Monthly Archives: August 2018

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, November 25

Incidents of retired Pakistan army soldiers working with terrorists and committing acts of terror in Jammu and Kashmir have come to light.

That the Pakistan Army provides overt and covert support to terrorists and trains them was known for three decades, but the involvement of retired Pak army soldiers in terrorism is a phenomena that is now being studied within the security establishment here.

Sources said at least two such incidents had come to light in recent times. One of the terrorists killed in the Kalakote encounter at Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday has been identified as a retired soldier of the Pakistan army. In August this year, a retired havildar of the Pakistan army was killed on the Indian side.

He was with a group of armed militants. The sources said there were a few possibilities. One was that these retired soldiers had turned mercenaries and were working on a payment basis with terror organisations. The second was that retired soldiers had got radicalised and opted to join the ranks of terrorists. Thirdly, since there was a paucity of local youth wanting to pick up the gun, Pakistan was now relying on retired soldiers.

Yesterday, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander, had stated that some active terrorists and a few who were killed in Jammu and Kashmir were retired soldiers of the Pakistan army.

As there were no local recruits at present, Pakistan was trying to push in foreign terrorists, who were being eliminated by the security forces under different operations, General Dwivedi said.

The sources said it was taking time to eliminate these terrorists as being from a military background, they were better trained and had a greater resilience. Some of them may have operated in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Army yesterday recovered war-like stores from the encounter site in Kalakote, Rajouri. Medicines, medical equipment and clothing used by high-altitude trekkers were also recovered.

2 cases surface

• One of the terrorists killed in the Kalakote encounter at Rajouri on Thursday has been identified as a retired Pak soldier
• In August this year, a retired havildar of the Pak army was killed on the Indian side. He was with a group of armed militants

When Yogi government minister Yogendra Upadhyay went to the house of martyr Captain Shubham Gupta to give the compensation cheque, the martyr’s mother objected to her photo being taken in front of the camera. Praveen Gautam’s analysis of what martyr Shubham Gupta’s mother said to the minister and BJP leader

Our Correspondent

Jammu, November 24

Rich tributes were paid to the five soldiers who died while fighting the terrorists in Rajouri district of the Jammu division. In a wreath-laying ceremony, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi of the Northern Command paid home to them in Jammu. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also laid wreath and paid homage to the bravehearts. Chief Secretary AK Mehta, DGP RR Swain, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and IGP Anand Jain were among a large number of officials of the armed forces, civilian and police officers who paid tributes to the martyred soldiers with full military honours.

In a statement, Sinha mentioned, “I bow to our Army bravehearts — Capt MV Pranjal, Capt Shubham Gupta, Hav Abdul Majid, LNk Sanjay Bisht, Ptr Sachin Laur — martyred while protecting the motherland during an anti-terror operation in Rajouri. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Condolences to their families.” Captain MV Pranjal hailed from Mangalore in Karnataka, Captain Shubham Gupta from Agra in UP, Havildar Abdul Majid from Poonch in J&K, Lance Naik Sanjay Bist from Nainital in Uttarakhand and Paratrooper Sachin Laur was from Aligarh in UP.

Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, Chief of Staff, Northern Command, paid homage to the martyred soldiers in Poonch. Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed when the body of Havildar Abdul Majid reached his native village of Ajote in Poonch. Local residents, including children, were seen making a beeline near his house.

The remains of the martyrs will be airlifted to their native places from Jammu for last rites, officials said.

Captain Pranjal is survived by wife Aditi G. Capt Gupta leaves behind his father Basant Kumar Gupta. Havildar Majid is survived by his wife Sagera Bi and three children, while Lance Naik Bisht and Paratrooper Laur leave behind their mothers Manju Devi and Bhagvati Devi, respectively.

PTI

Rajouri/Jammu, November 24

The Army on Friday said the search operation in the forest area of Rajouri district to flush out any hiding terrorist was still underway, a day after two foreign terrorists of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, including the mastermind behind various attacks, were eliminated.

