Monthly Archives: August 2018

Brigadier Kailash Prasad Pande (left) with son-in-law General Deepak Kapoor, ex-COAS

Lt Col Dilbag Singh Dabas (Retd)

During Operation ‘Cactus Lily’ on the eastern front, among the seven Brigadier-rank officers awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) was Brigadier Kailash Prasad Pande, an artillery officer who was considered more than capable to command an infantry brigade.

Affectionately known in the Gunners’ fraternity as ‘Tom’ Pande, he was born in 1925 in an illustrious Brahmin family of Gwalior in the then Central Provinces of undivided India (now Madhya Pradesh). Kailash had his secondary education at Victoria College (now Rani Laxmi Bai Government College) where Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister, was his classmate. The family had a tradition of its male members joining the Army and after Senior Cambridge, Kailash was commissioned into the Gwalior State Forces on August 25, 1945.

After amalgamation of the princely states with the Indian dominion and during reorganisation of the Indian Army post-Partition, ‘Tom’ Pande, now a subaltern, joined 42 Field Regiment. The first three youngsters from the Gwalior State Forces joining the Indian Artillery were affectionately named Tom, Dick and Harry. Second Lieutenant Kailash Prasad Pande, being short and stocky and with remarkable josh, got the name Tom.

In 1964, ‘Tom’ Pande, as Lieutenant Colonel, raised and also commanded 56 Mountain Composite Regiment (Pack). He also had a two-year successful tenure at the Indian Military Academy as Battalion Commander, where he enthused many good ranking Gentlemen Cadets to join the Regiment of Artillery.

In 1970, Tom was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and was given the command of 2 Mountain Artillery Brigade deployed in Arunachal Pradesh on the border with Bhutan, Tibet and Burma (now Myanmar).

In the early stages of ‘Cactus Lily’, the battle to capture Dhalai post turned out to be fierce with unimaginable casualties. Brigadier Shiv Yadav, Commander of 61 Mountain Brigade, who was badly injured, had to be evacuated. Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, Corps Commander of IV Corps, arrived on the scene and after having taken stock of the situation ordered Brigadier Pande, who at that moment was functioning as artillery adviser to the divisional commander, to take over 61 Mountain Brigade and carry on with the attack.

After planning afresh and regrouping of the combat elements, the battle recommenced. It was a fiercely fought battle with Brigadier Pande leading from the front. After successful conduct of the battle, General Sagat Singh was highly impressed with Brigadier Pande’s personal gallantry and exemplary leadership and immediately recommended him for the award of Maha Vir Chakra. Not just that, seeing the way he led the brigade with cool courage and innovative planning that produced results, General Sagat now directed Brigadier Pande to take over the brigade formally; a rare honour for an artillery brigade commander to be given such a prestigious assignment of commanding an infantry brigade, and that too in the middle of the battle.

Captain Deepak Kapoor, who would later rise to become the 23rd Chief of Army Staff, was then Staff Officer to Brigadier Pande at Artillery as well as Infantry brigade headquarters. A few years later, he would go on to marry Brigadier Pande’s daughter.

Under the dynamic leadership of Brigadier Kailash Prasad ‘Tom’ Pande, 61 Mountain Brigade accomplished seemingly impossible tasks, advancing 40 miles in just three days capturing all strongly-held bounds en route. On December 9, 1971, Brigadier Pande personally advanced alongside 12 Kumaon Infantry Battalion and a troop of armour and ensured that Daudkandi, a vital communication centre south-east of Dacca, was secured by the last light, taking the enemy completely by surprise.

Under the command of Brigadier Pande, the battalions daringly leaned onto the mighty Meghna river on its southern bank and captured a steamer station at Daudkandi, resulting in a great number of Pakistani troops getting trapped between Comilla and Daudkandi. Some enemy troops, however, managed to extricate themselves and got into the fortress at Mynamati; they would eventually surrender a week later to Brigadier Pande. This lightning success on December 9 also resulted in the capture of 1,500 Pakistanis, including Lieutenant Colonel Nayeem, a commanding officer of the Pakistan army. This was the first major local surrender by Pakistani troops in the eastern theatre. On December 16, Brigadier Sheikh Mansoor Hussain Attif, Commander of Pakistan’s 117 Infantry Brigade, surrendered to Brigadier Pande along with 5,000 troops.

