Monthly Archives: August 2018

New Delhi, January 26

India’s 74th Republic Day was celebrated with pomp all over the country, including the Attari border of Punjab and the India-Pakistan international border in Jammu.

The Pakistan Rangers extended greetings to the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Thursday afternoon and both the forces exchanged sweets.

On the occasion, BSF personnel unfurled the Tricolour on the border in the morning.

The BSF said that the gates at the Attari border were opened in the afternoon, after which personnel of the both the forces gathered there

Apart from this, soldiers from both the countries exchanged sweets and greeted each other on the international border in Jammu.

BSF officials said that on the country’s 74th Republic Day, the Tricolour was unfurled and the national anthem was played on the borders of different states of India and Pakistan, after which the martyrs were saluted.

Significantly, the tradition of exchanging sweets at the border takes place on Eid, Holi and Diwali apart from Independence Day and Republic Day

This is organised every year on different borders of India-Pakistan to give the message of brotherhood.

PTI

Islamabad, January 26

Pakistan said on Thursday that no backchannel talks were being held between Islamabad and New Delhi.

“At this moment, there is no such thing under way,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar told the Senate – the upper house of parliament.

She added that backchannel diplomacy was desirable when it was result-oriented.

Separately, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly media briefing reiterated Khar’s remarks about no secret diplomatic engagements with India.

“There is no backchannel diplomacy between India and Pakistan,” Baloch said.

Speaking in the Senate, Khar went on to say that Pakistan had always taken initiatives to promote peace in the region but “right now, the cross-border hostility [from India] is of a unique type”.

She said Pakistan was asked at international forums sometimes to normalise its ties with India, but the world should look at the messages New Delhi was sending to Islamabad.

“The messages that we are getting are all conflagratory. Pakistan has the largest interest in unleashing [the potential of] this region but when you have a government on the other side whose prime minister says that their nuclear assets are not for Diwali […] then what can we do?” Khar told the senators.

Her remarks came days after Indian media reported that New Delhi has invited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to attend the foreign ministers’ and chief justices’ meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO in Goa in May.

Baloch in her briefing said that Pakistan had received the invitation which was sent by India as host of the SCO meeting and was reviewing it

“The invitation is being reviewed. A decision regarding participation in the meeting will be taken after deliberation,” she said.

She said as in the past, the Indian invitations are being processed as per standard procedures and a decision will be taken in due course.

The spokesperson also said the SCO is an important trans-regional organisation that aims to strengthen economic linkages and cooperation among its member states in different fields.

Talking about the controversial BBC documentary targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khar said the broadcaster had shown the world what Pakistan had said already, adding that Pakistan had learnt from history but some countries in the region have not.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India’s warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India in August 2019 announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, January 26

The Kerala tableau portraying Karthyayani Amma, the winner of Nari Shakti Puraskar, stole the show at the 74th Republic Day parade in New Delhi. However, in real life, the bedridden Amma is finding it tough to make her both ends meet.

Her daughter is working as a domestic help to take care of her aged, bedridden award-winning mother.

On Thursday, when the impressive parade was going on and the Kerala tableaux was shown on TV channels with the commentary describing the tableaux and about Amma, a crowd had gathered at Amma’s house near Kollam and they were showing the live visuals to her on a mobile phone.

Amma, who is into her 100th year, is now completely bedridden after suffering a stroke and is paralysed below the hips.

In 2018, she was inspired to take a learning course by her daughter, who had passed an examination at the age of 60.

In August 2018, she took an examination alongside 40,362 other people, as part of the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority’s Aksharalaksham (‘Million Letter’) programme.

At the age of 96, she was the oldest person to take the test in her district. She had been given lessons in reading and writing by her great-grandchildren, who were nine and 12 years old.

Tested on reading, writing and mathematics, Amma scored 98 out of a possible 100 marks, giving her the top grade.

