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Fauj Vs Babus: Why 7th Pay Commission Has The Military Up In Arms

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While netas play politics over patriotism, soldiers are fighting for pay parity. The seventh pay commission says Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service will be at par with the IAS, leaving the military behind. On We The People, we debate the pay panel’s recommendations. Why this pay divide? Will politicians who are playing patriotic games put their money where their mouth is? In crises like the recent Jat agitation, the Army is often replacing civil administration, but is not being paid as much. Why is this so? Should Armed Forces have a separate pay commission

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/we-the-people/fauj-vs-babus-why-7th-pay-commission-has-the-military-up-in-arms/408639

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No repetition of security breach in Haryana: PM

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short by Anupama K / 01:04 pm on 18 Mar 2016,Friday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday directed Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Haryana CM ML Khattar to ensure that no security breach takes place in the state like last month during the Jat agitation. This comes as many districts of Haryana were on high alert, fearing protests, as the 72-hour ultimatum given by Jat leaders to be granted reservation ended.

IAF conducts ‘Iron Fist’ exercise in Pokhran

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short by Nihal Thondepu / 11:47 am on 19 Mar 2016,Saturday
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday displayed its capabilities in the ‘Iron Fist’ exercise in Jaisalmer’s Pokhran range. The President, Prime Minister, three Service chiefs and Defence Attachés of friendly countries attended the day-night exercise that showed IAF’s ’24*7 operations capability’. This comes after an official claimed that IAF cannot fully execute an air campaign in a two-front war.

Big boost: Army to get ammo worth Rs 15,000 cr

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The 1.18-million strong Army, grappling with critical operational deficiencies on several fronts, is finally going to get some much-needed missiles, thermal imagers, weapon-locating radars and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS).

Defence ministry sources on Friday said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared four long-pending arms deals worth 6,600 crore, while two others for over 8,300 crore are on the verge of getting the final nod.

“Contracts for the four cleared deals will now be inked,” said a source. They will include the 1,200 crore acquisition of 65,000 new-generation 84mm rockets, with greater range and better armour-penetration capabilities, for the Swedish-origin Carl Gustaf man-portable rocket launchers.

The other contracts are for 4,000 hand-held thermal imagers with laser-range finders ( 1,400 crore), 5,000 Milan-2T anti-tank guided missiles ( 2,000 crore) and 30 indigenous ‘Swati’ weapon-locating radars ( 2,000 crore).

The two projects headed for CCS nod are for two more Pinaka MLRS regiments for 3,300 crore and another regiment of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for over 5,000 crore.

The two Pinaka regiments, which will add to the two such regiments already inducted by the Army, will help plug gaps in the force’s medium-range, high-volume firepower. With a strike range of 40km, the Pinaka is manufactured by the Tatas and L&T based on technology developed by DRDO.

Similarly, the BrahMos land-attack missile, which flies almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8 to targets 290km away, will help boost the Army’s precision-strike capabilities.

With the Army already having three BrahMos regiments, the government has approved deployment of the missile’s Block-III version in Arunachal Pradesh to counter China’s huge build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control. This missile variant has “trajectory maneuver and steep dive capabilities” for mountain warfare, as reported by TOI earlier.

But the lack of third-generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), with fire-and-forget capabilities, remains a big operational gap on the western front with Pakistan. The case for inducting these shoulder-fired tank-killers has been meandering for almost a decade now.

The acquisition of ‘Spike’ ATGMs from Israel, however, is still stuck in the commercial negotiations stage. Consequently, infantry battalions are making do with the second-generation Milan (2-km range) and Konkurs (4-km) ATGMs, which are produced by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics under licence from French and Russian companies. Being wire-guided, they have to be directed to the target.

Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared four long-pending arms deals worth 6,600 crore, while two others for over 8,300 crore are on the verge of getting the final nod.