Brigadier Soumeet Patnaik of the 14 Sector Rashtriya Rifles said, “The encounter has ended but the search of the forest area (to flush out any other hiding terrorist) is still underway.” The operation is an example of synergy between various security agencies and this will continue, he added.

An appeal was filed by India against the death penalty awarded to the eight Indian ex-Navy personnel in Qatar

ANI

New Delhi, November 24

A Qatari court has accepted the appeal document on the sentencing of eight former Indian naval personnel to death, sources familiar with the matter said.

An appeal was filed by India against the death penalty awarded to the eight Indian ex-Navy personnel in Qatar.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on November 9, stated that the judgment remains “confidential”, adding that the appeal was filed in the case.

The MEA also urged everyone to refrain from “engaging in speculation” due to the sensitive nature of the case, adding that the Indian embassy received another consular access on November 7.

MEA chief spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said earlier, “Qatar’s court passed a judgement on October 26 in the case involving eight employees of Al Dara company.”

Bagchi added that the retired naval personnel were sentenced to death by a Qatar court on charges that have not yet been made public officially.

“They (the legal team) are now pursuing further legal steps and an appeal has already been filed,” he said.

“The judgment is confidential and has only been shared with the legal team. They are now pursuing further legal steps and an appeal has already been filed. We will also remain engaged with the Qatari authorities in this matter,” the MEA spokesperson said at a weekly media briefing earlier.

The MEA has been actively coordinating with the Qatari authorities and secured consular access on November 7.

Further, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also met the family members of the former naval personnel, who have been sentenced.

“On November 7, the Indian embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detainees,” Bagchi informed during the media briefing, adding, “We are in touch with their family members too. The External Affairs Minister met the family members earlier this month in New Delhi.”

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were employees of Dahra Global, a Doha-based private defence services provider. They were arrested in August 2022 for alleged espionage.

India called the ruling ‘deeply shocking’ and deployed all diplomatic channels to engage with Qatar on the case.

“We will continue to extend legal and consular support and I would urge everyone not to engage in speculation considering the sensitive nature of the case,” Bagchi added.

Meanwhile, the families and friends of the eight former Indian Navy personnel are hopeful for early relief. In the absence of any concrete information on the trial in Qatar, the families feel there are a lot of misconceptions originating in the West Asian media on the issue.

A close relative of one of the men detained in Qatar, on condition of anonymity, said wrong information was put out by several local media outlets in West Asia alleging that the former naval personnel were accused of spying on a submarine project run by Qatar.

According to the relative, the ex-Indian Navy men were not engaged in espionage but had gone to Qatar to help with the country’s naval programme. Qatar has also not made any proof public to substantiate the allegations of spying.

The kin of the former naval personnel said the wrong information circulated could further endanger the situation that their loved ones find themselves in.

The kin said the eight retired naval personnel served the nation with the highest integrity and honour, adding that they were extremely distraught and traumatised by their year-long detention. What has further hurt them is the fact that the circumstance of the detention has been misreported, they added.

The families urged that the matter be reported and handled more sensitively.

On October 30, the families of the detained ex-naval personnel met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who assured them of full government support.

NATO needs to work with Ukraine on a new strategy that reflects military and political realities. To do otherwise would be to gamble recklessly on Ukraine’s future.

Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh (Retd)

Military Commentator

THE Russia-Ukraine war has completed 21 months, even as the US-led West’s focus is now on the conflict in West Asia. The October 7 Hamas attack, which coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday, led to the outbreak of a war in Gaza, turning the spotlight away from Ukraine.

Consequentially, the Ukrainian conflict looks like a limited war when compared to Israel’s no-holds-barred retaliation in Gaza. Prior to October 7, Western analysts regarded a stalemate as a ‘pessimistic viewpoint’ as far as the Ukraine war was concerned. The West bolstered the Ukrainian Defence Forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and was hoping that the counter-offensive would be successful. The EU had done what was unthinkable before the Russian invasion — supplying lethal equipment to a non-member state at war. Aid to Ukraine was the buzzword and there were frequent trips by President Zelenskyy to various capitals demanding assistance to fight the war.