For his bold planning and almost always advancing alongside the attacking battalions, Brigadier Pande was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. The battle account reads:

61 Mountain Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Kailash Prasad Pande, was assigned the task of clearing a well fortified position in the eastern theatre in December 1971. The task was successfully completed mainly due to Brigadier Pande’s inspiring leadership. He was always well forward, unmindful of his safety, encouraging troops and directing the battle. His brigade group advanced 40 miles in 72 hours, effectively bottling up the enemy and capturing the key posts. When lodgment was attained in the fortress of Mynamati defences, his brigade was subjected to the determined enemy attacks supported by tanks. Against all the relentless pressure of the enemy, the brigade held onto the defences until surrender by the enemy commander.

Throughout the operations, Brigadier Pande displayed gallantry, leadership and devotion to duty of a very high order for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.

It is widely believed that during the course of ‘Cactus Lily’, Brigadier Pande was thrice recommended for the award of MVC. Finally, the government, in its wisdom, combined all three recommendations and awarded the Maha Vir Chakra to this great soldier.

Consequent to the liberation of Bangladesh, while the Indian Army was promptly withdrawn, 61 Mountain Brigade was told to stay on for pacifying the restive areas. For a good eight months, 61, now a Mountain Brigade Group, under the command of Brigadier Pande helped put down rebellions and near uprisings, especially in Chittagong Hill Tracts. During the process, his men suffered casualties but delivered the results to keep up the good reputation of the Indian Army.

After a glorious military career spanning more than three decades, Brigadier Kailash Prasad ‘Tom’ Pande, MVC, superannuated in July 1979 and settled down in Bhopal, his hometown. After retirement, the Madhya Pradesh Government appointed him as Director General of Home Guards, where he introduced many reforms. He was also appointed secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sainik Board.

After the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, he was given charge of the Madhya Pradesh State Red Cross Organisation. He went beyond the call of duty, often at personal risk, in providing timely relief and succor to the maximum extent possible.

Brigadier Pande, MVC, passed away on February 4, 2010, while attending the Artillery Reunion at the School of Artillery, Deolali. General Deepak Kapoor, his son-in-law, was by his side when the Maha Vir breathed his last.

India and China troops and tanks disengage from the banks of Pangong lake area in Eastern Ladakh
The Army made the comments as part of a statement trashing a media report that said the Chinese military has again crossed the LAC in eastern Ladakh at several places.
There has been no attempt by the Indian or the Chinese side to occupy the areas in eastern Ladakh from where they disengaged in February and both sides are engaged in talks to resolve the remaining issues in the region, the Army said on Wednesday.
The Army said it has been monitoring activities by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) including turnover of troops in the region.
The Army made the comments as part of a statement trashing a media report that said the Chinese military has again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at several places and that there has been at least one incident of clash between the two sides.
“Ever since the disengagement agreement in February this year, there has been no attempt by either side to occupy the areas from where the disengagement had been undertaken. There have been no clashes in Galwan or any other area, as reported in the article,” the Army said.
It also said that the report mentioning that agreements with China have collapsed is “false and baseless”.
“Both sides have continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues. The situation on ground continues to be as hitherto fore. PLA activities, including turnover of troops continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” the Army said.
India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year. The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.
The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.
There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

New Delhi: The Army has denied reports of any fresh clash between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, stating that no attempt has been made by either side to occupy the areas from where the forces had disengaged after the agreement in February this year.

The statement came in view of reports quoting sources that Chinese troops have crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at several places and at least one clash has taken place between the two sides.https://e6dcd74b1df4dcffeb444b88a8e022d0.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The Army said both India and China have continued with negotiations to resolve the existing issues in eastern Ladakh while regular patrolling has continued in the respective areas along the LAC. It also noted that there have been no clashes in Galwan or any other area since June 2020.

“PLA activities, including turnover of troops, continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” the Army said in its statement Wednesday.

Also read: 2 drones, 2 kinds of IEDs, separate strikes — How Jammu air force station attack was planned

China’s build-up of troops

While India and China disengaged from the contentious Pangong Tso area in March — after multiple rounds of talks at the military and diplomatic levels — there has been no further breakthrough, with China refusing to pull back its troops from Hot Springs and Gogra Post and Depsang Plains.

