown.

The date of the letter is not known but it was shared on Twitter Friday by an advocacy handle working in the interest of the armed forces medical services.

Approached for comment, Lt Gen. Kumar replied on text that he is “not aware of any such appointment”.

Also Read: Wide variation in disability pensions of jawans, officers creating ‘heartburn’: CDS Rawat

‘Impartial judgment would be compromised’

An adjutant general is the head of a critical wing of the Army that takes care of administrative and legal affairs. In the aforementioned interview, Lt Gen. Kumar, who retired last year, sought to delink what he termed lifestyle diseases from conditions or ailments that make personnel eligible for a disability pension.

He also said low hearing could not be seen as a disability because there were aids available to help patients hear normally.

In the same interview, Kumar expressed support for a controversial proposal to bind retired military personnel by a code of conduct.

In the letter, the lawyer has said that Lt Gen. has a defamation case pending against him in connection with his comments.

“It would be in total conflict of interest to appoint such a person, who has made such comments live on TV against disabled soldiers, and then expect him to give justice to them in the armed forces tribunal,” the lawyer has stated.

“The entire concept of impartial judgement and fair play would naturally be compromised by appointment of a person who has openly declared a position on television in such a manner that has made his unfortunate bias apparent,” the lawyer added.

The lawyer also said Kumar had made “disparaging” comments regarding service-related matters pending before the Supreme Court.

The letter starts by claiming that “Kumar has applied” for appointment to the AFT, but adds “in case he has not applied for the job, and his file is not pending with the Govt, the communication can be ignored”.

‘He was quoted differently’

Within the military, the letter has found both supporters and critics.

A military lawyer, who claimed there was some talk of Kumar’s appointment to AFT, said his statements reflected his “bias”, and it would thus be a conflict of interest if he were to deal with cases of disabled soldiers.

“He would be dealing with the same cases of disabled soldiers against whom he made the statements,” the lawyer said.

However, another Army officer said there was nothing undesirable in Kumar’s statements against any disabled soldier.

“At least thrice in that interview, it has been said that the disability pension is a fair and due compensation to any soldier who has acquired disability in the line of duty. Despite that, it has been quoted differently in various corners,” the officer said.

“In fact, there was a suggestion in the service headquarters on depriving those drawing disability pension from ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme) facility, but he was the one who opposed it and convinced the services against it,” the officer said, adding that Kumar gave the interview in uniform as adjutant general, which made it clear that it was not his personal opinion but the organisation’s point of view.

Also Read: SC rejects disability pension plea of soldier, says injury not linked to military service

Sources in the defence and security establishment said the additional build-up of troops and equipment in rear locations, especially with “substantial quantum” of troops in the Aksai Chin area, is what is making the Indian Army cautious about the disengagement process.

According to an assessment, Chinese troops appear to be getting ready for long and harsh winters.

The sources said this is the reason why some defence planners think China is dragging its feet over the talks. As reported by ThePrint earlier, there is a fear that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is intentionally delaying the disengagement process to sustain it till winters and then open a new front, possibly in the Northast.

Also read: Some deception, some posturing — the message from the Chinese military build-up in Ladakh

Helipads have come up, fresh construction going on

A Twitter handle @detresfa had, on 21 July, posted satellite images from Shiquanhe in Tibet showing PLA build-up, “suspected to be part of the supporting role of the ongoing” tensions at the LAC in Ladakh.

Sources confirmed that there was indeed a Chinese build-up, which is believed to be at least a brigade’s strength (about 5,000 troops and equipment). They added that helipads have also come up in the area, and fresh construction is going on.

The sources said while a certain level of disengagement has been done at face-off sites, the PLA is strengthening its positions in rear locations.

This, they say, is an indication that China is preparing for a possible winter stay, and that the PLA could return to areas it has retreated from.

The sources said while PLA quickly moved out of the Galwan Valley, it is felt that this was largely due to the increased flow in the Galwan river that made the terrain tough to maintain troops, as reported by ThePrint earlier.

Such was the Chinese preparation that their troops came into the Galwan Valley with even boots meant for water.

Asked about future possibilities, a source said a lot of planning is being done keeping in mind the best-case, worst-case and not-so-bad scenarios.

The Indian Army is also preparing for the winters in full swing. It has been on a massive drive to ensure adequate supply of the right gear and adequate ration for the over 30,000 additional troops deployed at multiple places along the LAC.

Also read: The story of what really happened when Chinese troops ‘withdrew’ from Galwan Post 58 years back

The 5 Rafale aircraft will spend the night at a French air base in UAE before arriving at Ambala air base Wednesday where a closed induction ceremony will be held.

New Delhi: Five Rafale fighter jets of the IAF have taken off from Merignac in France and will travel about 7,000 km, with a stopover in the UAE, before arriving at the Ambala air station Wednesday.

The IAF has been quiet on the exact configuration of the aircraft coming to India but sources indicated that two of the five fighters are twin-seaters used for training.

