Authorities in Myanmar have asked India to return several police officers who sought refuge to avoid taking orders from a military junta that seized power in the Southeast Asian country last month, an official in northeast India said on Saturday.
Around 30 Myanmar police and their family members came across the border seeking refuge in recent days, as the junta’s suppression of protesters has turned increasingly violent, with dozens killed since the February 1 coup.
The senior-most official in Champhai, a district in the Indian state of Mizoram, told Reuters that she had received a letter from her counterpart in Myanmar’s Falam district requesting the return of eight police “in order to uphold friendly relations”.
Deputy Commissioner Maria CT Zuali said on Saturday that she was “waiting for the direction” from the India’s Ministry for Home Affairs in New Delhi.
Although there have been instances recounted on social media of police joining the civil disobedience movement and protests against the junta, this is the first reported case of police fleeing Myanmar.
In the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Myanmar authorities said they had information on eight police personnel who had crossed into India. The letter listed details for four police, aged between 22 and 25 years, including a female officer.
“In order to uphold friendly relations between the two neighbour countries, you are kindly requested to detain eight Myanmar police personnel who had arrived to Indian territories and hand-over to Myanmar,” the letter said.https://fbe084a4d927541f94c1c5df60a9130b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
India’s Home Ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. India’s Foreign Ministry responded to a request for comment by referring to a statement given at a media briefing on Friday which said the ministry was still “ascertaining the facts”. Reuter
Was just a trial, says Rakesh Tikait as farmers’ blockade of KMP Expressway ends
Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi borders with Haryana and UP
Tribune News Service Chandigarh/Delhi, March 6
As farmers’ blockade of the six-lane Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway came to an end on Saturday evening, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait warned of intensifying such measures unless the Centre heeded to their demands of repealing the controversial agriculture laws.
“Like Delhi borders, KMP can also be blocked completely. Today was a trial for five hours,” he said.
Farmers blocked some parts of the highway as a mark of 100 days of their protest at Delhi’s borders on Sunday. The road blockade began at 11 am and continued till 4 pm.
National Defence Academy cadets march past during a Passing Out Parade. PTI file photo
New Delhi, March 6
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Saturday declared the final results of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Naval Academy Examination (NAE) and 533 candidates have passed the examinations.
The list was issued in order of merit of 533 candidates who have qualified on the basis of the results of the written examination held by the UPSC on September 6, 2020, and the subsequent interviews held by the Services Selection Board (SSB), the UPSC said.
The examinations were held for admission to the Army, the Navy and the Air Force wings of the NDA for the 145th Course and the Naval Academy for the 107th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC), it said in a statement.
For detailed information about the date of commencement of the above courses, the candidates may visit the websites of the Ministry of Defence, it said.
The results of the medical examination have not been taken into account in preparing the lists, the UPSC said.
The result is also available on the UPSC website. However, marks of the candidates will be available on the website after 15 days from the date of declaration of final results, it said. PTI
Rahul slams govt, says nails laid for those whose sons risk their lives at country’s borders
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the Centre over the farmers’ protest and said nails were laid at Delhi’s borders for those whose sons risk their lives at the country’s borders.
Gandhi’s attack came after the farmers’ agitation entered its 100th day on Friday, with protesting union leaders asserting that their movement is far from over and they are “going strong”.
In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, “Whose sons risk their lives on the country’s borders, for them nails have been laid at the borders of Delhi. Annadaatas demand their rights, government commits atrocities.”
The Congress leader has been supporting the farmers’ protest against the three central farm laws and has attacked the government over the legislations on several occasions.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
The government has denied allegations that it was trying to put an end to the MSP and the mandi system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured farmers that the MSP would continue.
Farmer leaders have already made it clear that they would not settle for anything less than the repeal of the new farm laws. PTI
Watch Farooq Abdullah shake a leg at Amarinder Singh’s granddaughter’s wedding
A video of National Conference veteran Farooq Abdullah shaking a leg at the wedding of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s granddaughter is the latest from the high-profile wedding to set the internet buzzing.
The video shows Abdullah, the 83-year-old former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, break into a jig to a live performance of the Bollywood song ‘Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche’.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s granddaughter Seherinder Kaur married Delhi businessman Aaditya Narang at the politician’s Siswan farmhouse. Seherinder, the daughter of Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder Singh, married Aditya Narang, the son of Delhi-based businessman Devin Narang, at a ceremony on Sunday.
Govt sanctions 12 new SSB battalions to fortify Nepal, Bhutan borders, tri-junction area
ile photo of Sashastra Seema Bal personnel | Twitter |
New Delhi: The government has sanctioned a dozen fresh SSB battalions, comprising over 13,000 personnel for the Nepal and Bhutan borders guarding force, to “fortify” defences along these fronts including the tri-junction area in Sikkim that adjoins Bhutan and Tibet, officials said.
Though the Union Home Ministry has denied creation of a new field frontier for the border force, it has allowed the SSB to create one out of three new sector — responsible for the operations of about 5-6 battalions — and it is expected to come up in the Delhi-NCR region
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), with an estimated strength of about 90,000 personnel, is the designated force to guard the open Indian fronts with Nepal (1,751 km) and Bhutan (699 km).