Defence sources told ThePrint that despite the disengagement of troops at Pangong Tso, there has not been any de-escalation in the area.

“There has been a gradual build-up of Chinese troops and equipment on their side of the LAC. India has also proportionately put in thousands of troops and deployed additional assets in the region,” a source said.

A second defence source explained that minor skirmishes between the troops take place at times when they are in close proximity or bump into each other while patrolling in their respective claim lines along the LAC.

“However, such incidents are far and few and extremely localised. They are immediately brought under control by the subordinate commanders at the local level and do not impact the overall situation,” the source said.

According to a report in The Hindu, Chinese nationals earlier this week protested against Indian villagers celebrating the birthday of the Dalai Lama in Demchok in eastern Ladakh by displaying banners from across the Indus river.

Next round of talks awaited

Last month, at a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs, India and China agreed to hold the next round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement in remaining friction points.

It was also decided at the meeting to hold the 12th round of the military corps commander talks for complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC. 

The final date for the next round of military talks is still awaited.

Last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed on India’s military preparedness in eastern Ladakh during his three-day visit to the Union territory.

(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)

Also read: What are military theatre commands and why does India want to switch to them

The Supreme Court on 25 March had criticised the Army’s evaluation criteria for granting permanent commission to women officers and called out its systematic discrimination.

New Delhi: A total of 147 additional women short service commission (SSC) officers of the Indian Army have been granted permanent commission as per the revised parameters set by the Supreme Court in March this year, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court on March 25 had said the Army’s evaluation criteria for granting permanent commission (PC) to women SSC officers systematically discriminated against them.

“The women officers were re-considered as per directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and fresh results have now been de-classified. Consequently, 147 more women officers are being granted PC, taking the total PC granted to 424 out of the 615 officers considered,” the ministry said in a statement.

The results of a few women officers have been withheld for administrative reasons and awaiting the outcome of the clarification petition filed by the central government in the Supreme Court, it added.

Therefore, the Army had constituted a special selection board in September 2020 to screen women officers. The results were declared in November 2020.

The women officers who were not granted PC in November 2020 moved to the Supreme Court. The top court in March this year found that the “evaluation criteria set by the Army constituted systemic discrimination” against these women officers.

The Supreme Court, in its March order, laid down revised parameters on the basis of which the women officers would be evaluated for the permanent commission in the Army.

The Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that all women officers, who have been granted PC, would undergo special training courses and challenging military assignments to empower them for higher leadership roles in the Army.

A batch of 33 women officers has already successfully completed the mid-level tactical orientation course from Army War College Mhow recently, it added.

The ministry said all women SSC officers, who were considered by the Army’s selection board and not granted PC, will still be eligible for pension subject to serving for a minimum of 20 years in service.

Also read: 422 women Army officers now eligible for permanent commission, 46 more have to wait

The centenary speech an exercise in self-aggrandisement and promotion of CCP

In command: The party was honoured with a 100-gun salute. Reuters

Jayadeva Ranade

President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded its centenary celebrations with a grand event and speech by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping on July 1. It provided the CCP and Xi Jinping an opportunity to share their assessment of the journey thus far and give a broad sense of direction for the future. In his speech Xi Jinping mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative and the ‘community of shared destiny’ — his personal projects — hinting that he would continue in office beyond the party congress next year.

The celebrations confirmed also that the CCP leadership is sensitive to the military’s morale. Contrary to its announcement in March, a carefully vetted crowd watched a military parade and flypast by the latest generation J-20 ‘stealth’ fighter aircraft and ZL-10 transport helicopters over Tiananmen Square. The party was honoured with a 100-gun salute.

The entire CCP politburo was present on the Tiananmen Gate Tower. The state-owned CCTV showed Xi Jinping deferentially walking a step behind his grey-haired predecessor Hu Jintao. Former President Jiang Zemin was absent, possibly because of age. The invitees included many retired veteran cadres, including 104-year-old Song Ping and former Premier Wen Jiabao.

Suggesting that Xi Jinping is possibly seeking the support of party ‘elders’ at the next party congress, Jiang Zemin’s long-serving chief of staff and ex-Vice President Zeng Qinghong was present. Particularly interesting was the presence of Bo Xicheng, son of one of China’s ‘Eight Immortals’, Bo Yibo and brother of incarcerated former politburo member Bo Xilai, who tried to push Xi Jinping aside in the run up to the 18th party congress in 2012 and take over China’s top three posts!

