Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, February 6

In an important development, the naval variant of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made a maiden successful landing on the deck of sea-borne aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Monday.

In January 2020, the LCA Navy landed on the INS Vikramaditya.   

The landing of the jet on the deck of the INS Vikrant is part of the development of a twin-engine deck-based fighter jet for the Navy. The jet that landed today is a single-engine jet and the under-development twin-engine variant is the one slated to be inducted.

The event today demonstrates India’s capability to design, develop, construct and  operate Indigenous aircraft carrier with indigenous fighter aircraft.

The LCA Navy landing was done as the carrier was sailing in the Arabian Sea as part of its integration with the Navy fleet.

Landing on the deck of a fighter jet is a complex procedure; the landing space is some 200 metres and the jet coming in to land has to be restrained using a set of three ‘arrestor wires’. In Navy parlance, it is called ‘arrested landing’.

The landing gear of a naval jet is different from the jets used by the IAF. The under-carriage has to be strong enough to be held back by the arrestor wires.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 6

Bangladesh has asked Pakistan to apologise for the atrocities committed by its armed forces in 1971 in order to enhance ties between the two countries.

The issue was raised during a meeting between Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Pakistan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar in Colombo where they attended the Sri Lanka’s Independence Day.

“Pakistan wants to increase diplomatic relations with Bangladesh. I told her that you have to apologise publicly first. If you do that, I will advocate this for you. Otherwise, we have a political reason,” Momen told newspersons in Dhaka after returning from Colombo where he had met Rabbani on Saturday.

Asked about her reply, he said Rabbani had avoided a direct answer and said, “We have some limitations.”

Dhaka has also sought the withdrawal of anti-dumping duties to allow Bangladesh to export more to Pakistan. Rabbani showed a positive attitude for expanding diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, he added.

Then East Pakistan and today’s Bangladesh saw a brutal crackdown by security forces largely drawn from West Pakistan to quell protests after the local party Awami League swept the national elections but was not allowed to form the Government.

During this time, tens of thousands of civilians were killed and other forms of violence and persecution was carried out by Pakistani forces. By December 16, 1971, the independence of Bangladesh was declared, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the Awami League, becoming its first president. The meeting was the first ministerial engagement between the two sides in years.

Last year, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had made a stopover in Chittagong while going to Cambodia and was received by Bangladesh’s Information minister Hasan Mahmood.

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, February 7

Gurujas Kaur Khalsa of the White Sun has won the Grammy Award for her chants in the album ‘Mystic Mirror’.

Khalsa won the Best New Age Album for ‘Mystic Mirror’ at the Premiere ceremony of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The album contains shabad from Guru Granth Sahib.

“We just won a GRAMMY for our album “Mystic Mirror” in the New Age, Ambient or Chant Category. We want to thank the @recordingacademy not only for the beautiful awards ceremony, but also for all the amazing work they do on behalf of music creators,” wrote @WhiteSunMusic.

The three artistes — Adam Berry, Gurujas and Harijiwan — appeared on the stage at the Grammy awards decked in their signature white outfits

While on stage, Gurujas said: “Thank you so much to the Academy; I’m going to cry. Thank you to everyone who helped create this album, thank you to our producers. Standing with you guys is such a privilege and honour. With that comes more responsibility to bring love and kindness to Planet Earth.”

They had won the New Age Album Grammy award in 2017 for their album ‘White Sun II’.

Srinagar, February 7

The Army on Tuesday said it was ready to give a befitting response to any Chinese aggression in Ladakh, maintaining that the integrity of the country was being ensured through physical patrolling and technical means.

Addressing the Northern Command Investiture Ceremony here, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, also said the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war had brought forth many lessons, such as employment of disruptive and dual use technologies. “On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Army units involved in the Galwan clashes in Eastern Ladakh with the Chinese troops dominated the commendation and appreciation certificates handed out at the investiture ceremony, which was held in Kashmir for the first time since Independence.

Of the four Chief of the Army Staff appreciation certificates, three were awarded to units involved in Operation Snow Leopard, undertaken in the Ladakh sector after the Galwan clashes in June 2020.

Of the 49 GoC-in-C’s commendation certificates, 18 were given to units deployed in Ladakh while they also bagged nearly half of the 24 appreciation certificates.

The 6 Bihar unit was awarded the commendation certificate for its “unprecedented contribution” in pushing back the enemy in the Galwan Valley while 22 J&K Rifles got the certificate for foiling Chinese incursion in a hand-to-hand combat in Chushul sector.

He also said Kashmir had witnessed a concerning rise in narco-terrorism as Pakistan had been using this as a new tool in its proxy war in J&K. “The neighbouring country is sending drugs and weapons through drones in an attempt to disrupt the social fabric here. Security forces are alive to this trend and have already initiated counter-drone measures to curb the menace,” he said.