SSB Director General (DG) Kumar Rajesh Chandra told PTI that the 12 new battalions will be raised in phases, three units each over the next four years.
“It is very supportive of the government to have given the sanction to raise new battalions and establishments for the SSB. The new manpower will ensure that border security is strengthened,” the DG said.
The SSB chief added that the government has also sanctioned a total of 548 posts to the force for deployment at four ICPs (integrated check posts) along the Nepal border out of which two are already operational at Jogbani and Raxaul (both in Bihar).
“We are thankful to the home ministry as these sanctions have come at a time when no new posts are being created. We are in the process to further implement the new approvals obtained,” Chandra said.
As per an official proposal of the border force approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the new battalions will be used to reduce inter-border outpost distance, strengthen trade and transit routes along Nepal and Bhutan and fortifying SSB’ strength in the tri-junction area in Sikkim.
The tri-junction area is the plateau between India, Bhutan and Tibet and the SSB is deployed just below it on the southern side as part of its mandate to guard the front with Bhutan.
The militaries of India and China had witnessed an over 70-day standoff in the Doklam at the tri-junction in 2017.
The new manpower will also help the SSB, as per the proposal, in upgrading the existing border posts at “strategically important” locations along the two fronts and providing armed security to the eight integrated check posts along these
Officials said the blueprint for sanction of new battalions and establishments for the force was drawn after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the operations of the SSB in October, 2019 and directed it conduct a vulnerability assessment and gap analysis of the two borders it secures.
The SSB, after completing this task, informed the MHA that it would require 12 new battalions, a frontier headquarter and at least 3 sector headquarters that would be used to enhance logistical and administrative support to its border units and some of those deployed for internal security duties in the hinterland.
However, the home ministry, approved only a sector formation and 12 battalions to be raised in phases in view of the given financial space, officials said.
A battalion has a strength of over 1,000 personnel.
The remaining two sectors and a frontier are also expected to be sanctioned by the home ministry in the next phase, they said.
A sector formation of a paramilitary or central armed police force (CAPF) is responsible for the operations of about 5-6 battalions and is headed by a deputy inspector general (DIG) rank officer.
About 2-4 sectors form a frontier that is headed by an IG-rank officer.
We need proper diplomatic representation in Islamabad before going ahead
Long way: Peace and security have been the key concerns of both nations. file photo
G Parthasarathy
Chancellor, Jammu Central University & former High Commissioner to Pakistan
On February 25, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan issued a joint statement that read: ‘The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and all other sectors, in a free, frank and cordial atmosphere. In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGMOs agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns, which have the propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence. Both sides agreed to strict observance of all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the Line of Control and all other sectors, with effect from midnight 24/25 February, 2021’.
Peace and security have been the primary concerns of both nations. A joint declaration was issued on July 6, 2004, during PM Vajpayee’s visit to Islamabad for the SAARC Summit. The declaration, issued after Vajpayee’s meeting with Pakistan’s the then President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, noted: ‘President Musharraf assured PM Vajpayee that he would not permit any territory under Pakistan’s control to be used to support terrorism in any manner. The two leaders agreed to the resumption of the Composite Dialogue, with the expectation that it would lead to a peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of the two sides.’
PM Manmohan Singh, thereafter, alluded to India’s views on J&K for settling differences with Pakistan, during a speech in Amritsar on March 24, 2006. He stressed that while ‘borders cannot be redrawn’, they could be made ‘irrelevant’. He added that a situation could be envisaged, where people on both sides of the LoC ‘could freely trade and travel’. Musharraf, in turn, spoke of ‘demilitarisation’ and ‘self-governance’ in J&K. After prolonged ‘back channel’ negotiations, in an environment free of terrorism, the two sides were said to have reached agreement on a framework for addressing and resolving the issue of J&K. The special envoys who held these secret negotiations were Satinder Lambah, a former Indian envoy to Pakistan, and Tariq Aziz, a close aide of Musharraf.
There was a pullback by Pakistan from the negotiations when Musharraf came under pressure from his own colleagues, including his successor as army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, to renounce agreements reached with India. Manmohan Singh was likewise engrossed in getting the Indo-US nuclear deal approved in Parliament. Efforts to move ahead with the ‘back channel’ negotiations were put on hold. It is evident that the Americans were ‘kept in the loop’ about these developments, as the contours of what transpired were published in an article in the New Yorker on March 2, 2009.
While External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his low-key but savvy Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla mull over future policies, they will, no doubt, keep track of what transpired in the past. There, is, however, no guarantee that Pakistan will now agree to what had transpired earlier. The Modi government, in turn, will move carefully on these developments, given the complexities involved. But the ‘back channel’ talks could constitute a useful framework for future discussions.