The CCP’s international liaison department had requested political parties from around the world to send congratulatory letters on the occasion. Of the Indian parties, only the CPI and CPI (M) responded positively.

Xi Jinping’s nearly hour-long speech was crafted to exude confidence blended with aggression and nationalism. It was calculated as much to concretise the CCP’s monopoly on power in China as to rally nationalist sentiment against anti-China foreign forces and mobilise the people towards achieving the second centenary goal under the CCP’s leadership. It avoided mentioning calamitous disasters like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, in which over 80 million people lost lives, were disabled or scarred for life. Surprisingly, neither did it list what material benefits the people could expect in the coming decades.

Xi Jinping paid the ritual obeisance to veteran Chinese communist revolutionaries, acknowledging them by name. The rest of his speech focused on the party: how it had ushered in ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’, ‘profoundly changed the course of Chinese history in modern times’, modernised China, and its indispensability for China. Xi Jinping declared ‘we must uphold the firm leadership of the party. China’s success hinges on the party. Without the Chinese Communist Party there will be no new China and no national rejuvenation’. The party was mentioned 133 times.

It also conveyed a message to foreign powers, whose remarks bore Xi Jinping’s imprimatur. Stressing that China was no longer ‘a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society’ and had ended ‘all the unequal treaties imposed on our country by foreign powers and all the privileges that imperialist powers enjoyed in China’, Xi Jinping was emphatic that ‘any attempt to divide the party from the Chinese people or to set the people against the party is bound to fail’.

Alluding to increasing US pressure on China, he declared that ‘the Chinese people will not allow any external forces to bully, oppress, or enslave us; anyone who deludes themselves into doing so will suffer a crushing and bloody head-on collision with the great wall of steel (PLA) made of the flesh and blood of 1.4 billion Chinese people’. China’s official news agency Xinhua subsequently released a toned-down version saying ‘anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 million people’.

Xi Jinping subtly directed credit for achievements towards himself. He declared ‘a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty in China’, as China marched towards its second centenary goal. The goal of alleviating absolute poverty by 2021 was Xi Jinping’s flagship programme. Xi Jinping also said ‘in this new era, we have upheld and strengthened the party’s overall leadership’, overcoming many ‘major risks and challenges’. Xi Jinping traced these achievements to the 18th party congress. He reinforced this with a call to uphold the core position of the general secretary on the party central committee and in the party as a whole.

Xi Jinping’s uncompromising remarks on Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are revealing. He promised Hong Kong and Macau the rule of law, but tempered with greater autonomy. On Taiwan, he specifically mentioned the 1992 consensus and reiterated China and the party’s commitment to the ‘full reunification’ of China.

Xi Jinping asserting full reunification indicates that he will remain unyielding on issues of sovereignty. It is relevant for those with whom China has unresolved territorial or maritime disputes. While the celebrations allowed the CCP to effectively project its contribution to China’s ‘rise’ and its future relevance, the repeated references in Xi Jinping’s speech to foreign bullying, efforts to separate the party from the people, and call for the people’s support, reveal the worries of the party leadership. He deftly fashioned his speech to take credit for China’s achievements and affirm that the party would guide China towards ‘the second century goals’.

Photo for representational purpose only

Chandigarh: An Army officer from Chandigarh, Lt Col Amarjeet Singh Sidhu, died after the jeep he was travelling in fell into a gorge in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan. His mortal remains are being brought to the city and he will be cremated here on Thursday. He was serving with 64 Cavalry and was posted at Pathankot. He was travelling to Ahmednagar when the accident occurred. tns

Laptop, purse stolen from car

Chandigarh: A resident of Sector 21, Gurmeet Singh, reported that a laptop and a purse containing a driving licence, a registration certificate and other documents were from his Honda City car parked near his residence. A case was registered. TNS

Biker snatches woman’s purse

Chandigarh: A bike-borne miscreant allegedly snatched a purse from a woman outside her house in Sector 34 on Tuesday evening. Complainant Shalini Goyal (45) reported that the miscreant snatched her purse containing Rs5,000, car keys, a mobile phone, a debit card and other belongings. The police have registered a case. TNS

