Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 9

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has coordinated its resources to cater to the “surge operations” in view of the Covid pandemic. This will include manpower, ground handling, loading equipment and vehicles such as trailers and fork lifters.

The IAF has been operating the Covid Air Support Management Cell (CASMC) at the Palam air base since April 27. The cell is tasked with coordinating distribution of the relief aid from foreign countries.

The cell is operating round the clock. One C-130 and two AN-32 transport aircraft are operating at Palam to airlift load on short notice across the country.

Construction work underway as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, at Rajpath in New Delhi. PTI

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 10

The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a plea for early hearing of a petition seeking to stop construction work relating to the Central Vista redevelopment project in view of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases.

“We are keeping it tomorrow,” a Bench led by Chief Justice DN Patel told senior advocate Siddharth Luthra after the latter mentioned it for early listing this morning.

The Central Vista redevelopment plan – which aims to free up 75-acre land in the heart of the capital – involves demolition of around 10 buildings, including Shastri Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Vigyan Bhawan, Vice-President’s House and Lok Nayak Bhawan.

Announced in September last year, it envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for more than 1,200 MPs, expected to be constructed by August 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day. The common Central Secretariat is likely to be built by 2024.

Refusing to set aside the clearances given to the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the Supreme Court on January 5 said it can’t venture into policy matters and areas reserved for the Executive without any legal basis.

On Monday, Luthra explained that after the high court posted the matter for hearing on May 17 petitioners—Anya Malhotra, who works as a translator, and documentary filmmaker Sohail Hashmi had moved the top court against the high court’s May 4 order.

The high court had adjourned the matter, saying it wanted to study the top court’s January 5 judgement giving a go ahead to the Central Vista project.https://6461dfcbe13d83570e6afb82985c076e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The petitioners had contended that the project was not an essential activity and therefore, it can be put on hold for now during the pandemic. Luthra had told the top court that the plea was only opposed to the permission granted for continuing the construction going on at Rajpath, Central Vista stretch and gardens.

“Labourers are being transported from Sarai Kale Khan and Karol Bagh area to Rajpath and Central Vista, where construction work is going on. This enhances chances of spread of COVID infection among them,” Luthra had told the apex court.

Luthra had told the top court that when the nation was considering lockdown and even the Indian Premier League was being shut, the construction activity cannot be allowed.

The plea before the high court has contended that the project has the potential to be a super spreader if allowed to continue during the pandemic.

Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa salutes martyrdom of braveheart, shares grief of family members

Martyrs are treasure trove of nation, We are proud of Pargat Singh: Randhawa

Bereaved family to be given Rs. 50 lakh ex-gratia & a Government job

Dera Baba Nanak, May 9:

The martyr Sepoy Pargat Singh (21 Punjab) who sacrificed his life in the line of duty at Siachen glacier in a snow storm, was today cremated with full military honours at his ancestral village Daburji near Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur. The martyr left behind his father S. Pritam Singh, mother Sdn. Sukhwinder Kaur and 2 sisters.

The Cabinet Minister S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa laid wreath on the mortal remains of the martyr on behalf of the State Government and said that those who make the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty are the treasure trove of the nation and we all are proud of Shaheed Sepoy Pargat Singh who is an inspiration for the youth of the country

Divulging more, S. Randhawa said that the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced an ex gratia of Rs. 50 lakh besides a Government job to a family member of the braveheart. He assured the bereaved family that the State Government and he himself would extend every possible assistance to them.

It is noteworthy that in a avalanche on April 25, 2021 in Siachen glacier, Sepoy Amardeep Singh (Barnala) and Sepoy Prabhjot Singh (Mansa) from 21 Punjab were martyred while Sepoy Pargat Singh from the same unit was taken out from under the snow on April 27, 2021 and evacuated to the Command Hospital Chandigarh where he succumbed to Hypothermia and severe injury to lungs on May 8.