Lt Gen Dwivedi said the situation along the Line of Control had remained stable and the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan continued to sustain. — PTI

Honour for units involved in Galwan clashes

• Three Chief of the Army Staff appreciation certificates given to units involved in Operation Snow Leopard after Galwan clashes.
• 18 GoC-in-C’s commendation certificates given to Ladakh units. They also got nearly half of the 24 appreciation certificates.

Tribune News Service

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/New Delhi, February 7

Hours after announcement of disaster relief response to earthquake hit Turkiye, the Indian Army has mobilised a Field Hospital to provide medical support to the affected people in the region.

Agra-based Army Field Hospital has despatched an 89-member medical team, an Army spokesperson said.

The medical team comprises critical care specialist teams, including orthopaedic surgical team, general surgical specialist team and medical specialist teams apart from other medical teams, he added. 

The teams are equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, oxygen generation plant, cardiac monitors and associated equipment to establish a 30-bedded medical facility.

The team, which comprises elements of the Parachute Brigade, is being airlifted by the IAF. Today morning, the IAF had also airlifted a team of the National Disaster Relief Force to the quake-striken country.

The first aircraft with the relief materials was sent on Monday night.

The earthquake on Monday killed more than 4,000 people and flattened thousands of buildings in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. It was centred in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo.

1CAPT AMARINDER MAY BE HARYANA GOVERNOR

2.COL ARVIND YADAV/ INDIA SQN/80 TH COURSE PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY

3 FORMER PAKISTAN PM NAWAZ SHARIF REACTS ON MUSHARRAF’S DEMISE; THIS IS WHAT HE SAID

4.LINKING PAN WITH AADHAAR: THOSE MISSING MARCH 31 DEADLINE WILL LOSE TAX BENEFITS

5. PART OF ROAD IN CANADA TO BE NAMED ‘KOMAGATA MARU WAY’

6.PERVEZ MUSHARRAF: PAKISTAN’S LAST MILITARY RULER AND THE ARCHITECT OF KARGIL WAR

7.FORMER PAKISTAN PRESIDENT GEN PERVEZ MUSHARRAF PASSES AWAY IN DUBAI

8.KARGIL ARCHITECT GENERAL PERVEZ MUSHARRAF DEAD

THE EXPRESS INDIA NEWSPAPER

Col Arvind Yadav/ India sqn/80 th course passed away yesterday due to Cardiac arrest. This photograph is of last Sunday when he participated in a 10 K run. Life is unpredictable. He was Cross Country Blazer in NDA. Extremely fit officer from AOC. Had no medical issues.

Toronto, February 5

A portion of a road in Abbotsford, British Columbia, will be named Komagata Maru Way in the memory of 376 Indians who sailed to Canada from India in 1914, but were turned away by the country.

Abbotsford City Council voted unanimously last week to rename a portion of South Fraser Way – which extends from Ware Street to Fairlane Street – to Komagata Maru Way, the Surrey-Now Leader reported.

The decision comes after descendants of those trapped aboard the Komagata Maru ship in Vancouver, asked the council to commemorate the humanitarian role played by Abbotsford’s South Asian community at the time.

The project will cost $4,000 for the renaming. The council has also voted to fund a plaque at the Abbotsford Sikh temple at a cost of $10,000, and educational kits to inform future generations about the Komagata Maru incident.

“The gesture shows a commitment to promoting and understanding inclusiveness, and belonging to all residents regardless of their cultural background. It sends a strong message to our future generations that we must look … to make sure we have a just society for everybody,” Councillor Dave Sidhu told Surrey-Now Leader.

The Sikh residents of Abbotsford rallied together to assist passengers aboard the Komagata Maru… They provided food, housing, information, and community connection,” a committee that was created in 2021 to study the incident, said in its findings.

“This Abbotsford connection to the plight of the Komagata Maru passengers is not well-known locally, and should be recognised as an important point of community pride,” the report, which was submitted before the council, said.https://619fafb296f8e08b9528dcbd2adcbe56.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The 376 Indians, including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, who sailed to Canada from India in 1914, were mostly from Punjab.

They were kept from docking for several months in dire conditions, and eventually forced to return to India. They reached Budge Budge near Kolkata on September 23, 1914.

“There (Vancouver) the majority of the passengers were imprisoned, and 20 were killed by gunfire when the ship was fired upon,” the report told the council.https://619fafb296f8e08b9528dcbd2adcbe56.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The development comes as the historic Komagata Maru Memorial in Vancouver was vandalised earlier this month for the third time in a row between 2021 and 2023.