 

An arms race with India is expanding Pakistan’s external debt to a whopping $90 bn

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Pakistan is trying to get more F-16s from the US as well as looking towards countries like Russia and France for new aircraft to replace old ones to match India’s defence purchases.

Pakistan would seek to purchase ten F-16 additional planes from the US if the current deal for eight of these fighter jets is successfully concluded. Pakistan Air Force needs to retire 190 planes by 2020, forcing the country to look for various options.

India’s weapons purchases have always influenced Pakistan’s search for a matching technology irrespective of whether or not Pakistan can afford to pay for it. Pakistan’s obsession of India has remained since the time it gained independence in 1947. It fear of a 5th consecutive defeat in another possible war with India is forcing Pakistan to spend all that it has on military toys.

Pakistan’s Mounting External Debt and its Failing Economy ::

Pakistan’s external debt is projected to grow to a whopping $90 billion in the next four years and the country will need US $20 billion a year just to meet its external financing requirements.

The external debt figures compiled by renowned economist and the country’s former finance minister Dr Hafiz Pasha are about $14 billion higher than the projections made by the International Monetary Fund.

Dr Pasha on Saturday shared his doomsday scenario and his projections are based on official data. The $14 billion difference was mainly on account of foreign loans that will fly in to financing the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

The debt-to-GDP ratio has become irrelevant in case of Pakistan as the country lacks the capacity to repay the debt even at its current 65% level of debt-to-GDP ratio.

AID is Pakistan’s answer to Bankruptcy ::

Time and again Pakistani ministers fly to Saudi Arabia, the United States and China for financial aid to keep their economy afloat and prolong the collapse of the financial institutions of Pakistan.

For how long will its so-called allies keep rescuing Pakistan from declaring bankruptcy?

AMERICA – Patience in America is wearing out and this is clearly visible on Capitol Hill where the sale of F-16s is vocally objected. America might call Pakistan an ally in the ‘War on Terror’ but that is far from the truth. Pakistan has become a blood sucking parasite that leaves no stone unturned in draining out American Taxpayers money into funding terrorist across the world.

S. ARABIA – Saudi Arabia is already facing a strong financial crunch with global crude prices falling to $36 a barrel. The demand for Oil from the two largest importers (US and China) is constantly dropping. Relations between S.Arabia and Pakistan are not that rosy since Pakistan refused to join the Saudi led 34-nation coalition to fight ‘terrorism’.

CHINA – China is currently facing the worst economic slowdown in more than a decade. It’s GDP is growing at less than 7% and has lost around $600 billion in the last one year from its foreign exchange reserves.

The question now is whether the corrupt Pakistani leadership will pull up its sock and rescue its failing economy or continue on a multi-billion dollar weapons acquisition plan that it cannot afford to pay for. It is time for Pakistan to shed its ‘India centric obsession’ and look after its own internal problems before it’s too late.

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This article has been written by Darshil Patel exclusively for www.DefenceNews.in
Bsc. in CASFX – U.K.
Location : Mumbai

Cross-border tunnels expose chinks in security grid

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There is no foolproof technology to detect underground tunnels along Indo-Pak fence

Cross-border tunnels expose chinks in security grid
A BSF man near the trans-border tunnel which was detected recently in the RS Pura sector of Jammu district. A Tribune photo