“These 5 Rafale jets are extremely swift, versatile and very deadly aircraft. They are both beauty and the beast. I would like to thank Dassault for delivering the aircraft on time and French Government and French Air Force for all the support,” Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said.

A total of 12 pilots have undergone extensive training on the Rafale fighters and their weapon systems, while another batch is currently getting trained.

Explaining the complexity of the training, the sources said the Rafale’s throttle and stick have 36 switches on them.

“Each switch has four distinct movements that are meant for specific operations. Imagine, the level of training that one goes through,” a source in the know told ThePrint.

The sources said this system is known as HOTAS or hands on throttle and stick. This means the pilot can use the throttle and stick to control the entire spectrum of the operations.

9 jets handed over so far

French defence major Dassault Aviation, which is manufacturing the Rafale jets, has since October last year handed over a total of nine aircraft to the IAF. The 10th is undergoing acceptance trials by IAF pilots in France.

As reported by ThePrint earlier, sources have said the aircraft can be operationally deployed, if needed, “within a week”.

The Indian Embassy in France has put out a series of tweets showing the fighters taking off.

Envoy Ashraf said the long awaited and much needed two squadrons of Rafale would add to the IAF’s strength and the country’s defence capability.

The journey 

The Rafale fighters have taken off from Merignac, where the production facility of Dassault Aviation is located.

They are headed to the French airbase in Al Dhafra near Abu Dhabi in the UAE for a night halt.

This would be a 10-hour journey and these fighters would be accompanied by two mid-air refuellers of the French Air Force.

There will be two rounds of mid-air refuelling to complete the journey.

While the distance to the UAE can be covered by the Rafale in much shorter time, they will have to keep pace with the tankers.

After the night halt in the UAE, the jets will take off for Ambala in Haryana, where the IAF’s 17 Squadron ‘Golden Arrows’ — home of the first Squadron of Rafale fighters — is based. A closed induction ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Ambala air base.

The Jamnagar air base has been kept ready as a backup in case of any kind of emergency, sources said.

Also read: For quick deployment of Rafale, IAF opts for HAMMER weapon system, not Israeli Spice 2000

All Pakistani embassies have been asked to hold programmes and protest rallies against India on the Kashmir issue.

“A lot of planning has gone into the so-called ‘Black Day’. It shows the extent of propaganda planning that goes on in Pakistan,” a source in the defence and security establishment said.

Various departments, including intelligence agency ISI, have been made responsible for specific programmes.

“Everything has to do with creating an impact. The Pakistani establishment has planned various social media trends surrounding ‘Black Day’ and Kashmir,” another source said.

RK Saboo

Recently, it was reported that the Army might allow young citizens who want to experience Army life — for a short period, not as a career — to join the force for three years as part of a model ‘Tour of Duty’. The Army would benefit by getting young manpower and the young recruits would have the chance to imbibe the Army’s ethos of discipline and dedication. This was refreshing news in these gloomy times, and kindled my interest and memories.

I visited South Korea in 1988. I was in a metered taxi in Seoul. In the middle of the journey, the driver stopped and demanded double the fare, otherwise he wouldn’t move. I had to pay. Another day, walking, I lost the way to my hotel. I asked a policeman for help; no help until I greased his palm. Such was the rampant corruption in Korea, but when I went there again in 2015, I was amazed how things had changed. I was in a taxi and by mistake, the driver took a wrong route. Realising this, he stopped the meter, found the right route to my hotel and refused to accept any fare. The police and young people in particular were extremely polite and helpful. I asked my Korean friends what caused the change. I learnt that much of it was due to the new policy requiring all young men to join the military for two-three years (for women it was optional). This instilled discipline, loyalty and responsibility. No wonder Korea developed fast.

Another example is of Switzerland. The country has not fought war since long, but they have a superbly organised army. Army service is obligatory for young men for about two years, with short refresher courses later (for which their employers continue to pay salary). Interestingly, most Swiss find it useful for their self-development. A Swiss business associate told me that many of the friends he made during army service were top corporate leaders and professionals today.

A survey has indicated that out of the participating countries, 56 require mandatory military service in some form, while 109 have no conscription rules. In India, opinions drawn from corporate leaders show that they would prefer employing individuals who have had some military experience. By opting for the ‘Tour of Duty’, young people will become more employable, besides experiencing the adventure of the Army and the unique pride of the uniform.

The internship can also be extended to all who have passed class XII. It should be a paid internship. Besides training in physical fitness, survival techniques, self-defence and introduction to firearms, some manual vocational skills should be taught. It can be dove-tailed into the Skill India campaign.

The interns will imbibe attention to detail and the importance of achieving goals. The Army also symbolises ‘unity in diversity’. I heard a TEDx talk by Capt Raghu Raman in which he spoke of how in the Army he learned to drink and wash and shave with colleagues from a common mug, no matter what their religion or caste. These are priceless life lessons.

The Diamer-Bhasha dam project is in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is ethnically closer to Kargil district of Ladakh. Its political context is constricting as China and Pakistan are connected through the Karakoram highway that traverses through the region. Its control lies with the federal government.

