The 10 soldiers missing in the avalanche at the Siachen Glacier have been declared dead. It is an indication of the inhospitable conditions that many of the bodies will never be recovered. But the Seventh Pay Commission does not seem to concur. It wants to reward policemen and administrators posted in Guwahati with hardship allowance that is nearly twice that for army officers in Siachen. About 1,000 Indian soldiers have died since the conflict on the earth’s highest battlefield began in 1984. More have died because of the extreme weather conditions rather than bullets. Countless others have come away with scars of frost bite. The Karachi 1949 ceasefire fire agreement had understood the insanity of dividing a dangerous, inhospitable slab of ice called the Siachen Glacier. It left the border undefined beyond a place known only by its grid reference, NJ 9842.In 1984, the Indian Army launched ‘Operation Meghdoot’ after it felt Pakistan had designs on the glacier. Pakistan responded by rushing troops and Siachen became part of a list of irresolvable disputes between the two countries. Since then soldiers have remained primed for combat at heights where ordinary human beings cannot survive for a day. Every soldier comes away with physiological damage of some sort. But for them, a posting on the ridges surrounding the glacier is the ultimate dare in the service of the nation. Political leaders on both sides have tried to end the confrontation but the Kargil intrusion led to a decline in trust quotient. The Indian Army now wants any Indo-Pak pullout agreement to acknowledge its currently held positions to act as evidence in case of another ‘Kargil’.The latest tragedy on the glacier is the cost the two countries pay for the obduracy of their political and military leaders. The seeds of a withdrawal are present in the draft text of 1992 which is a public document. It is not just for the sake of a confrontation that is pointless. The shelling that continued till 2004 and accumulated human waste have despoiled the glacier. It is time to start descending from those treacherous heights.
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Tributes paid to Pathankot bravehearts
Tribune News Service,Mohali, January 6
The Mohali Senior Citizens Association on Wednesday paid tributes to bravehearts, who laid down their lives for the country while fighting terrorists from across the border during an attack at the Pathankot airbase recently. All members observed two-minute silence at their monthly get together here.The senior citizens recited patriotic songs in praise of the supreme sacrifices made by the martyrs, who upheld high traditions of the security forces.Ajit Singh, press secretary of the association, said that each and every citizen of the country was proud of the sacrifice made by the brave soldiers and their families.Association chairman Dr AS Khaira, president JS Thukral, and secretary (administration) Brigadier JJ Singh Jagdev (retd) were also present on the occasion.
Tributes paid to martyr
Jalandhar, January 6
Tributes were paid to Lance Naik, Paramjeet Singh, Sena Medal, on his 14th death anniversary.A function was held in his memory at a war memorial in his native village Surakhpur recently. Paramjeet Singh had laid down his life during operation ‘Parakram’ in Rajasthan on the Indo-Pak border on January 1, 2002 and his corpse was brought to the village on January 3, 2015.Besides, Army officials, various officials of the district administration paid homage.
Residents take out candle march, pay tributes to martyrs
Kuldip Bhatia,Ludhiana, January 6
Several political, social and cultural groups held candle march to pay tributes to martyrs of terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase and to condemn the attack on the unity and integrity of the country.Activists of Team Insaaf took out candle march in Atam Nagar, Ludhiana South, Ludhiana Central and Ludhiana East Assembly segments.Baldev Singh, district president, who led the march in Atam Nagar and Ludhiana South segment, said his party bowed to the soldiery who fought against the terrorists valiantly and laid down their lives in the process of saving valuable defence assets of the country.Councillor Gurpreet Singh Khurana of Team Insaaf led the candle march in Ludhiana Central Assembly segment from Field Ganj to Jagraon Bridge. Party workers paid tributes to martyrs of Pathankot and urged the Union government to give a befitting reply to Pakistan for its continued support to acts of terrorism from across the border.Daljit Singh Grewal, councillor, led the Team Insaaf candle march in Ludhiana East segment from Basti Jodhewal Chowk, Rahon Road. Carrying banners and raising slogans against terrorism, party workers asked people to remain united in the face of such provocative acts.Rotary Club, Ludhiana Greater, also organised a candle march to pay tributes to the martyrs of Pathankot terrorist attack.Led by project director Amanpreet Singh Arora, the club members, along with members of Sarabha Nagar Market Association, went round Sarabha Nagar Main Market. Later, two-minute silence was observed to pray for the eternal peace of martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the fight against terrorism.