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 16

Pakistan’s secret trans-border tunnels on the militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir frontier have yet again exposed the vulnerability of the anti-infiltration obstacle system (AIOS) along the international border and the Line of Control being guarded by the BSF and the Army, respectively.“The modus operandi of digging tunnels in a bid to push terrorists into J&K is certainly a matter of grave concern. It seems Pakistan has started imitating Hamas fighters, who dig out underground tunnels to enter Israel,” said a source in the counter-insurgency wing of the state police.A top police officer, in charge of a border district in Jammu, said: “Post Pathankot air-base attack there had been a lull along the Indo-Pak international border and when there is a lull, we anticipate something big. The trans-border tunnel in the RS Pura sector was one such act by Pakistan that was detected in time.”Since July 2012, it was the third such cross-border tunnel running into the Jammu region which was detected, he added.Trans-border tunnels detected in Chalyari village of Samba district, Pallanwala in the Akhnoor sector and the RS Pura sector of Jammu district were undoubtedly part of Pakistan’s proxy war against India, he said.“Samba, Jammu and Kathua districts are largely plain areas where tunnelling is easier than it will be in the rocky terrain of the LoC. We need to be more alert to this dangerous modus operandi because even the BSF is not aware of the fact that how many tunnels have been dug by Pakistan,” he added.An Army source said that despite sufficient troops, weaponry and ground-penetrating radars, trans-border tunnels from Pakistan posed a serious challenge to the security forces.Sources said since there was no foolproof technology to detect underground tunnels, the BSF had put the border under physical domination and initiated an anti-tunnelling drive. “We do use ground-penetrating radars but they, too, have a limitation,” a source added.

Jats warn of fresh protests if demands not met in 72 hours

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ULTIMATUM Community leaders ask govt to agree to their demands, including reservation, within 72 hours or else they will come out on the roads in Haryana to hold protests again

I will convey the demands to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Pressing for your demands is your right, but I request you all to maintain peace ATUL KUMAR, Rohtak deputy commissioner

ROHTAK: Tension gripped the city as around 5,000 Jat protesters gathered in the city to press for their demands, including reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

HT PHOTOJat activists staging a dharna near the district headquarters in Hisar on Monday, to press for their demands, including reservation for the community.Adopting a tough posture, Jat leaders also boycotted a meeting called by the newly-appointed deputy commissioner (DC) Atul Kumar and insisted that he come to meet them at the Jat Bhawan in Sector 1, where they were holding their congregation.

DC Kumar and superintendent of police (SP) Shashank Anand reached the spot to receive their memorandum, listing seven demands, including reservation and withdrawal of arrest warrants against several Jat youths for their participation in the recent reservation stir.

In the memorandum, Jat leaders asked the government to agree to their seven demands within next 72 hours or they will come out on the roads to protest again.

Taking the memorandum, DC Kumar said, “I will convey the demands to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Pressing for your demands is your right, but I request you all to maintain peace.”

Besides reservation and withdrawal of arrest warrants against Jat touths, protesters demanded a strict action against BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini and police officers, including DSP Amit Bhatia and Pawan Sharma, for ordering “lathicharge on innocent youths” inside the Neki Ram College hostel on February 18.

They alleged that ever since India became Independent, this is for the first time that any government used force on people peacefully protesting for their rights. They said they would protest against the government until all seven demands were met.

Heavy police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area and across the city while barricades were set at 26 spots to control the traffic movement

within the city.

PANIC IN ROHTAK

Meanwhile, panic gripped the city as local residents witnessed a large number of policemen and paramilitary personnel deployed in the city. “Is the violence going to happen again?” asked Renu Nagpal from a police personnel. Talking to HT, she said, “Watching such a heavy police and paramilitary deployement is scary. I’m worried if this city is safe for us to live,” she said.

Pandit Suresh Sharma, owner of RN Central Mall, said, “I am scared if all that will happen again. The only solace I get is from the fact that my whole mall is ruined and I have nothing more to lose. But still it feels scary to even imagine it happening all again.”

The same happened in Jind, Jhajjar and Bhiwani where Jats gathered in large number to submit memorandums to respective deputy commissioners to give an ultimatum to the government. In Jind, thousands of Jats gathered at mini-secretariat where DC Vinay Singh came to take their memorandum. Jat leaders said this time, they would themselves make videos of their protest to prove they did not spread violence.

Protest march in Hisar, Sirsa; Jats firm on quota under OBC

HISAR: Jat activists took out protest marches in Hisar and Sirsa districts to press for their demands, including reservation in government jobs, on Monday.