Court notice to Administration

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday put the Chandigarh Administration on notice on an application seeking directions to a school to accept monthly tuition fee “at the same rate as was paid during the academic year 2020-21”. The notice by Justice Sudhir Mittal came on an application filed by Manpreet Kaur and other applicant-petitioners. Taking up the matter, Justice Mittal also fixed August 18 as the next date of hearing in the matter. TNS

Boxing tourney begins tomorrow

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) will organise the 41st Junior Men and 17th Junior Women State Boxing Championship at the Sector 42 Sports Complex from July 16 to 17. During this championship, the CABA will also select teams for representing the city in the Junior National Boxing Championships to be held at Sonepat, Haryana, from July 25 to 31. Interested boxers of Chandigarh are advised to report at the venue with original and photocopy of valid photo identity proof (Aadhaar card, original institutional identity card and age proof). The weighing-in time is from 6 am to 9 am. TNS

2 held under NDPS Act

Chandigarh: Two persons have been arrested under the NDPS Act. The crime branch nabbed Ravinder Pal Singh, alias Ghoda (38), of Patiala with 51.15 gram of heroin in Sector 40. In another incident, the police nabbed a resident of Hallo Majra, Amarjeet Singh, alias Happy (52), with 85 banned vials and 68 syringes at Ram Darbar. TNS

Shuttler gets rs 2-lakh reward

Chandigarh: Shuttler Devika Sihag, a student of Bhavan Vidyalaya, has won a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh from the Sports Department, Haryana, in recognition of her achievements in badminton during the past year. She is ranked No. 2 in girls’ doubles and No. 6 in girls’ singles as per last year’s rankings released by the Badminton Federation of India (BFI). She has won gold in sub-junior doubles (U-17), a bronze in U-15 singles and a team bronze in the U-19 category. She is at present training at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Bengaluru. Senior Principal Vineeta Arora congratulated Devika on this feat. TNS

Two held for duping man

Chandigarh: Two persons have been arrested for duping a resident of Nayagaon of Rs 48.46 lakh. Tarsem Lal had reported that he had received calls from unknown persons who made him deposit money in lieu of LIC bonus and a club’s membership. He later found that he had been duped. Two suspects, identified as Atul Abhishek (37) of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh and Hardeep Kumar (32) of Fazilka district in Punjab, have been arrested. TNS

Elderly man hit by train, dies

Dera Bassi: An elderly man died after being hit by a train near here on Wednesday. The deceased is yet to be identified. Rajinder Singh Dhillon, Mubarikpur railway police station in-charge, said a person was reportedly hit by a train heading from Ambala to Chandigarh around 6.30 pm. TNS

The SC on March 25 had said the Army’s evaluation criteria for granting permanent commission to women SSC officers systematically discriminated against them

Photo for representation. iStock

New Delhi, July 14

A total of 147 additional women short service commission (SSC) officers of the Indian Army have been granted permanent commission as per the revised parameters set by the Supreme Court in March this year, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court on March 25 had said the Army’s evaluation criteria for granting permanent commission (PC) to women SSC officers systematically discriminated against them.

“The women officers were re-considered as per directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and fresh results have now been de-classified. Consequently, 147 more women officers are being granted PC, taking the total PC granted to 424 out of the 615 officers considered,” the ministry said in a statement.

The results of a few women officers have been withheld for administrative reasons and awaiting the outcome of the clarification petition filed by the Central government in the Supreme Court, it added.

The apex court, in a landmark ruling in February 2020, had directed the Centre to ensure that women SSC officers are given PC in the Army, including command postings.

Therefore, the Army had constituted a special selection board in September 2020 to screen women officers. The results were declared in November 2020.

The women officers who were not granted PC in November 2020 moved to the Supreme Court. The top court in March this year found that the “evaluation criteria set by the Army constituted systemic discrimination” against these women officers.

The Supreme Court, in its March order, laid down revised parameters on the basis of which the women officers would be evaluated for the permanent commission in the Army.

The Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that all women officers, who have been granted PC, would undergo special training courses and challenging military assignments to empower them for higher leadership roles in the Army.

A batch of 33 women officers has already successfully completed the mid-level tactical orientation course from Army War College Mhow recently, it added.