Forum pays tribute to Pathankot martyrs
Ludhiana: A meeting of the People’s Awareness Forum was held at Lodhi Club on Tuesday, which the 22 members attended, along with president Prof Prithipal Singh Kapur. Observing a two-minute silence for the departed souls, the members paid rich tributes to the seven martyrs who sacrificed their lives at the Pathankot Air Base. The forum members also wished a speedy recovery for the 17 injured security personnel, and appealed to the Indian government to give the highest respect and best care to these bravehearts.
Vice-president KS Chawla, general secretary IS Khurana, and principal Gurcharan Singh (retd) made a fervent appeal to intellectuals to play an active role in guiding the political system for the betterment of society. “Fear of repression is the most dreaded enemy of democracy, and should not be used as a tool by state power,” observed SS Aulakh and Col RS Sohi.
The bankruptcy of the Punjab government in finances, as well in governance, came in for sharp criticism. “Getting loans by mortgaging public properties is a regressive step of revenue generation, and cannot be substituted for development,” said RS Brar, adding that the recent decision of clubbing electricity bills with water and sewerage charges reflects the state government’s incompetence. The Sangrur police torture case and the barbaric incidents of torture at Abohar are glaring examples of law and order failure, and the government’s violation of the human rights of citizens. “The time has come to break the nexus among politicians, bureaucracy, and the police to ensure good governance,” emphasized the forum members.
Engraving memories of martyrs
Ludhiana: Taking forward their pledge to start a corpus fund to help family members of seven soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the terror attack at Pathankot Air Force base, industrialists have decided to erect statues and hoarding featuring martyrs at prominent chowks in the city.
Manjeet Matharoo, general secretary of Ludhiana Association of Machine Tool Industries, took the pledge to erect a statute of one of the martyrs on Cheema Chowk which his association is beautifying. Further Matharoo will also ensure that statutes of martyrs or inspirational hoardings carrying the images of the martyrs come up at various chowks and landmarks of the city which the various industry associations are beautifying.
In the first meeting on Tuesday, they collected Rs 2.01 lakh, contributed by Rahul Ahuja, convener of CII Punjab, Harish Dua, Ajit Lakra.
Contributing for the purpose, Jagbeer Sokhi, an industrialist and councillor, showed the way for others by donating his month’s salary and also pledging financial support from his association. He has also promised that he would try and convince all the 75 councilors to give away 15-day salary for this fund and bring a motion in the MC House for this purpose.
The members decided that by next week they will collect as much funds as possible from their side and a major portion will be given for the welfare of the families of seven security personnel.
Meanwhile, Brig S S Gill (retd) who was the special guest during the meeting enlightened the group members on how tough the lives of armed forces and their families are. He also raised the issue of insensitive approach of the politicians and bureaucrats towards the family members of the martyrs.
Gill also pressed group members for the adopting more youth centric approach so that the future of India can be motivated to join the armed forces and said, “It’s only possible when the attitude of the society changes towards the martyrs & the armed forces, at the moment martyrs only become part of statistics or history books which instead should be the role model of the youth.”
He also added, “Approach of the society should change towards the armed forces personnel and they (citizens) can help boost the morale of our forces by giving them respect and dignity they deserve. Its high time we realize that soldiers stand in line of fire for the nation and for the citizens.”
During the meeting, the members vented their anger at government for not being able to prevent this attack which led to the loss of precious lives. They also agreed on one point that government should impose a cess or a tax which should be used for the welfare of the families of the armed forces and ex-servicemen. Harish Dua & Rahul Ahuja said “If we can pay swach bharat cess & other such sub taxes, we will be more than happy to pay a cess which would aim at helping the families of the martyrs”
Door-to-door fund raising campaign
Jaswinder Thukral, president of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association, has decided that his association will collect funds from its members and will start a door-to-door collection campaign from Guru Nanak Engineering College (GNE) till Gill road to raise funds and spread awareness on armed forces.
Schools & colleges may contribute
Apparel Manufacturers Association led by president Sandeep Salwan, vice-president Manish Kaura and general secretary Atul Saggar will run a campaign to convince schools and colleges to include the training of NCC or other activities in their schools so that students learn about the armed forces and get motivation. They will also try to seek financial assistance from schools for funding for their initiative.
Pledge to bring about a change
Kulwant Singh, president of Machine Tools Manufacturing Association; Bhushan Abbi, president of textile & home furnishing cluster; Vipan Vinayak, president of knit and fab hosiery association; Upkar Singh Ahuja, general secretary of CICU; and Balbir Singh Bhamba have taken the initiative of running a massive social media and door-to-door campaign for attaching more and more industrialists and people from all walks of the life with their group which will help spreading awareness about their initiative.
Siachen tragedy: Army declares 10 jawans dead
JAMMU: The 10 army personnel, who went missing after their high-altitude post on Siachen Glacier was hit by an avalanche on Wednesday, were declared dead by the army on Thursday evening.