HT PHOTORapid Action Force personnel deployed in Hisar on Monday.Jat protesters gathered at Krantiman Park here under the banner of All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) and later they marched to deputy commissioner’s office.

Heavy police force and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed near the district headquarters premises to deal with any kind of untoward situation.

Jat protesters, who marched to district headquarters from Krantiman park, shouted slogans against the police, civil administration and the state government.

Talking to HT, AIJASS district president Rambhagat Malik said: “Jats from all over the district gathered here to press their demands, including reservation under the other backward caste (OBC) catogary. We have handed over a memorandum, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Hisar DC Chander Shakher Khare at his residence, who assured that he will forward our memorandum to the government.”

“We are also demanding that proper financial help and government jobs be given to the family members of those who died during the protest We have also sought action against those police officers who ordered firing on innocent youths. We have also gave 72 hours ultimatum to the government to stop arrests of the Jat youths who are innocent. If police continue to arrest our youths, we will start our protest again,” Malik added.

“We also demand that the government pass a legislation in the state assembly to give us reservation under the OBC category,” Malik added.

In Fatehabad also, Jat leaders handed over a similar memorandum to the DC.

In Sirsa, hundreds of Jat activists protested under the banner of All India Jat Reservation Struggle Committee and All Jat Association of Sirsa .

The protesters gathered at Jat Dharamshala here and latr marched towards the minisecretariat.

Jats may misuse their strength in army and police, says MP Saini

ALLEGES DESPITE SHOOT-AT-SIGHT ORDER, ARMY AND POLICE DID NOT ACT TO CONTROL ARSONISTS

KARNAL: Already facing flak for his anti-Jat remarks, BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini on Monday again criticised Jats for making an “illogical demand” for reservation and said the members of the community might misuse their strength in the army and police.

“They (Jats) dominate the Indian Army and the state police. Still they are demanding reservation. The demand is, therefore, not logical”, said Saini while talking to Hindustan Times.

He also raised a question over the working of the army and police and said, “As they (Jats) have good strength in the army and police, they did not take the required action when the state was burning, despite shoot-atsight orders given by the government.”

He added, “They (Jats) consider themselves above the Constitution, law and the government. They may misuse their strength in the army and the police.”

On the threat of Jat leaders to launch fresh protests, the MP said, “The threat of agitation is just to create pressure on the government for their wrong demand and the party should take timely action against them.”

He said, “At a time when the Prime Minister and RSS are saying that the prosperous people should shun benefits for the welfare of poor, Jats are adamant with their improper demand,” he added.

Asked why he did not raise the Jat reservation issue in the Parliament, he said, “I was not given time to speak”.

He refused to answer whether he would oppose the Haryana government’s decision to bring a law to provide reservation to Jats and other four castes under sthe pecial backward classes (OBC) category.

Meanwhile, the agitation call given by the members of the Jat community got a poor response in the northern districts very few people joined the day-long protest.

2 war widows threaten dharna

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Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 14

Bant Kaur, who lost her husband Pyara Singh in the 1965 India-Pakistan War, and Surjit Kaur, widow of 1962 India-China War hero Jangir Singh, are running from pillar to post to get financial aid. Remarried, both have threatened to sit on dharna outside the civil secretariat in Chandigarh to press for the demands of widows like them.The two widows today met Patiala Deputy Commissioner Rambir Singh to raise the issue of pending compensation.Bant Kaur, who resides at Duladdi village, said: “I have worked as a daily-wager and washed utensils to earn a livelihood. I am waiting that someday I would be given the promised 10-acre land. Despite writing letters and raising our issue time and again, all that we hear is that the government is yet to clear 60-odd cases of war widows residing in Punjab.”Bant survives on a pension of Rs 12,000 per month, given by the Army in recognition of her husband’s sacrifice. Her husband (from the second marriage) and son also work as daily-wagers.Surjit Kaur, who lives at Alhaura village, said, “The government announced 10 acres each for war widows; 1977 was the deadline. No one informed us nor was I told how to apply for the land.”

