Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 20

To match the infrastructure raised by China across McMahon Line in the Ladakh region, the Central government is constructing roads to make areas close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) accessible.According to documents, the state government has approved the 150-km-long Chusmule-Dungti-Fukche-Demchok road, seen as strategically important.The project came up for discussion at the Standing Committee meeting of the Wildlife Department earlier this week. The meeting was attended by Forest Minister Choudhary Lal Singh, State Wildlife Chief Deepak Khanna and officers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).“Officials informed the minister about the proposal for the construction of the road from Chusmule-Dungti-Fukche-Demchok by the BRO, using 161.76 hectares in the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary,” read an official handout.After the approval, the minister recommended the proposal to the National Bureau of Wildlife, which will take a final call on wildlife clearance.Demchok village is located along the Zero Line on the border with China. “This road will take us to China,” a senior official in Leh told The Tribune.Due to inaccessibility, he said a battalion of the security forces was posted too far from the LAC. “I am sure this road will be constructed on a fast-track basis in the interest of national security,” he said.The work on a 3.8-km-long road to connect two hamlets at the LAC in Demchok was stopped in October 2009 after protests by the China’s People’s Liberation Army.The Chinese army had then sought a flag meeting with the Indian Army and objected to the road construction as it considers the area disputed, officials said.The road will be constructed by the BRO in Ladakh. It has justified the construction of the road by terming it strategically important and for the nation’s security in view of China’s repeated incursions in the area.“It is mainly because of the strategic importance of the road and keeping in view the nation’s security consideration,” reads the BRO communication to the government. It said the road alignment does not have any trees and no significant damage to the environment was likely to be caused due to the construction of the road.However, the state government has asked the BRO to pay 5 per cent of the total cost of the project to the Wildlife Department for conservation and preservation of wildlife and its habitat.The government said the conservation in remote areas such as Ladakh could only be achieved by cooperation between armed forces, paramilitary forces and the state authorities. It further called for constitution of a coordination committee with members from security forces and the Wildlife Department to conduct regular meetings to achieve conservation of wildlife and environment.

Jammu, May 19

An army mountaineering team, led by Lt Colonel Ranveer Jamwal from Jammu and Kashmir, scaled Mount Everest today.”An Indian Army mountaineering team scaled Mount Everest today at 6:07 am even though the weather conditions remained inclement,” army spokesman in Udhampur, Colonel S D Goswami said.He said the expedition to scale the world’s highest peak at 8,848 metres was launched after a hiatus of two years following the Nepal earthquake.”The team led by Lt Col Jamwal, who is a reputed climber, was at the Everest base camp when a 7.9-magnitude earthquake stuck Nepal on April 25, last year”, Goswami said, adding it also had one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and personnel of five other ranks.He said Chief of the Army Staff General Dalbir Singh has congratulated the team for its achievement.Twenty-two international climbers and local sherpas, who had got stuck at the Everest base camp due to an avalanche last year, were killed.However, the Indian Army expedition camp that was also in the path of the avalanche remained unharmed, he said.”The army team had taken control of the situation after the avalanche by extending help in the rescue operation and providing shelter and ration to those in need,” he said.Son of the Havaldar, Lt Col Jamwal was commissioned in the Dogra regiment as an officer, he said.”He has the record of having led 17 people to the Summit,” Goswami said.The expedition to Mount Everest was flagged off on March 30 by Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen M M Rai from New Delhi. — PTI

Maulana Masood Azhar

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

The Interpol has issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother, Abdul Rauf Asgar, for allegedly conspiring and planning the Pathankot air base attack.Sharing the development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said a Red Corner Notice would also be issued against two more JeM members Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif, the handlers of the terrorists who carried out the Pathankot attack. The NIA revealed that Latif was arrested in 1994 in a drugs case in Jammu. He was released in 2010 and sent back to Pakistan.A Red Corner Notice is meant to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action, as per the Interpol website. The legal basis for a Red Notice is an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the country concerned. In April this year, a NIA special court had issued arrest warrants against Azhar, Asgar, Jaan and Latif.India, meanwhile, has sent a second Letter Rogatory (LR) — a letter of request issued by a court for evidences — to Pakistan. The second LR contains fresh evidences pointing to the involvement of the JeM and Pakistan in the Pathankot attack. “As part of the second LR, we have asked Pakistan to conduct searches at the residences of the four terrorists, their handlers and in connection with the credit card holder, who made payments for the JeM websites,” said an official.Pakistan has not responded to the first LR given to it by India. The NIA said it had approached the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to request Pakistan to respond to the LRs. India has also asked Pakistan to allow the NIA team to visit the country to conduct investigation, collect evidences and record statements in the Pathankot attack. The NIA said one of the crucial evidences part of the second LR was the interrogation of Mohammed Sadique, a resident of Sialkot, Pakistan. Sadique was arrested for an attack at an army camp at Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on November 25 last year.“Sadique is part of the JeM. He was trained in Pakistan and he has listened to the lectures of Azhar and Asgar. He has identified the voice in an audio clip, which claims the JeM carried out the Pathankot attack, as that of Azhar’s brother, Asgar,” said a NIA officer. The same clip was shown to the JIT when they visited India in March this year and they did not raise objections, according to the NIA.

