Monthly Archives: August 2018

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: At least two soldiers were killed and three others injured in an attack in Pakistan’s Khyber district, Dawn reported on Thursday.
Till now no official record or statement on this came but the local sources told Dawn that the mobile bomb disposal party came under attack with automatic weapons in Thund locality, some seven kilometres from Bagh-Maidan Markaz of the valley.
Sources also stated that the armed ambush left two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel killed while three others sustained injuries.
The site of the incident is also near the Dwa Thoey military check post, an entry point to the valley where a thorough checking of every passenger is carried out prior to their entry into the valley.
Sources said security forces stationed in the region immediately started a search operation with the unidentified militants disappearing in the nearby forested hills.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack while no official statement was issued about the incident till the filing of this report.
The incident occurred only a week after a huge public rally held at Bagh-Maidan Markaz demanded security in the valley and purging the region of all the undesirable elements who had sneaked into different parts of Tirah since June last year.
As per Geo News, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of attacks by extremists since last year when a ceasefire between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad broke down.
Recently, the banned outfit bombed a mosque in Peshawar killing over 100 people earlier this year.
It added citing a report submitted to the UN Security Council, that the TTP might be seeking a merger with Al-Qaeda to create an umbrella organisation that shelters all militant groups operating in South Asia.

Port Moresby: Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Kolkata, mission deployed in the Eastern IOR, arrived at Port Moresby on Wednesday to enhance maritime partnership and cooperation with Papua New Guinea.
During the port call, the crew from the two ships will engage with personnel from PNG Defence Forces in a wide range of activities including professional interactions, cultural exchanges, Yoga sessions and ships visits.
The port call is aimed at strengthening ties between India and Papua New Guinea in the maritime domain.
Earlier in the day, Indian Naval teams performed Yoga at the Port Moresby harbour in Papua New Guinea, along with the local residents, the Indian High Commission, Port Moresby said on Thursday.
The Indian sailors were led by Captain Rajan Kapoor, Indian Naval Ships (INS) Sahyadri and they were joined by Papua New Guineans from Active City Development Program, NCD.
“Today Yoga performed in Port Moresby by Indian Sailors, led by Capt Rajan Kapoor, INS Sahyadri, joined by Papua New Guineans from Active City Development Program, NCD. Yoga for humanity! Vasudheiva Kutumbakam. Pl enjoy the clip!” the Indian High Commission said in a tweet.
“Yoga at Port Moresby harbour by Indian Naval Teams! Welcome PNGians who participated,” it added in a subsequent tweet.INS Sahyadri (Frigate class) and INS Kolkata (Destroyer class) are on a goodwill visit to Papua New Guinea and will be docked at Port Moresby from August 2-4, the High Commission of India in Port Moresby said in a statement.
The INS Sahyadri commanded by Captain Anil Jaggi with more than 200 crew members on board, paid a goodwill visit to Port Moresby from 12-15 June 2017, according to the statement released on Indian High Commission in Port Moresby’s website.
India and Papua New Guinea enjoy warm and friendly relations. The two nations have formalized diplomatic ties since 19 May 1976. India opened its High Commission in Port Moresby in April 1996.
In May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Sunday. During his visit, PM Modi chaired the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit).
During his visit, PM Modi and his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape held a bilateral in Port Moresby and discussed cooperation in commerce, technology, and healthcare as well as in addressing climate change. He also held talks with Papua New Guinea Governor-General Bob Dadae.
INS Sahyadri is the third ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-17 class multirole stealth frigates and is commanded by Capt Rajan Kapoor.
INS Kolkata is the first ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-15A class destroyers and is commanded by Capt Sharad Sinsunwal.
Both the ships have been built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai and are armed with an array of modern weapons and sensors which can address threats in all three dimensions.