There was speculation and optimism regarding the Ukrainian counter-offensive, given their initial success in the two operations they had conducted in 2022 and due to the fact that their troops had been armed and trained by the West. However, the Leopards and Challengers failed to make any breakthrough across the obstacle line which the Russians had created in the winter months. The West hoped that Ukrainian gains would result in the Russians being forced to negotiate for a resolution to the conflict, but this has proved to be an illusion.

The flood of Western support, it was believed, would enable Ukraine to evict the Russians. The promised German Leopard 2, British Challenger 2 and American M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry-fighting vehicles were meant to decisively alter the odds. But the Ukrainian military needed many more of these combat vehicles, greater number of HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rounds and long-range missiles, and thousands of artillery shells. It also needed greater engineering, amphibious and logistical capacity to penetrate fortified Russian defensive lines, clear hundreds of miles of occupied territory, and conduct amphibious and ground assaults to cross into Crimea and dislodge Russian forces. Most importantly, it needed air power to give it an air attack capability. Above all, it needed trained manpower to handle these complex systems and integrate them. This was clearly lacking.

The fact is that the West dithered for months before agreeing to supply the tanks and then took even longer to actually send them. By August-end, there were only 87 Leopards and 14 Challengers and no Abrams. Switching over from Soviet-origin systems to Western equipment has been a challenge for the Ukrainian army. There are also restrictions imposed on their employment as these cannot be used on Russian soil. Hence, the Surovikin Line could not be outflanked, as was done to the Maginot Line.

Advances are likely to come at a much higher price in terms of human costs due to the hardening of frontlines. Territorial reclamation, undoubtedly important to Ukraine, appears unlikely as its counter-offensive has been unable to break though the forward defences.

It seems that Ukraine lacks the capacity even with external assistance to achieve a decisive military victory. Regardless of how much territory it is able to recapture, which is presently negligible, Ukraine is unlikely to push Russia out of the Donbas region and Crimea. Further, even if it does achieve success, the Russian army will continue to pose a permanent threat.

The West has downplayed Russia’s fears and ignored the damage to its national pride. It is said that the humiliation faced by President Putin as a KGB officer being forced to leave East Germany and witness the disintegration of the Soviet Union led to his wanting to restore Russia’s glory. The fact that the West did not adhere to its promise of not expanding NATO eastwards was a red line that had been crossed.

In November 2019, President Macron had said: “What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO… Europe stands on the edge of a precipice and needs to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power; otherwise, we will no longer be in control of our destiny.”

As a result, the major contributor to NATO’s security has been the US. Since the war began, the Biden administration has invested more than $76 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute. This figure does not include all war-related US spending, such as aid to allies. The aid to Israel was $3.3 billion in 2021. Now, with its closest ally at war, it is natural for the US to turn its attention in that direction.

The Ukraine war is likely to end without a resolution to the territorial issue. Ukraine may have to settle for the line of contact being accepted as the de facto border. Ukraine’s Gen Valery Zaluzhny recently admitted: “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”

NATO now needs to work with Ukraine on a new strategy that reflects military and political realities. To do otherwise would be to gamble recklessly on Ukraine’s future.

The truth remains that there cannot be unrealistic assumptions about how easy it can be to overwhelm and defeat the enemy. Wars rarely go as planned; hence, neither side can afford to persist with a war in the hope of celebrating a victory purely on its terms.

As long as the Ukrainians are willing to fight, the West is benefiting as this has tied up the Russian forces and thereby diminished the threat they pose. Unfortunately, it is in the West’s interests to prolong the war by bleeding Russia in a ‘cost-effective’ manner.

In 1919, then French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau said: “Making peace is harder than waging war.” These words echo with renewed significance and urgency today.

NMC lets MBBS students migrate to other nations

THE National Medical Commission (NMC) has come to the aid of Indian MBBS students whose studies in Ukraine were disrupted, forcing them to return home following the Russian invasion in February 2022. In a one-time offer valid for three months, the NMC on Wednesday said the students could migrate to any country to complete their MBBS. It is a continuation of the Academic Mobility Programme of September 2022, allowing foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to complete their course.