Pakistan fails to act

• The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar
• An Interpol Red Corner Notice is already pending against Azhar for being allegedly involved in attacks onParliament and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly
• Similar warrant is pending against his brother Abdul Rauf Asgar in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999

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Beijing, May 16

Accusing the US of “sowing discord” between China and India, Beijing today said the two neighbours are wise enough to resolve their boundary dispute peacefully through talks and asked America to respect their efforts.Dismissing as groundless a Pentagon report that claimed the Communist giant was deploying more troops along the Sino-India borders, China said it was a misrepresentation of its military development.“Maintaining peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas is an important consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries,” the Chinese Defence Ministry said in response to the US report.“Currently, the border forces of China and India are actively carrying out exchanges, working towards establishing hotline between the two militaries, and are in close communication through the mechanism of border personnel meetings,” it said.  — PTI

Panaji, May 11

The Indian Navy on Wednesday ‘de-inducted’ its ageing Sea Harriers, replacing them with MiG 29K fighter aircraft.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan was the chief guest of the ceremony held at Goa’s INS Hansa base in Vasco to bid adieu to Sea Harriers after their 33 years of service to the nation.

The Sea Harriers displayed a vertical landing formation at INS Hansa during the ‘de-induction’ event today.

“It’s a distinct honour and proud privilege to induct multi-role supersonic MiG 29K in the 300 squadron. It marks the induction of multi-role supersonic technology in Indian Navy,” Admiral Dhowan said addressing the gathering.

He hailed all the pilots who flew Sea Harriers, which was considered as one of the most difficult aircraft to fly.

“Today is also the day to salute the pilots who flew Sea Harrier aircraft which made a mark for itself by protecting our seas,” he added.

Sea Harriers were inducted in the Indian Navy following phasing out of then obsolete Seahawks.

In September 1980, the Sea Harrier Project (SHARP) was formed with select naval aviators and technical personnel for coordination of trials, testing, acceptance and training.

The first newly-built Sea Harrier for the Indian Navy (IN 601) was ready on December 21, 1982, the Navy said in a statement issued here.

The first three Sea Harriers flying via Malta, Luxor and Dubai, led by Lt Cdr Arun Prakash VrC, landed at Dabolim on December 16, 1983.

This was followed by the first deck landing on the carrier, INS Vikrant, on December 20, 1983, and the arrival of the first Sea Harrier T Mk 60 trainer, on March 29, 1984.

“In last few years, the Harriers added a new dimension to their operations with the increased multinational exercises in which the Indian Navy participates,” the statement added. — PTI

Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba. Photo from Indian Navy’s website

New Delhi, May 5

Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Western Naval Command, has been appointed as the new Chief of Naval Staff and will assume charge on May 31.Lanba (58), a specialist in Navigation and Direction, will have the full three-year tenure as the Navy Chief. He will succeed Admiral RK Dhowan who is retiring.An alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, he will be the 21st Indian to be the Navy Chief. The first two were British.He will take over from Admiral Dhowan on the afternoon of May 31 and will be in office till May 31, 2019.”The government has appointed Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba, at present FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, as the next Chief of Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of May 31,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson said today.Coming in with rich operational and staff experience over a career spanning more than three decades, Lanba has served as Navigating Officer of corvette INS Sindhudurg and frigate INS Dunagiri.He has commanded four frontline warships — INS Kakinada (minesweeper), INS Himgiri (frigate) and INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai, both destroyers.He is also an alumnus of the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, where he has served as a faculty.Lanba has also held key staff assignments such as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet and the Chief of Staff, Southern and Eastern Naval Commands.He was also the Flag Officer Sea Training, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area and Commandant, National Defence College.He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, prior to being appointed to head the Western Naval Command. He took over as the Vice Chief on June 2, 2014.Vice-Admiral Lanba is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and the Athi Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of an exceptionally high order. — PTI