Paris: Following the military coup in Niger, the French Government evacuated over 990 of its citizens including Indian nationals over the past two days.
Taking to Twitter, the French ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain said that the French government had around 992 people, out of which 560 are its citizens while the rest of them includes nationals from many other countries, including Indian citizens.
“Following the military coup in #Niger, France has evacuated 992 people from the country through several rotation flights over the past two days. In addition to 560 French citizens, the flights evacuated nationals from many other countries, including Indian citizens,” Lenain said in a tweet.
Till now 4 flights carrying French and other national citizens have departed from Niger.
“4 flights have departed, 992 people wishing to leave the country have been transported. A 5th and final flight is scheduled for the end of the day,” French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a tweet.
Earlier, in a statement released on its website, French Foreign Ministry said, “Given the situation in Niamey, the violence that took place against our embassy the day before yesterday and the closure of airspace which leaves our compatriots without the possibility of leaving the country by their own means, France is preparing the evacuation of its nationals and of European nationals wishing to leave the country.”
It further said, “This evacuation will begin today.”French Foreign Ministry’s statement comes after the supporters of the coup in Niger on Sunday burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger’s capital, Niamey, Al Jazeera reported.
At least four European countries announced that plans to evacuate their citizens are underway in Niger.
Following the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron said any attacks on French interests in Niger will be met with a “swift and uncompromising response,” according to Al Jazeera report.
The pro-coup protesters were seen chanting the names of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite requests from the Kremlin to release the nation’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, CNN reported.
A plaque designating the Embassy was destroyed by some protesters, who later replaced it with Russian and Nigerian flags. In the masses, there were slogans of “down with France,” “long live Putin,” and “long live Russia,” according to CNN.
Nigerien security forces were seen using tear gas to disperse the protesters. One photograph from the spot showed people attempting to start a fire outside the compound, CNN reported.
Last Thursday, the Nigerien army command said it was supporting the seizure in a bid to thwart bloodshed. The military’s statement also warned against foreign military intervention, which it said “risks having disastrous and uncontrolled consequences”. 

Washington: The United States on Wednesday said that it supports a direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern.
Responding to a question during a regular State Department press briefing here, official spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “As we have long said, we support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern. That has long been our position.”
The response came after a question was raised regarding Pakistan Prime Minister’s recent statement on ‘willingness to talk with India.’
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Mineral Summit in Islamabad on Monday, Shehbaz Sharif said that to build the nation they are ready to talk with the neighbours.
Despite a history of strained ties between the two nations, since their independence in 1947, the Pakistan PM seeks to promote valuable engagement.
“With our neighbours, we are prepared to talk to them, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk on serious matters on the table because war is no more an option. Pakistan is a nuclear power, not as an aggressor but for our defence purposes. We had three wars fought in the last 75 years. And what happened is it generates more poverty, unemployment and lack of resources to finance, education, health and well-being of the people,” PM Sharif said.
He stressed that this is not the way to adopt, but to fight through economic competition in the region.
“Because if there is any nuclear flashpoint, who will live to tell what happened? So (war) is not an option,” PM Sharif said and added that he knows that both countries cannot become normal neighbours unless “abnormalities are removed” and unless the serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussions.
India and Pakistan’s relations were never normal since the formation of the latter country. India has repeatedly raised its concern over Pakistan’s support of cross-border terrorism and has asserted that terror and talks cannot go together.
Following the Indian government’s decision in August 2019 to abolish Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcate it into two Union territories [J&K and Ladakh], the Pakistan government, then led by Imran Khan, expelled India’s ambassador to Islamabad and halted bilateral trade.

Pakistan’s Cabinet has quietly approved the signing of a new security pact with the US, a move that indicates a fresh start in defence cooperation after years of distrust between the two nations and may open avenues for Islamabad to get military hardware from Washington, a media report said on Thursday.
Through a circulation summary, the Cabinet gave its seal of approval to sign the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CIS-MOA, between Pakistan and the US, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
However, there was no official announcement from either side about the signing of the agreement. According to the report, Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was approached but did not respond.
The development comes days after Pakistan and the US agreed to further enhance their bilateral relations, including in the defence field, at a meeting between US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Michael Erik Kurilla and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir.
CIS-MOA is a foundational agreement that the US signs with its allies and countries with which it wants to maintain close military and defence ties. It also provides legal cover to the US Department of Defence for ensuring the sale of military equipment and hardware to other countries.
The signing of the CIS-MOA means that the two countries are keen to maintain the institutional mechanism. The agreement, first signed between the Joint Staff Headquarters of Pakistan and the US Department of Defence in October 2005 for 15 years, expired in 2020. The two sides have now renewed that arrangement which covers joint exercises, operations, training, basing and equipment. The signing of the CIS-MOA indicates that the US might sell some military hardware to Pakistan in coming years, a source in Washington was quoted as saying in the report.
However, a retired senior Army officer who previously dealt with the US played down the development and said it was not easy for Pakistan to buy military hardware from the US despite this agreement.
Referring to the growing strategic ties between the US and India, the officer said Washington’s long-term interests are not aligned with Islamabad. Nevertheless, the US needs Pakistan in some critical regions, and hence this agreement serves the purpose of both, he said.
Pakistan was once a major recipient of military and security assistance from the US, but with the Cold War ending and China challenging US supremacy, things changed.
The situation prompted Washington to seek closer cooperation with India to counter China, and meanwhile, Pakistan lost its decades of significance in the eyes of the US, the report said.
Pakistan and the US maintained close defence cooperation, but their ties came under strain due to differences over the issue of Afghanistan. The killing of former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US Navy Seals in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, close to a military training school in 2011, deteriorated the situation.
In the same year, the US forces bombed a Pakistani military outpost on the Afghan border, killing 24 soldiers and prompting Islamabad to block the land routes used by the allied forces to carry vital supplies to Afghanistan.
The issue was later resolved, but the relations could not escape the shadow of Afghanistan.
Former US President Donald Trump had repeatedly accused Pakistan of not doing enough to route out militants. He also accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US other than “lies and deceit” in return for American aid.
Since being elected as US President in 2020, Joe Biden has not formally spoken to the Pakistani leadership.
Things have improved between the two countries since the Shehbaz Sharif-led government took over in April last year, and endorsement of the new pact may be a sign of a fresh beginning, the report said.