AAP promise

Aam Aadmi Party leader Balbir Singh said he would take up the cause of Punjab’s war widows and facilitate Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s meeting with them. “If the government further delays their cases, they will die penniless,” he added.As per estimates, there are about 60 such pending cases in Punjab, of which three were from Patiala. One widow has died, while the other two continue to fight for their rights.

Court martial reaffirms ‘not guilty’ judgment on Army Major

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THE OFFICER WAS SUBJECTED TO TRIAL BASED ON FORGED DOCUMENTS AND EARLIER DECISION OF ‘NOT GUILTY’ WAS BASED ON ENTIRE EVIDENCE AND CASE LAW’

CHANDIGARH: The re-opened General Court Martial (GCM) of Major Vikalp Purohit, has maintained the earlier verdict of ‘not guilty.’

After hearing the arguments of defence counsel Col SK Aggarwal (retd), the GCM presided over by Col JJ Abraham, again returned the verdict not guilty.

THE CASE

On August 20, 2010, Major Vikalp Purohit, then posted with General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), was arrested from Koksar on the ManaliLeh road. One of the charges was that he gained pecuniary benefits by selling army diesel. In this regard, ` 23,000 was recovered from his office. The second allegation was that he had loaned 1,200-litre diesel to road contractor Sahdev Sharma.

The Western Army commander did not allow the prosecution to put the major on trial. The major’s counsel, Colonel SK Aggarwal (retd), has said in the army commander’s opinion, no case was made out since “in a difficult terrain, it was their (army’s) duty to provide help.”

After that, in June 2012, the CBI submitted the final report to the sessions judge in Shimla and the case was handed over to the Army. Major Purohit was then tried at a GCM at Ambala where CBI superintendent of police R Upasak was among the prosecution witnesses. The authorities had laid two charges against the accused under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, based on the case filed by SP, CBI Shimla.

The GCM had earlier found the officer ‘Not Guilty’ of both the charges on merit.

On revision, the defence counsel challenged the revision order arguing that it was issued without jurisdiction and that their arguments were not based on oral and documentary evidence as brought on record of the trial proceedings. The exact record of evidence was placed before the Court Martial, disputing all the contentious issues raised in the revision order. It was also argued that order virtually amounted to directing members to find the Accused ‘Guilty’.

Col Aggarwal also argued that the officer was subjected to trial based on fake and forged documents and that the earlier decision of ‘Not Guilty’ was based on the entire evidence and case law. The decision was legally sustainable warranting no revision of finding on the second charge.

The judge accepting the arguments of the defence, rejected the revision order and once again returned verdict of ‘Not Guilty’ by passing a legally sustainable speaking judgment.

Lt-Gen Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army

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Lt-Gen Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army
Lt-General NPS Hira

Chandigarh: Lt-General NPS Hira has been appointed  Deputy Chief of Army Staff at the Army Headquarters. He will assume office on March 14. Lt-General Hira is currently posted as Chief of Staff, Northern Command, Udhampur. He earlier commanded 11 Corps, also known as “Defenders of Punjab”, in Jalandhar and as Colonel of the Regiment of the Sikh Light Infantry. He has a vast experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East region, as well as conventional operations in the Western Command. TNS

Tyre of plane carrying Army Commander bursts Dehradun:

Eight defence personnel onboard an IAF Avro aircraft escaped unhurt after its tyre burst while landing at the Jolly Grant Airport here. Lt General Balwant Singh Negi, GoC, Central Command, was among the four Army and four IAF personnel onboard the aircraft that was flying from Lucknow. The incident occurred at 8.30 am. The pilot managed to land the plane on the runway. Following the incident, operations at the airport were shut down temporarily and several flights cancelled. TNS