In March 2020, she was honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019 award, presented by the then President Ram Nath Kovind.

list of gallantry and distinguish awardees

Major and Naik posted at J&K among awardees

Kirti Chakra for 6,

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 25

The President has approved 412 gallantry awards and other defence decorations. These include six Kirti Chakra, the second highest peace-time gallantry award, 15 Shaurya Chakra, one Bar to Sena Medal, 92 Sena Medal, one Nao Sena Medal, seven Vayu Sena Medal and three ‘Tatrakshak’ Medal for the Coast Guard.

Three Uttam Yudh Seva Medal have been awarded to commanders of the crucial corps along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The awardees are Lt Gen RC Tiwari of the 3 Corps tasked to command eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta of the Leh-based 14 Corps and Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla, Commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps.

Of the six Kirti Chakra awardees, four are from the police. From the Army, the awardees include Major Shubhang, who personally led his team through inhospitable, rugged and thickly vegetated terrain in extreme weather conditions in Budgam district last April. Despite being hit by a bullet on his left shoulder, he neutralised a hardcore terrorist in a close combat. He belongs to the Dogra Regiment, and was posted to the Rashtriya Rifles. The other Kirti Chakra awardee, Naik Jitendra Singh, saved his mates despite having multiple gunshot injuries during an encounter in Pulwama in April last year. He is from the Rajput Regiment and was also posted to the Rashtriya Rifles.

The 15 Shaurya Chakra have been awarded largely for counter-terrorist operations. The awardees include two IAF personnel tasked to carry out operations in Jammu and Kashmir and an IAF pilot for the daring rescue of civilians on a ropeway in Jharkhand. A naval MiG 29 pilot has been awarded the Nao Sena medal posthumously for saving the life of his co-pilot in a crash that occurred over the Arabian Sea.

4th generation Army officer is son of Olympian Col Balbir Singh Kular

Jalandhar, January 25

A fourth generation officer in the Army hailing from Jalandhar, Col Sarfraz Singh has been picked for the prestigious Vishisht Seva Medal to be awarded this year. His name figures on the list of the gallantry and distinguished awardees for Republic Day.

Son of hockey Olympian Col Balbir Singh Kular, Col Sarfraz is from the elite Parachute Regiment of the Army. He is known to be an avid mountaineer, sky diver, scuba diver, rafting expert, cyclist and paragliding pilot.

An avid mountaineer

• Col Sarfraz Singh is known to be an avid mountaineer, sky diver, scuba diver, rafting expert, cyclist and paragliding pilot
• He served as the first director of National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied
• Sports in 2017. He is also a proud recipient of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
• He has scaled Mt Everest, Mt Nun, Mt Trishul, Mt Aconcagua and Mt Kilimanjaro

Col Sarfaraz is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, and National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. He has rich mountaineering experience with the privilege of having scaled the prominent peaks like Mt Everest, Mt Nun, Mt Trishul, Mt Aconcagua and Mt Kilimanjaro. He was the team leader of NIMAS Everest expedition when he scaled the highest peak on May 20, 2018. He is also one of the few mountaineers to have reached the base of Mt Nyegi Kangstang, a virgin 7000-m peak from Seppa in Arunachal Pradesh.

In 2018, he also conducted the first-ever international rafting competition on Kameng river of Arunachal Pradesh. He has also led and cycled the first hight altitude expedition from Bomdila to Bumla pass (15,600 feet) covering a distance of 300 km. Earlier this month, he completed his 2,100-km Indo-China peninsula cycling expedition from Hanoi to Cambodia.

New Delhi, January 26

Six Agniveers will be part of the Navy’s marching contingent during the 74th Republic Day celebrations on Thursday when the ceremonial parade will take place on the Kartavya Path amid patriotic fervour.

This was said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on the eve of the celebrations.

President Droupadi Murmu will lead the nation in celebrating the Republic Day, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the ceremonial event. 

The military assets which will be displayed during the parade include made-in-India equipment, showing the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat, officials had earlier said.