The Government of India has set a year-end deadline for the completion of 20 strategic roads in Ladakh and the North East reported Economic Times.
The alignment of all these strategic roads is along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
This comes after the ongoing three-year-long standoff with the Chinese which started after the clashes at Pangong Tso and Galwan in May and June 2020 in Eastern Ladakh, looks irreversible.
It appears that the Chinese are not inclined to restore the status quo and return to the pre-2020 situation, judged by the fact that 18th round of corps commander talks, multiple meetings with foreign and defence ministers of both countries failed to resolve the deadlock.
The critical roads under construction include a road to provide alternate connectivity to the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airfield located on the Depsang Plains in the strategic subsector north (SSN) and the realignment work on the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DS-DBO) road.
The Sasoma-Saser La road (which will create alternate connectivity to DBO via the Saser La pass), the 32 km long Lukung-Chartse road (for connectivity from the north bank of Pangong Tso to the Hot Spring area), the 55 km long Changchenmo-Tsogatsalu road (providing connectivity to the strategic Changchenmo sector, which lies south of Aksai Chin), and the Mahe-Chushul and Koyul-Chisumle-Zursar roads are marked for completion by December.
Other priority projects include the 64 km long Sumdo-Nidder-Rhongo road, the 62 km long Chumathang-Chushul road, and the 83 km long Hanle-Zursar-Imis La.
Among the northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh has half a dozen road projects on the list in the upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
This includes a road to link up Tulung La pass and to Dametang (site of holy waterfalls). The rest of the roads are for filling the gaps of the Trans-Arunachal Highway.
All these projects are under construction by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which has constructed majority of the projects in border areas along the LAC.
These roads will deter the Chinese from conducting any hostile activity and will allow the Indian Army soldiers to mobilise fast, to any crisis points in an event of hostility.

New Delhi: In a boost to its capabilities to destroy enemy targets hidden behind mountains, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Israeli Spike Non Line of Sight (NLOS) anti-tank guided missiles which can hit targets from distances up to 30 km.
The Israeli Spike NLOS anti-tank guided missiles have been delivered and its trials are going to be held soon, defence sources told ANI.
The NLOS missiles are now going to be integrated with the Russian-origin fleet of Mi-17V5 helicopters which would be able take out targets from long ranges and can prove to be very effective against enemy targets and assets hidden behind mountains or hills, the sources added.
During the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the reports suggest that the Ukrainian forces have used the anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles supplied by the Western European nations and America effectively.
The IAF had started showing interest in these missiles almost two years ago when the Chinese Army deployed a large number of tanks and infantry combat vehicles close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) opposite the Eastern Ladakh sector.
The sources also said that at the moment the Spike NLOS ATGMs have been ordered in limited numbers and the force would look for getting the missiles in larger numbers through “Make-in-India” initiatives.
The air-launched NLOS ATGMs can carry out strikes at its ground targets from standoff distances and can cause considerable damage to the enemy tank regiments and prevent their advances, the sources said.
Both the Indian Army and the Air Force have strengthened their arsenal significantly through both Indian and foreign weapons in view of the threat faced by the country due to aggression shown by the Chinese two years ago.
Indian Air Force top brass has been laying a lot of stress on indigenisation and supporting multiple programmes to produce such high tech equipment and weaponry through Indian sources and industry.