Nearly 19,000 Indian students were evacuated from Ukraine last year. While around 2,000 of them, whose colleges are in western Ukraine, have resumed studies in the war-torn country, some others have gone to Russia, Serbia and Georgia to finish their courses. Recently, over 1,000 of the Ukraine returnees were admitted to a medical university in Uzbekistan following the Indian Embassy’s intervention. As per the NMC Act, FMGs can complete their course abroad only in order to be eligible to take the licensure test for practising in India. Initially, the NMC had allowed only those students who were doing internship to complete it in India. In March this year, the government had relaxed norms to let the returnees clear the MBBS final examinations without enrolling in any college, as a one-time measure.

Seeking justice, the beleaguered students had moved the Supreme Court, which heard a batch of petitions. They have also been holding protests since last year. The latest NMC step should finally see the remaining students getting accommodated in some foreign country of their choice. Though they may lose a semester or two, their medical careers are finally getting back on track.

Terrorists eliminated in Rajouri behind 10 civilian killings in a year

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, November 23

Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General-officer-Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Northern Command, has said that some of the active terrorists and also a few killed in J&K have been retired soldiers from Pakistan’s army.

“Some of the terrorists whom we identified (after being killed) were retired army personnel from Pakistan. As there are no local recruits presently, Pakistan is trying to push in foreign terrorists who are being eliminated by security forces under different operations,” said Dwivedi when he was asked about the possibility of Pakistan army men in J&K as terrorists.

Over 20 militants active

• Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi says 20 to 25 terrorists have been active in Rajouri and Poonch areas. Those killed in Rajouri were probably trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The movement of those terrorists was reported by local residents. If this (trend) continues, terrorism will be eliminated from the region within one year, he adds.

He was speaking at Satwari cantonment in Jammu after paying tributes to the five soldiers who died while fighting two terrorists in Bajimaal area of Kalakote in Rajouri district. “The soldiers have received martyrdom in the line of duty but we have been able to eliminate dreaded terrorists who were instrumental in killing civilians in Dhangri and other areas. Their elimination was necessary for the restoration of peace in the region,” the Army commander said. These terrorists have killed at least 10 civilians in one year, he informed.

Dwivedi said that since Poonch and Rajouri districts were connected with the rest of the country through a highway, there was a high probability of presence of more terrorists there. “I can’t talk about the precise number but I believe there are 20-25 active terrorists in the area. We have received major support from the local populace and if this continues we will be able to control terrorism within one year. Local population will come forward and report more on the movement of terrorists. Even this time locals reported the movement of these two terrorists,” he said.

He said that it took time to eliminate the terrorists as they were believably trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He termed the elimination of the two terrorists a major setback to the terror infrastructure.

Lt General Dwivedi reviewed the operational situation in Kalakote. He also complimented and felicitated the troops and the Army dog, Domino, who was part of the operation which was conducted in a difficult terrain.

Meanwhile, the Army has recovered war-like stores from the encounter site in Kalakote. What is surprising is that there was storage of medicines and other medical equipment used to heal major injuries. Woollen clothing present at the site suggested that the terrorists were ready for a long haul in the region.

Giving details of the Rajouri encounter, Brigadier Soumeet Patnaik of the 14 Sector, Rashtriya Rifles (RR), said the area where the encounter broke out was forested, having some ‘dhoks’ (temporary shelters).

Patnaik said a search party had been trying to locate the terrorists after receiving intelligence inputs in the forest area when they came under heavy firing.

“Captain MV Pranjal came out of the cover and secured children and women present in the dhoks and later started retaliation,” said Patnaik. He said Captain Pranjal and his team members continued firing to ensure that the militants cannot escape. “For half hour the firing continued. Later, Pranjal was hit by a bullet.

Boulders, vegetation and tough terrain allowed the terrorists to run into the forest,” Patnaik said. The operation was stopped in the evening on November 22 and additional troops were deployed. For the entire night, UAV, night vision cameras were deployed to keep vigil in the area.

On November 23 at 7.40 am a terrorist who was trying to break the cordon was hit by bullets by paratrooper Sachin Laur who was also hit. Till 1.30 pm, the other terrorist had also been killed.