It is evident that the Biden administration is aware of these developments. The US realises that India is vital to the development of a stable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. New Delhi should remember that China’s policy remains one of ‘low-cost containment’ of India. It is not surprising that the Biden administration is reconsidering President Trump’s policy of a hasty retreat from Afghanistan. Contrary to Pakistani expectations, the Biden administration is acting tougher than one expected in imposing trade and other sanctions, and challenging China geopolitically. China and Pakistan are naturally expecting that they would have preferential access to Afghanistan’s immense natural resources once they install a Taliban-led government in Kabul. The Biden administration has poured cold water on the possibility of an early American withdrawal. A major reason appears to be that western powers would not relish the prospect of handing over the vast mineral resources of Afghanistan to the rapacious Chinese. The resource-rich Russians would also be thinking similarly.
Pakistan is struggling to repay Chinese loans extended under the Belt and Road Initiative, amidst indications that Islamabad will soon seek to reschedule repayments of power sector credits. A major portion of the $60 billion pledged for CPEC is being used for power projects. There are reports of a high-level Pakistan delegation visiting Beijing to seek debt rescheduling. Going by past Chinese practices, Pakistan will have to provide facilities for Chinese organisations to take over mineral resources, mines and ports in Pakistan to repay loans. Large parts of the mineral-rich Gilgit-Baltistan region are now controlled by China, apart from the increasing control of the strategic Gwadar Port. China could also get control of two new ports in the Sindh
It is meaningless to talk of normalising relations without ambassadors in each other’s capital. Before we rush into a dialogue, we need to have proper diplomatic representation in Islamabad. This should be accompanied by normal trade and economic relations. Vajpayee had ordered that bus and rail routes to and from Pakistan should be kept open during the Kargil conflict. There was also an agreement on group tourism, which was signed when Vajpayee visited Pakistan. Should we not be looking at implementing these agreements? PM Imran Khan is largely a figurehead. Pakistan’s military controls relations with countries like the US, Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Iran and China. It, therefore, makes sense to have a ‘back channel’ to General Bajwa, rather than wasting too much time arguing on trivialities with Imran Khan. General Bajwa is keeping his domestic channels of communication open, including with the Bhutto family. The young Bilawal Bhutto appears quite nonchalant about fraternising with the organisation that had his grandfather hanged!
Targets India despite its own abysmal human rights record
Amid the euphoria over India and Pakistan agreeing to strictly observe the ceasefire agreement and give peace a chance, Islamabad has struck a typically discordant note due to its preoccupation with Kashmir. Last week, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-nation bloc, referred to the situation in J&K while reaffirming its ‘commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms’ during the 46th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. There are no prizes for guessing that the K-word was inserted in the OIC statement at the insistence of Pakistan, a prominent member of the organisation. Taking exception to the mention of J&K, New Delhi has accused the OIC of letting itself be exploited by Pakistan to indulge in anti-India propaganda. True to form, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, while welcoming the restoration of the ceasefire along the LoC, gave unsolicited advice to India to ‘take necessary steps to meet the long-standing demand and right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination according to UNSC resolutions’.
The OIC’s statement conveniently makes no reference to human rights violations taking place in its member countries, particularly Pakistan, which is a habitual offender on this count. The acquittal of terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main accused in the 2002 murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, exemplifies the travesty of justice. Retaining Pakistan on the grey list, the FATF — the global watchdog for money-laundering and terror financing — recently had to remind the courts in that country to mete out ‘effective, decisive and proportionate’ punishment to those involved in terrorism.
The disappearances and killings of Baloch activists are becoming frighteningly common. Even the crusaders based outside Pakistan are not being spared. Idris Khattak, who was investigating forced disappearances in Pakistan for organisations such as Amnesty International, himself went missing in November 2019. The persecution of minority communities and the vandalisation of their religious sites also underline the country’s abysmal human rights record. Pakistan is well advised to do course correction rather than succumb to the temptation of taking potshots at India at international fora.
Farmers’ protest: Water scarcity, power cuts at Tikri border
Farmers construct a toilet at Tikri on Sunday. PHOTO: SUMIT THARAN
Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service Jhajjar, March 3
The rise in mercury has brought trouble for protesting farmers at the Tikri border. Scarcity of water, power cuts, and breeding of mosquitoes and flies due to insanitary conditions have made their life tough.
To tide over the problem, some farmers have installed submersible pumps, while the local administration has been supplying water daily. These efforts, however, are proving insufficient to meet the daily requirement in view of the approaching summers.
Perturbed, leaders of farmers’ organisations held a meeting at the Tikri today and decided to approach the district administration.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Joginder Singh Nain said, “Farmers have been facing scarcity of water for the past fortnight. Hence, they installed submersible pumps, but the demand surpasses the
He claimed electricity supply to streetlights near the Jakhoda bypass was cut off every night.
Besides, unhygienic conditions prevail at the protest site. Disposable plates and water bottles are not lifted regularly, while the number of mobile toilets is fewer.
Krishan Kumar, Executive Engineer (Public Health), said: “More than 35 water tankers are sent to the Tikri border daily. We are ready to increase the supply if farmers demand so.
An Army officer allegedly shot himself dead at an Army depot in Khonmoh area of Srinagar on Wednesday, officials said here. Lt Col Sudeep Bhagat, who was posted at the depot, died on the spot, they said. It was not immediately known why he took the step, they said. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old soldier allegedly shot himself dead with his service weapon in Rajouri. — PTI
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