Luv Puri

Journalist and author

Pakistan has decided to go ahead with the 450 MW Diamer-Bhasha dam in the Gilgit-Baltistan area on the Indus river. Diamer-Bhasha dam is being jointly constructed by a Chinese state-run firm and a commercial entity of Pakistan’s military. A slew of infrastructural projects being pursued by China and Pakistan in the region, including the dam, are taking place in the context of reinforcement of the federal government’s impulse to continue the old structures of control and micro-management.he 1960 Indus Waters Treaty stipulated that the waters of the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — would be made available for unrestricted use by India. The waters of the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — were allowed to flow for unrestricted use by Pakistan, except for limited use by India such as generation of hydroelectric power from run-of-the-river plants. India and Pakistan have built dams on either side of the Line of Control. On the Chenab, India has built Salal, Baglihar and Dul Hasti, whereas Kishanganga is built on the Jhelum.

While inaugurating the Diamer-Bhasha dam, PM Imran Khan implicitly invoked the Mangla dam on the Jhelum and the Tarbela dam on the Indus as the other two big dams constructed by Pakistan. Along with the Tarbela dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Mangla dam in PAJK was financed through the World Bank (WB) established Indus Basin Development Fund. The fund was set up mainly to allow Pakistan to compensate for its water losses because of the World Bank treaty and build replacement irrigation capacities and harness electricity. An American consortium of eight firms constructed the dam in 1967 with reportedly more than 50 per cent funding coming from US sources. As per an estimate, the construction involved nearly 4,500 expatriates and 9,000 Pakistani workers.

The construction of that dam fulfilled its mandate though leaving behind a litany of local grievances that have become part of the community’s institutionalised memory. The dam halted all agricultural activity along the river Jhelum and led to displacement on a wide scale of more than 81,000 people. On a field trip to Mirpur in 2006, the locals lamented to this writer the loss of historical sites, including a temple, as the old town was submerged due to the dam reservoir. The dam led to a second wave of migration from Mirpur area to the UK.

In the first wave around the first quarter of the 20th century, many Mirpuris had earlier settled down in the UK after working as coal stokers for the British steamships. During the second wave, the British government had originally granted 400 work permits, though family ties enabled the migrants to grow manifold in the years to come. Consequently, Mirpuris and their descendants are one of the largest South Asian communities in the UK. A smaller segment also lives in the Midwood area of Brooklyn borough of New York city. With agricultural fields lost for perpetuity, fluctuating foreign remittances have become a financial lifeline for the locals.

The displacement fuelled an already festering political movement as the locals questioned the official claim that PAJK, called ‘Azad Kashmir’ in Pakistan, is an independent entity. In actual practice, the powers are less than those granted to the Pakistani provinces. Several of its local leaders, most prominently, late Abdul Khaliq Ansari, spent several years in Pakistan’s jails for questioning official duplicity. In the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, a section of the Mirpuri community leaders protested whenever representatives of the Pakistani government came to Britain. An Anti-Mangla Dam Committee was formed in the UK. Apart from apparent mismanaged relief and rehabilitation, Mirpuris allege that they have to suffer far more electricity cuts in contrast to neighbouring Punjab province.

Coming to Gilgit-Baltistan, ethnically closer to Kargil district of Ladakh, the displacement due to the proposed dam will be far less as compared to Mangla dam on account of sparse population. Nevertheless, the political context in which the construction will take place is even more constricting. China and Pakistan are connected through the Islamabad-Kashgar-Karakoram highway that traverses through the region. The 1949 Karachi agreement signed between the Muslim Conference-led PAJK and Pakistan government separated the region from PAJK and gave direct control of the region to the federal government.

In March 1999, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ordered that the Northern Areas be given the same political, economic and administrative rights as given to the other provinces of Pakistan. Northern Areas Council, an executive body of the region, became the legislative council, though the elected deputy chief remained subservient to the chief secretary, appointed by the federal government. The chief executive of the council was the Islamabad-based Federal Minister for Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas.

A confusion has marked Pakistan’s international position on the region. In 2006, Pakistan’s ambassador to Belgium, Mohammad Sayeed Khalid, stated that the Northern Areas was a part of Pakistan and therefore the United Nations resolutions, giving the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to decide between India and Pakistan, didn’t apply to the region. The diplomat’s response came in response to the Emma Nicholson report on J&K, which was presented to the European Parliament. The report had raised the issue of lack of constitutional rights for the people of Northern Areas. On August 29, 2009, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced political reforms in Northern Areas and renamed the region as Gilgit-Baltistan. A legislative assembly was created with the post of chief minister to spread the notion that the region is governed by locals.

In 2018, a committee headed by Sartaj Aziz had recommended the abolition of Islamabad-based Gilgit-Baltistan council. The launch of the dam came in the backdrop of a reversal of decision to loosen control as the new government decided to retain the council which is headed by the Pakistan PM. In June this year, after the completion of a five-year term of the assembly, PM Imran Khan appointed a caretaker CM, a retired police officer. The elections have been postponed as the voter lists are apparently incomplete.