FIR registered against 8 police personnel for torturing ex Sikh army officer

UP Police has assured of strict action against guilty police personnel :

New Delhi, May 9, 2021 : On a complaint filed by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) regarding custodial torture, unnatural maltreatment and insult to religion of ex Sikh army officer, UP Police has registered a case against 8 guilty police personnel and they are likely to be arrested soon.

Disclosing this in a statement issued here today, the DSGMC President Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that FIR No 22 has been registered at Police Station Puranpur today u/s 147, 323, 342 and 504 IPC against errant police personnel including Ram Naresh Singh, Rayees Ahmed and 6 others for mercilessly beating Resham Singh and resorting to unnatural torture and insulting his religion.

Sirsa said that SP Pilibhit Kirit Rathore has assured him that strict action would be taken against these police personnel. He said that he has also ensured justice for Resham Singh.

He thanked DSGMC Legal team led by Advocate Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, Jasdeep Singh Dhillon, Jaspreet Singh Rai, Varinderpal Singh Sandhu for ensureing legal actions in the matter.

It is worth mentioning here that the DSGMC had filed a criminal complaint with UP CM, Union Home Secretary and DGP UP in the matter and had demanded strict action against the guilty police personnel yesterday.

This incident had occurred under Puranpur Police Station in Pilibhit district of UP.

Sirsa said that the DSGMC will ensure that these guilty police personnel are dismissed from service and sent to jail for their sin.  

The ‘Passage’ exercises are regularly conducted by the Indian Navy with friendly foreign navies

Photo for representation only. Source: iStock.

New Delhi, May 8

The navies of India and Indonesia on Saturday carried out a military drill in the Southern Arabian Sea with a focus on further improving their interoperability, officials said.

The Indian Navy was represented at the ‘Passage’ exercise by INS Sharda, an offshore patrol vessel (OPV), and the Indonesian Navy was represented by KRI Sultan Hasanudin, a corvette, they said.

“The exercise was aimed at improving interoperability and understanding between both the friendly navies,” said an Indian Navy official.

The ‘Passage’ exercises are regularly conducted by the Indian Navy with friendly foreign navies.

Under the framework of comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Indonesia, the two navies share a strong partnership of operational cooperation.

by Brig Arun Bajpai

It is a world known factor that what Indian armed forces achieve on the battle field our Netas lose it on the discussion table. Cases in point are our victories in 1965 & 1971 wars against Pakistan leading to Tashkent agreement and Shimla agreement respectively. In Tashkent Agreement talks we gave back to Pakistan strategically important Hajji Pir Pass and other territories occupied by India, in Shimla Agreement we, when Pakistan was totally defeated and we had their elite Army’s 93000 prisoners, still all we could achieve was a vague promise by then Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto that he will convert LOC as IB in a futuristic perspective instead of permanently solving Kashmir problem once for all. It was lucky that Pakistan agreed to hold all India Pakistan talks bilaterally.
Recently in a virtual program organised by American Stanford University , foreign minister of UAE, the interior minister made a statement that he is doing middleman’s job between India and Pakistan. Why he said so when he was not even asked is something he will know better but the fact remains that this is not possible. This does not mean that India and Pakistan are not doing some back room diplomacy. But it will not be trilateral talks. Indian PMs have always been ready for permanent peace between Pakistan and India. Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri the Indian PM while returning from Kahira had broken his journey in Karachi, Pakistan to meet Ayub khan then Pakistani president, but next year only in 1965 Pakistan attacked India. Similarly Indian PM Vajpayee went to Lahore in a bus to speak with Nawaz Sharif then PM of Pakistan in 1999 but Pakistan then attacked Kargil. In other words this Pakistan cannot be depended upon.
India has been telling Pakistan that all talks between India and Pak should be held bilaterally but Pakistan has been always trying to make it trilateral or multilateral so that it can pressurize India and if the talks succeed then Pakistan can claim victory to its own people. Indian stand as professed by Bajpai and followed for last seven years by Indian PM Modi, that bilateral talks and terror sponsored by Pakistan cannot go together. Pakistan is refusing to let go terror despite Modi ji initially making a un scheduled halt at Lahore to attend marriage of Nawaz Sharif daughter. While Pakistani current PM Imran khan and his foreign minister Qureshi has made an official statement that talks of any kind with India are only possible if India reverses its decision to remove Art 370 and 35A from Kashmir. very recently Pakistani PM Imran Khan and his Army Chief Qamar Bajwa had said that they will resume trade with India which this duo had stopped after removal of Art 370 from Kashmir in 2019, but then within two days they made a U turn.
Truth is that all countries who may like to mediate in this India-Pakistan dispute in Kashmir tend to see things from their own point of view. Let us not forget that Indian PM Nehru against advice of Indian Army had taken the case of Kashmir to UN on advice of Mountbatten in 1948 and had mad internationalised Kashmir issue. Now Pakistan is bound by Shimla Agreement to hold bilateral talks with India on issue of Kashmir due to Shimla Agreement. Under no circumstance we should lose this advantage that we have over Pakistan. We must stick to this stand come what may. We do not want America or any other country interfering in this bilateral matter, with their own axe to grind.
Brig Arun Bajpai (Retd) is a distinguished Defence and Strategic Analyst. Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IDN. IDN does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same