The Army has located the hideout in the forest area that was being used by the terrorists to carry out their operations. Sharing pictures of the small cave, the officials said such hideouts were relatively difficult to detect and breach.

In Bengaluru, the family members of Captain MV Pranjal and others were waiting for the arrival of his mortal remains. Son of M Venkatesh, retired MD of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Pranjal did his schooling at Surathkal in Dakshina Kannada district. In a statement, the MRPL said, “The event profoundly saddens us, the MRPL family.”

The school where he studied remembered him as a soft-spoken, sensitive and mature individual. (With PTI inputs)

Two AK-47 rifles seized

Two AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, ammunition and other materials have been seized from the encounter site in Bajimaal area of Rajouri district, said officials. Apart from war-like stores, medical equipment and woolen clothes have also been found.

A trained Lashkar sniper, Pakistan militant Quari was an expert in jungle warfare: Intel

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, November 23

Another soldier was killed on the second day of the encounter in the Bajimaal area of Kalakote in Rajouri district, taking the Army toll to five, while two terrorists, including a Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, were also shot dead on Thursday.

Editorial: Upping the ante

Sources said the operation which was halted last night resumed this morning. Two terrorists were eliminated and a soldier was killed on the second day of the encounter, which began in the forest area of Kalakote after the Army and J&K Police received inputs about the presence of two militants.

Mastermind of Dhangri, Kandi attacks?

• Army sources said LeT commander Quari and his men were active in Rajouri-Poonch forests for the past one year
• He is suspected to be the mastermind of Dhangri and Kandi attacks in Rajouri this year. Seven civilians were killed in Dhangri in January while five soldiers were killed in Kandi in May

The five Martyrs

• Capt MV Pranjal, Karnataka
• Capt Shubham Gupta, UP
• Havildar Abdul Majid, J&K
• Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht, Uttarakhand
• Paratrooper Sachin Laur, UP

On Wednesday, four Army personnel, including two Captains, were killed and two others injured in the operation. The two injured solders — a Major and a jawan — are admitted at the Command Hospital in Udhampur.

Intelligence sources said the two slain LeT terrorists, one of them identified as Pakistan national Quari who was trained in Afghanistan, had visited a local shrine in the area, as shown by a video footage of the terrorists.

A trained sniper, Quari was an expert in jungle warfare and making IEDs, the sources said, adding that “he was trained by the Pakistan army on the Pakistan and Afghan fronts”. Army sources said Quari and his men were active in Rajouri-Poonch forests for the past one year and he was suspected to be the mastermind of Dhangri and Kandi attacks in Rajouri this year. Seven civilians, including two minors, were killed in the Dhangri attack in January this year, while five soldiers were killed in the Kandi gun battle in May. Quari was sent by Pakistan to revive terrorism in the region and was helped by local overground workers (OGWs), the sources said. The second terrorist is yet to be identified. The Army used rocket launchers to target the location where the terrorists were hiding. Since the militants were frequently changing their position, drones were also pressed into service to detect them.

Sources said the encounter began on Wednesday after a team of soldiers from 63 Rashtriya Rifles was searching for terrorists in the forests of Kalakote. The operation has not officially ended, the sources said, adding that the terrorists’ bodies have been retrieved along with rifles of AK series, ammunition and food material.

What is his age?

What he was doing?

What does he get?

One parent lost their only son !!

Captain MV Pranjal of 63 Rashtriya rifles was immortalized fighting terrorists in Rajauri yesterday to protect each one of us.

Attain Brima Mukti Moksha!!

Proud of every mother and parents of our country who are committed to this Nation!!

Captain Shubham Gupta and Havildar Majid Khan of 9 Para Commando Battalion also laid down their lives in finest tradition of the Army trying to extricate fallen Captain Pranjal from thick Jungles of Rajauri. Major Mehra is grievously injured and evacuated to Command Hospital Udhampur.

Contact has again been established on 22nd November and an intense firefight ensues. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by own brave hearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of Indian Army.

Jai hind 🫡🫡