Julio Ribeiro

INDIA, the newly formed Opposition alliance against Prime Minster Narendra Modi, has brought a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha. The debate on the motion will begin on August 8. This will force (or so they hope) the Prime Minister to speak on a subject he is presently avoiding to speak on, and understandably so.

In the next Lok Sabha elections, Manipur is going to be a major spoiler for the ruling party.

The acronym INDIA was created by the principal Opposition parties after the realisation that they were pitted against just one man — PM Modi. He alone propelled the BJP to power and as long as he led the ruling party, the Opposition, both individually and collectively, would be shoved aside by the voters. Hence came the interesting move of forming INDIA, a conglomeration which includes unlikely bedfellows such as AAP, Trinamool Congress and the Congress. Thus was born the idea of INDIA v/s Modi or, rather, Modi v/s INDIA.

By insisting that a dedicated debate in the House on the happenings in Manipur and the inability of the state government to bring the mayhem under control should start with a statement by the PM, the Lok Sabha was virtually shut down for several days. There is no rule requiring the PM to speak when the minister concerned — in this case, Home Minister Amit Shah — was prepared to make the statement on behalf of the government.

But INDIA wanted to corner the PM because it was against him and not the BJP that it had to contest in the 2024 polls. And on the subject of Manipur, PM Modi and the party he leads were not on solid ground. Hence the impasse in the Lok Sabha.

I pity PM Modi on such occasions! He is usually so confident of himself and self-assured. He revels in publicity and praise. He is not used to embarrassment, even though a Prime Minister of a country so vast and complicated like ours will inevitably be confronted by adversity at different times. The outbreak of Covid-19 was one such occasion. Our Prime Minister made many mistakes, which have been listed in Harsh Mander’s book Burning Pyres, Mass Graves. The people of India have forgiven him for those mistakes because his good intentions and desire to meet the calamity head-on could not be doubted. But his failure to think of the plight of the migrant labourers will blot his copybook.

There was no experience of a newly discovered pandemic to draw on. The BJP’s public relations cell did a great job of getting the Prime Minister off the hook. He was given credit for feeding the poor migrant labourers who were forced to walk hundreds of kilometres to their homes as they were left homeless and penniless by the sudden, unexpected shutdown following the Covid outbreak. In my city, caring individuals (one of them was my daughter) organised rations for the migrants for nearly a month. The BJP’s IT cell gave the populace the impression that it was the government which had achieved that mission of mercy at the instance of the PM! I cannot comment on other cities in India, but I can say with confidence that this was not the case in Mumbai.

Manipur will present a difficult test for the BJP. There is no doubt in any reasonable Indian’s mind that the government in the state has failed. People are convinced that the N Biren Singh government is incompetent. Its police force, starting with the leadership, needs to be overhauled. It’s obvious that it is hopelessly politicised. It failed to even put the law into motion when women were publicly disrobed and raped in the presence of policemen.

It failed to prevent the loot of its armoury when 4,000-odd weapons were forcibly snatched, along with ammunition. The surmise is that the policemen were complicit in allowing the criminals to loot the weapons. I think that the force was outnumbered and the personnel feared for their lives. This steep decline in policemen’s morale and performance has not been witnessed anywhere else in the country earlier. That the men on duty did not offer any resistance at all is a sad commentary on the leadership of such a force.

Since the BJP leadership at the Centre is standing solidly behind its CM in Imphal and hesitating to replace him and since the counsellor the Central leadership had planted in Imphal to guide Biren Singh on governance matters has obviously failed miserably to measure up, the Home Minister must step in and take charge. Manipur shares its border with Myanmar. The Chinese are there to keep us on our toes. The country can ill afford to neglect security issues in the North-East.

The Kukis have relatives across the border in Myanmar. They keep crossing over to our side just as the Kukis here keep going that side. I have learnt that the Army had an unwritten agreement with the Myanmarese army that such movements across the border should not go beyond 16 km on either side. But after the recent bout of hostilities between Kukis and Meiteis, the Manipur Government had raised red flags.