arendra Modi, Prime Minister. PTI

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 8

Leading international medical journal The Lancet on Saturday called upon the Modi-led government to “own up to its mistakes, provide responsible leadership and implement a public health response that has science at its heart to contain Covid”.

In its editorial today, The Lancet said India squandered its early successes in controlling Covid-19 and till April, the government’s taskforce had not met in months.

Global medical journal’s observations

• Government’s attempts to stifle criticism inexcusable
• Even before the 2nd wave, govt declared it was Covid ‘endgame’
• Its actions falsely suggested that India had reached herd immunity
• Despite warnings, it allowed huge political rallies, events

It said even before the second wave began in early March, Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan declared that the country was in the “endgame” of the pandemic.

Citing Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says india’s death toll may touch 1 mn by August 1

“The impression given was that India had beaten Covid after months of low case count, despite warnings of the second wave danger and emergence of new strains. Modelling suggested falsely that India had reached herd immunity. At times, the Modi government seemed more intent on removing criticism on Twitter than trying to control the pandemic,” the editorial dedicated to India said. It took note of how the Modi government allowed religious festivals and huge political rallies giving a message that Covid-19 was essentially over.

“This slowed the start of India’s vaccination campaign, which has covered less than 2 per cent of the population,” said the Lancet, adding that at a federal level, India’s vaccination plan fell apart as the government “abruptly shifted course expanding vaccination to everyone older than 18 years, draining supplies”.

The Lancet advised India to rationalise the vaccine policy and implement it with due speed now.

“Genome sequencing needs to be expanded to better track and understand more transmissible variants,” the comment elaborated, noting, “Modi’s actions in attempting to stifle criticism and open discussion during the crisis are inexcusable.

Citing a grim estimate by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that India will see 1 million Covid deaths by August 1, The Lancet said if that were to happen, the government would be responsible for presiding over a self-inflicted national catastrophe.