Main battle tank Arjun, Nag Missile System (NAMIS) and K-9 Vajra will also be showcased, the defence ministry said in the statement.

“The Indian Navy contingent will comprise 144 young sailors led by Lt Cdr Disha Amrith as the contingent commander. For the first time ever, the marching contingent consists three women and six Agniveers.

“It will be followed by the naval tableau, designed on the theme ‘Indian Navy – Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof’. It will showcase the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy, ‘Nari Shakti’ and key indigenously designed and built assets under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’,” the statement said.

The ceremony will commence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the National War Memorial and paying tributes to the heroes by laying a wreath. Thereafter, the prime minister and other dignitaries will head to the saluting dais at Kartavya Path to witness the parade.

As per tradition, the national flag will be unfurled followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute. Among, the many firsts, the ceremonial salute will be given with 105-mm Indian field guns. It replaces the vintage 25-pounder guns, reflecting upon the growing ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence. Four Mi-17 1V/V5 helicopters of 105 Helicopter Unit will shower flower petals on the audience present at Kartavya Path, the statement said.

The parade will commence with the president taking the salute. The parade will be commanded by Parade Commander Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, a second-generation Army officer. Maj Gen Bhavnish Kumar, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the Parade Second-in-Command.

Three Param Vir Chakra awardees and three Ashok Chkara awardees will also take part in the parade, and a “veterans’ tableau” will also be part of it. 

Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah (Retd)

HAVING commanded a brigade stationed at the Palel airfield at Kakching in Manipur from 1997 to 1999, my thoughts go back to the role this airfield played in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s military plans.

This disused airfield (now housing an Assam Rifles battalion) was the target of a Japanese offensive from Burma into Northeast India in the final phase of World War II. The Japanese 15th Army, comprising 15, 31 and 33 Divisions, and the Azad Hind Fauj Division were to advance along Moreh on the India-Burma border, capture the airfields at Palel and Imphal and push through to Dimapur. This offensive was intended to pave the way for the capture of the Brahmaputra valley.

These two airfields showcased British airpower. They were also to serve as launch pads for the planned British offensive for the reconquest of Burma. The Japanese wanted to pre-empt this eventuality. Overrunning Assam would also deprive the Allies of the use of the airfields (Hump Route) that were supporting US General Joseph Stilwell’s offensive in China. Netaji hoped it would trigger a revolution in India against British rule, and also within the Indian army.

In view of this objective, a small party of Japanese troops backed by Netaji’s ‘Gandhi Brigade’ infiltrated into the Palel airfield and destroyed eight parked British aircraft. This was no mean achievement considering that the mountainous terrain covered by a hostile jungle had to be traversed. The units of my brigade had operated in these jungles during counterinsurgency operations and found remnants of the war — dilapidated bunkers, human skeletal remains and spent cartridge cases at several locations.

The Japanese offensive was thwarted by stout British defence at Imphal — the battle of the ‘Pill Box’. After the defeat at Imphal, Japanese General Masakazu Kawabe informed Netaji that the orders for the retreat had been given. Bose declared that Azad Hind Fauj troops would continue the march to the homeland. This was a futile exercise as they lacked air, armour and artillery support and were totally dependent on the Japanese army for logistical assistance.

Netaji’s army played a stellar role in preparing the ground for India’s Independence. Lord Wavell, the then Viceroy, wrote in a note in 1946, ‘It would not be wise to try the Indian Army too highly in suppression of its own people.’ ‘Jai Hind’, the slogan of the Azad Hind Fauj, continues to be popular, especially in the armed forces.

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, January 25

Despite the forecast for a widespread snowfall in most places in mid and high hills on January 24 and 25, the districts of Shimla, Sirmaur, Kinnaur and Solan received little snowfall till late evening.

“In what’s a new development, we have noticed the formation of a high pressure area that’s reducing the intensity and restricting the movement of Western Disturbance towards the southern districts of the state. That’s the reason why the precipitation has been less in these districts,” said Surender Paul, Director, Meteorological Centre, Shimla.