The ministry said all women SSC officers, who were considered by the Army’s selection board and not granted PC, will still be eligible for pension subject to serving for a minimum of 20 years in service. PTI

The increase in the DA and DR will impose an additional annual burden of Rs 34,401 crore on the exchequer. Reuters file

New Delhi, July 14

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday decided to restore dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) for Central Government employees and pensioners with effect from July 1, 2021, increasing the rate of allowance to 28 per cent.

The increase will lead to an annual burden of Rs 34,401 crore on the exchequer,

Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said. — TNS

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at bilateral meeting on the sidelines of Dushanbe SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting. PTI

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 14

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Dushanbe on Wednesday and agreed to discuss all outstanding issues regarding tensions on the border at a meeting of military commanders and seek a mutually acceptable solution.

The meeting on the sidelines of the SCO ministerial conference took place amidst reports of the PLA reoccupying some of the posts it had vacated along the LAC in the winters.

Jaishankar pointed out to Wang that their earlier hopes had been belied. “The successful disengagement in Pangong Lake area earlier this year had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues. It was expected the Chinese side would work with us towards this objective. However, the situation in remaining areas is still unresolved,” said the MEA’s readout on the talks.

Attempting to pick up the threads afresh, the two ministers noted the agreement in the last meeting of the WMCC on June 25 to hold another round of the meeting of senior military commanders.

“They agreed this should be convened at the earliest. They also agreed that in this meeting, the two sides should discuss all the remaining issues and seek a mutually acceptable solution. There was also an understanding that both sides will continue to ensure stability on the ground and neither side will take any unilateral action that could increase tension,” said the readout.

The two Ministers had made similar commitments as at Dushanbe during their last meeting in Moscow on September 10, 2020.

Jaishankar referred to this aspect and emphasised the need to follow through on the agreement reached then and complete the disengagement, resolving the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh at the earliest

The minister recalled that both sides had agreed that a prolongation of the existing situation was not in the interest of either side. It was visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner.

SCO: Sever ties with terror groups, China tells Taliban

China asked Afghanistan to make a ‘clean break’ from all terrorist forces, including Qaida-backed Uighur Muslim militant group.

One-shot Sputnik Lite vaccine to be available soon, says envoy

Roman Babushkin, Russian dy head of mission.

New Delhi, July 14

Russia is not in favour of a military alliance with India to help out the Government in Kabul, but is interested in close coordination while the Afghan issue seems to be acquiring new dimensions with the rise of the Taliban, a senior Russian Embassy official said here on Wednesday.

“We have got some real experience in Afghanistan but let us be very clear, the situation doesn’t require foreign military involvement. We are not considering this option. We will be acting through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) to fortify the borders, if required. It will be important for all of us to maintain coordination. India has been training army personnel. So too is Russia. All options are possible,” said Russian Deputy Head of Mission Roman Babushkin at a media conference.

Important to maintain coordination

We have got some real experience in Afghanistan but let us be clear, the situation doesn’t require foreign military involvement. It will be important for all of us to maintain coordination. —Roman Babushkin, Russian dy head of mission

The CSTO is a six-nation grouping comprising Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belorussia and Kyrgyzstan. The Russian assessment is that the new Taliban is fragmented. There are some hardliners who want to fight on, but others favour a political solution. “We have heard commitments, but have to see their implementation,” he said.

India is a big player, which has always been supportive of the government in Kabul by providing economic and social assistance, and training Afghans in Indian universities and defence institutes. “It shows India has a huge interest and this is quite a crucial moment for everyone to remain in very close touch to support the original consensus on Afghanistan and effort by Afghans to share power according to agreements reached before,” observed Babushkin.

Russia supported Indian contacts with the Taliban because it is a reality in Afghanistan and following US blessings, it is a party in the intra-Afghan talks.

“It would be useful to deal with everyone in the region so that national interest is better ensured,” he observed.

In his opening remarks, Russian Ambassador Nikolai Kudashev noted that both countries were poised for intensive consultations and interactions in the coming months.

India will assume the presidency of both BRICS and SCO in September which will be occasions for meetings between PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Overall, Jaishankar’s discussions with Lavrov (last week) were comprehensive and forward-looking,” said Kudashev.

The Ambassador said it was a matter of pride that Sputnik vaccine was a part of the Indian vaccination campaign. The launch of the one-shot Sputnik Lite is also expected soon. “We are committed to continue discussion on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates,” he said, while welcoming the Indian desire to increase its involvement in the Arctic Council which is currently chaired by Russia.