Amidst growing tensions in India’s immediate neighbourhood, it has come to light that there were as many as 11,424 ceasefire violations (CFVs) by Pakistan against India in the seven years of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. An RTI has revealed that the border infringements, year-wise, shot up astronomically from just 1 in 2004 to a staggering 4,645 in 2020.
The RTI information sought by Pune based activist Prafful Sarda reveals that Pakistani troops committed the highest number of ceasefire violations in the last 17 years along the border in Jammu and Kashmir. This amounts to 13 such violations daily.
The Ceasefire Agreement in November 2003 was a landmark in the strained bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. It came after a long cycle of violence along the 725-kilometer-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir into two parts. It followed a framework of military confidence-building measures (CBMs) that kept the artillery pieces at least 20 km away from the LoC, thus promising a sustained halt to heavy firing. Not only did the ceasefire help the implementation of non-military CBMs such as cross-LoC bus service and trade, but it also came as a huge relief for tens of thousands of people living along the LoC. However, numbers show that the calm was shattered by a string of actions by Pakistani troops.
“Ministry of Defence has replied to my RTI with year-wise data and it’s unbelievable to see how alarmingly CFVs have increased from one CFV in 2004 to 4645 in 2020,” said Sarda.
During the UPA government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh between 2004-2013, there were a total of 523 CFVs on the border, starting with just 1 in 2004, 6 the next year and 3 the following year, reveals the RTI.
The RTI further suggest that the CFVs entered the double-digit number and kept fluctuating with ups and downs, starting with 21 in 2007, jumping to 77 in 2008, down to 28 in 2009, spelling relief. The CFVs, according to the RTI, kept soaring each year, starting with 44 in 2010, 51 (2011), 93 (2012), and 199 in 2013, almost till the end of the UPA government’s second term. Moreover, in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA’s first couple of years, things appeared bright, with CFVs dropping from 199 the previous year (2013) to 153 in 2014 and 152 (2015).
From then, there was no looking back and the CFVs kept soaring each year, starting with 44 in 2010, 51 (2011), 93 (2012), and 199 in 2013, almost till the end of the UPA government’s second term.
In the BJP-led NDA’s first couple of years, things appeared bright with CFVs dropping from 199 the previous year (2013) to 153 in 2014 and 152 (2015). In 2016, there were 228 ceasefire violations after which there has been a major jump to 860 CFVs in 2017, thereafter a staggering increase to 1629 in 2018, 3,233 in 2019 to 4645 in 2020, and some 524 in the year 2021 till February month.
However, the RTI response from the Ministry of Defence’s Brigadier V. K. Bhat, CPIO refuses to share information on Doklam and LAC as per section 8(1) in the RTI, 2005.
This states that information disclosure will prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign States or lead to incitement of an offence.
Lieutenant General Satish Dua said that the ceasefire violations have not only to do with military dynamics but also with the relations between the two countries. He pointed out a pattern that exists in the year of these CFVs.
“Since the time ceasefire has been signed between the two countries, there have been ups and downs, meaning every year CFVs would go down in winter then an upsurge would be seen in summer, a pattern observed and that has to do more with infiltration attempt that happens more in summers and in winters the passes are closed due to heavy snowfall thus to aid infiltration they start firing weapons across the LOC,” said Dua.
“It also depends on either side of LOC that’s military to military dynamics or also at times on the relation between two countries. After 2016 when the elimination of Burhan Wani happened and the Uri incident and surgical strikes were carried out, the number of ceasefire violations have gone up,”
“After August 2019 action taken by the government on Article 370 its abrogation and bifurcation of state into two UTs after that also the number of CFVs have increased. At the present moment till last February CFVs have held and the last statements by both the countries in February month that they both will be committed to Ceasefire Agreement.”
Lieutenant General Dua further said, “Now is the real test when summers are here, snow melts, higher passes of Himalayas open, it remains to be seen whether it will hold through the summer or it has happened several times in the past that ceasefire has been forgotten and such activities of violation are more seen on the other end.
On being asked about the preventive and immediate action taken by the Indian Army to stop ceasefire violations at LOC, MOD responded by saying, “Incidents of ceasefire violations are taken up with Pakistan military authorities at the appropriate level through the established mechanism of hotline and flag meetings. These violations are also taken up through diplomatic channels by MEA with Pakistan to put pressure to cease such violations and maintain peace and tranquillity along the LoC.”

Tribune file photo

Mumbai, May 8

There was a minor fire on board India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday morning, a Navy spokesperson said.