The reason for the state government to object was that the cultivation of the poppy plant and trading in drugs were prevalent among the tribals populating the hill areas. Just like the Afghans who cultivate poppy to sustain the informal economy in that blighted land, our hill dwellers do not have scope for economic advancement except by such means. Since the poppy plants can only lead finally to the manufacture of opium, the authorities can shut their eyes only at the cost of a major calamity.

In the next Lok Sabha polls, Manipur is going to be a major spoiler for the ruling party. PM Modi knows this and hence his tactical silence on the subject. He must be cursing himself for setting up a double-engine government in Imphal so soon. Perhaps a little later, after a victory in 2024, would have been the correct time. But he is a man in a hurry!

The BJP had succeeded in winning over the Nagas, the Mizos and the Sangma government in Meghalaya, despite the hatred and unalloyed enmity of the party’s fringe towards beef-eaters. The PM adopted a practical approach and indicated that the Sangh Parivar would not interfere with the eating habits and religious practices of the people of the North-East — in return for their votes. He had made similar attempts in Kerala, where two prominent Bishops had signed up.

That bonhomie has diminished after the happenings in Manipur. PM Modi is going through a bad patch.

Rising mental health issues worrisome

Underlining the need for urgent intervention is the rise in mental health issues among members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) update to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday reveals that the number of psychiatric cases in the paramilitary forces has swelled by an alarming 38 per cent from 3,584 in 2020 to 4,940 last year. This figure assumes significance in the light of the recent fatal firing by an RPF constable at his senior and three passengers on a train in Maharashtra.

The flip-flop by the authorities — they first declared that the cop’s family had kept his mental health issue under wraps and then withdrew the statement — is symptomatic of the lack of sensitivity in dealing with this grave issue. Coming from a force whose troops are regularly screened for medical fitness, it betrays a deeper malaise afflicting the personnel: inadequate institutional support for the stressed-out soldiers who serve on tough postings for long periods. An arbitrary transfer policy and denial of leave can disturb them greatly. Jawans working under duress are prone to getting violent when their problems are not resolved, as per a report submitted to the MHA. Trusting them with guns, unfortunately, can cost lives, as the statistics show.

The authorities must take steps to address the jawans’ frustration as it can lead to suicide and fratricide. As many as 658 suicides were reported among CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB, ITBP and Assam Rifles personnel from 2018 to 2020. In the past five years, 29 personnel were killed by their colleagues, as per the MHA report submitted in the Lok Sabha in April. The growing trend of these employees opting for VRS is another manifestation of the problem. It is a massive loss in terms of lives and productivity and calls for a deep inspection.

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, August 3

Faulting the nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, for procedural infirmities, senior counsel Kapil Sibal on Thursday termed it a “mosaic of illegalities” that can’t fit into the constitutional scheme.

On the second day of Supreme Court (SC) hearing on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of nullification of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories, Sibal said it was a pure political act where the J&K Governor and the Central Government acted in tandem to get rid of Article 370.

The SC asked if there was no mechanism to abrogate Article 370 even when the J&K people want it. It also wondered that in case the now repealed provision can’t be touched, will it not amount to creating a “new category” beyond the basic structure of the Constitution?

Sibal told a five-judge Constitution Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud, “There is no council of ministers…no government in place. But he (Governor) sent a report that the government of the state cannot be carried out. There are no negotiations, no communication. This is an amazing piece of handiwork. This is a mosaic of illegalities.”

Terming Article 370 of the Constitution as a basic feature of the Constitution, Sibal had on Wednesday asserted that Parliament can’t undo it without the consent of the state’s Constituent Assembly as required under the proviso to Article 370(3). On Thursday, CJI Chandrachud asked, “What happens when there’s no Constituent Assembly (of J&K)? Do you create a fresh one? Can’t Parliament amend the Constitution exercising its powers under Article 368 to abrogate Article 370?”

Describing the Constitution as a live document, Justice Kaul said, “It’s not static. Can you say that there is no mechanism to change it even when everyone wants to change it? Then you’re saying that this can’t be changed even if all of Kashmir wants it. What you’re saying is that while other provisions of the Constitution may be capable of amendment through a process, other than the ones against basic structure, this (Article 370) is one provision which can never be amended?”

HC to hear Yasin’s plea on August 7

The Delhi High Court will hear on August 7 the Tihar jail superintendent’s plea for virtual production of separatist leader Yasin Malik from jail in connection with an NIA’s plea seeking death penalty for him in a terror funding case.