239 roads blocked

• As many as 239 roads and 729 distributions transformers have been affected in the latest spell of snowfall and rainfall in the state
• Most roads (139) are shut in Lahaul-Spiti, followed by 53 in Chamba and 31 in Kullu
• As for transformers, 533 have been affected in Chamba and 117 in Lahaul-Spiti. 29 water scheme, too, have been hit, with 27 in Chamba

But Lahaul & Spiti dons white mantle; life disrupted

• Heavy snowfall disrupted life in Lahaul & Spiti district on Wednesday. The traffic movement within the district came to a halt
• As per Lahaul valley residents, around 30 cm snow was reported at district HQ Keylong, while Udaipur and Darcha regions received more than 30 cm snow
• Due to inclement weather conditions, the BRO couldn’t restore Manali-Leh NH, cutting off the Lahaul valley from the rest of the state
• Avalanches took place at two places between Tandi and Udaipur, blocking the flow of the Chenab for a couple of hours

It’s the third time in this month that Western Disturbance has resulted in less than expected precipitation in these districts. “The snowfall has been more in Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and Kullu this winter,” said Paul.

In the latest precipitation spell that started Tuesday morning, the most widespread snowfall has been recorded in Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti. While a few places in Chamba and Lahaul Spiti received between 45 and 50 cm snowfall, the maximum snowfall at a few places in Shimla and Kinnaur districts has been just about 8 cm.

Even as snowfall hasn’t been widespread, most places have received rainfall across the state over the last two days. “Rainfall has been good, many places in Kangra and Chamba have received heavy rainfall. Due to this good spell, the winter rain deficit has come down to 15 per cent,” said Paul. “Also, another Western Disturbance will hit the state towards the end of this month. That spell, too, will us bridge the rain deficit even more,” said Paul.

According to the weather department, the precipitation will reduce from tomorrow until the next Western Disturbance arrives towards the end of the month. “There will be light snowfall and rainfall in higher reaches, but overall the weather will be dry,” said Paul.

Lack of good snowfall this season has left the apple growers quite worried. “The orchards located in mid and low elevations have been hit hard. Due to dry conditions, the plants have become prone to several diseases. And with temperatures rising, there’s a possibility of early flowering,” said Lokinder Bisht, an orchardist from Rohru.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 25

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed in his latest book that then Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj woke him up for a phone conversation to tell him that Pakistan was preparing for a nuclear attack after the Balakot surgical strike in February 2019 and that India too was preparing to retaliate.

Writing in “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America”, Pompeo says the phone call came when he was in Hanoi for the US-North Korea Summit on February 27-28 and his team then had to work through the night with both New Delhi and Islamabad to avert this crisis.

“I’ll never forget the night I was in Hanoi, Vietnam when – as if negotiating with the North Koreans on nuclear weapons wasn’t enough – India and Pakistan started threatening each other in connection with a decades-long dispute over the northern border region of Kashmir. I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019. The truth is, I don’t know precisely the answer either; I just know it was too close,” wrote Pompeo in the book.

“After an Islamist terrorist attack in Kashmir–probably enabled in part by Pakistan’s lax counter-terror policies – killed 40 Indians, India responded with an air strike against terrorists inside Pakistan. The Pakistanis shot down a plane in a subsequent dogfight and kept the Indian pilot prisoner,” he said.

“In Hanoi, I was awakened to speak with my Indian counterpart. He believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike. India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out (sic),” wrote Pompeo, mistakenly referring to Swaraj as “he”.

“I began to work with Ambassador (then NSA John) Bolton, who was with me in the tiny secure communications facility in our hotel. I reached the actual leader of Pakistan, (Army chief) Gen. (Qamar Javed) Bajwa, with whom I had engaged many times. I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn’t true,” narrates Pompeo.

“As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons for deployment. It took us a few hours – and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad – to convince each side that the other was not preparing for nuclear war.”

There MEA has so far not responded to Pompeo’s recollection.