The fire was doused and all personnel on board are safe, the spokesperson said in a statement here. “The duty staff observed smoke emanating from the part of the warship having accommodation for sailors. The duty personnel acted promptly to fight the fire,” the statement said. — PT

A year has passed since Indian and Chinese troops clashed in eastern Ladakh that lead to a nosedive in their bilateral relationship. The Galwan Valley clashes on June 25 had seen casualties on both sides with 20 Indian Jawans killed. There was massive build-up of the two militaries at the Line of Actual Control, India started viewing China as its No.1 strategic rival and New Delhi started warming up to the idea of the Quad grouping as a counterbalance to Beijing, exemplified by the Malabar naval exercise in November that saw the Indian, American, Japanese and Australian navies jointly participate for the first time in over a decade.
Thus, the events of last year truly broke trust between India and China and the relationship with Beijing is expected to be viewed through the prism of suspicion for the foreseeable future. The idea that India and China could collaborate to usher in an Asian century has been buried for good. Clearly, China today doesn’t see India as an equal partner. In fact, under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party seems to have fallen back on the old Chinese adage that “Two tigers can’t live on the same mountain” and has put India in the category of countries that can be pushed around to serve internal party politics.
True, there was some easing of tensions in February this year when Indian and Chinese troops finally disengaged in the Pangong Tso area. But since then the Chinese side has flatly refused to pull back from other incursion points such as Gogra, Hot Springs, Demchok and Depsang Plains. Even in Pangong, the temporary truce prevents Indian troops from going up to their traditional patrolling points. And with reports coming in of the Chinese PLA reinforcing its military positions in the depth areas along the LAC, it’s amply clear that Beijing has no intention to de-escalate at the border anytime soon.
Therefore, as things stand, it is China that undermined the bilateral relationship with India and it is China that has to walk the extra mile – and a very long mile at that – to repair two-way ties. But that is unlikely to happen as China today is in “wolf warrior” mode and can’t be seen to be weak. As I have written before, this aggressive Chinese posture is part of Xi’s plan to use nationalism and show strategic gains as a cover for effecting a massive reorganisation and centralisation of power within the Chinese party-state to prolong the life of the Chinese Communist Party. In other words, Xi is reinforcing the authority of the party over all levers of the Chinese state and indeed erasing the space between party and state to ensure that the party itself doesn’t collapse from within.
Seen from this perspective, Xi’s priority of prolonging the life of the Chinese Communist Party takes precedence over everything else, including relations with India. Of course, China doesn’t want to be in a perpetual state of conflict with India. Which is why it has offered help to India to fight the Covid-19 pandemic jointly – an offer that New Delhi has rejected so far. Basically, China wants to relegate India to second-class status in Asia – while Beijing arrogates to itself the No.1 spot — and raise temperatures or cool them down as and when it pleases. But China can’t be killing our soldiers at the border and intruding into Indian territory and then seek commercial cooperation and offer help on the pandemic.
True, Indian private companies are importing Covid-related medicines and oxygen concentrators from China. But that is just the nature of the global economy where trans border commercial ties can’t be completely cut off. However, this doesn’t mean that at the government-to-government level India and China will get along, and that in turn will reduce the overall potential of the bilateral relationship.
In fact, as things stand, India should no longer be overly concerned about Chinese political interests. And one area where India should abandon caution is in relations with Taiwan. The latter too is doing its best to help India in its time of crisis and this week delivered critical medical supplies to India including the first batch of 150 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders. Plus, Taiwan has done a remarkable job of controlling the pandemic within its borders and as of April 30 had just 1,128 Covid cases with 12 deaths. Moreover, Taiwan and India share democratic values with Taipei willing to share its medical expertise with the rest of the world.
In this regard, there is a growing chorus within the international community to include Taiwan in the upcoming World Health Assembly – the decision making body of the WHO — at a time when all global stakeholders are required to cooperate to fight the pandemic. In fact, France’s senate just passed a resolution in support of Taiwan’s participation in international organisations, including the WHO, after G7 foreign ministers issued a joint communique to support Taiwan’s WHO participation earlier in the week.
Therefore, India too should not hesitate in clearly supporting Taiwan’s participation in the upcoming World Health Assembly, setting aside any political objections China might have. Again, China has lost India’s trust while there is great independent logic in ramping up New Delhi-Taipei ties. Beijing should accept that India and China will be like chalk and cheese for the foreseeable future.