PTI PHOTOThe rescuers used modern equipment and sniffer dogs to trace the missing soldiers but their efforts proved futile.“Demise of soldiers in Siachen is very tragic. I salute the brave soldiers who gave their lives to the nation. Condolences to their families ,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Lt Gen DS Hooda, Army Commander, Northern Command, also paid a tribute to the deceased soldiers and said “It is a tragic event and we salute the soldiers who braved all challenges to guard our frontiers and made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.”
The army and the IAF had tried their best to rescue the soldiers — a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and nine other ranks of Madras Regiment -after their post was hit by the avalanche at the altitude of 19,000 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.
Specialised teams with modern equipment were flown to Leh and pressed into service along with sniffer dogs but all efforts to rescue the soldiers failed.
The glaciated area witnesses extreme temperatures ranging from a maximum of -25 degrees Celsius during the day to the minimum of -42 degrees Celsius in the night.
Defence public relations officer (PRO) based in Northern Command Col S D Goswami had earlier stated, “Rescue teams are braving adverse weather and effects of rarified atmosphere to locate and rescue survivors. However, it is with deepest of regrets that we have to state that chances of finding any survivors are now very remote.” ARMY SAYS NO TO PAKISTAN’S HELP
Earlier in the day, Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh declined his Pakistani counterpart’s offer for help in rescuing the missing soldiers, saying that necessary resources had already been put in place.
Army sources said Pakistan’s DGMO Major General Amir Riaz offered to help in tracing the missing army personnel. They said such calls were routine whenever any incident happened near the border.
Incidentally, the offer to help came over 30 hours after the incident.
All 10 Siachen soldiers dead
Operations by the specialised teams of the Army and the Air Force in progress to rescue the soldiers hit by an avalanche in Siachen. PTI
Tribune News Service,Jammu/New Delhi, February 4
All 10 soldiers missing in an avalanche that hit an Army post, located at an altitude of 19,600 feet at the Siachen Glacier, have died.”Demise of soldiers in Siachen is very tragic. I salute the brave soldiers who gave their lives to the nation. Condolences to their families,” Prime Minister Narendra said, confirming the fears about their fate. “It is with deepest of regrets that we have to state that the chances of finding any survivors are now very remote,” Northern Command spokesp-erson Col SD Goswami said.With the temperatures in the glaciated area ranging between minus 25 degrees during the day and minus 42 degrees in the night, the rescue teams were braving adverse weather conditions and rarefied atmosphere to locate the survivors, he said.A ‘wall of ice’ buried the post, a stone bunker bang on the actual ground position line (AGPL), a 109 km-long divide between India and Pakistan, on Wednesday.
Avalanche centre had warned army
WARMING TRENDS IN HIMALAYAN REGION, NEED TO CHECK WHAT’S HAPPENING, SAYS SASE DIRECTOR
CHANDIGARH: Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) here had issued a “low danger” warning to the army on February 2 for the general area of Siachen glacier. The avalanche struck on February 3, after which 10 soldiers are still missing, as rescue couldn’t be carried out on Thursday.
“Our warning was low-danger level. It was meant for avalanche activity only. We advised them (the army) to move cautiously through the valley bottom. It was not a regular avalanche. It was an ice avalanche, which is more difficult to predict unless you monitor each individual slope,” said SASE director Ashwagosha Ganju. “Sometimes high danger is involved when there are abnormal winds and snowfall coupled with other instability factors. There are cases when we are sure that 8 out of 10 avalanche sites will trigger in an area. Then we issue a specific alert,” he added.
Asked whether the army follows the advice, as even earlier accidents have happened in spite of warning, he said: “I can’t talk about the operational role of the army. I deal with science. I inform them when situations warrants and they take a call depending on their operational commitments.” On February 8, 2010, an avalanche at Khilanmarg, 8 km from Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, killed 17 soldiers. The SASE had issued a specific alert then. Another avalanche on February 22, 2012, killed 16 army personnel in Ganderbal and Bandipora districts of Kashmir. Then too, warnings were issued.
SASE was set up under the Ministry of Defence to combat the hazards of snow to help the armed forces live and fight in the mountains. It has a network of nearly 80 weather stations, manual and automatic, across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Ganju said that for some years, warning trends were up but how it would manifest in avalanche formation and its frequency was a matter of in-depth study. “For this, Him Parivartan Project is on at Siachen. We have to understand the phenomena first and be sure about what is happening,” said the SASE director, adding: “In the Himalayas, climate change trends resulted in abnormal snowfall at times and increase in liquid precipitation. About 80% of the predictions on avalanche come correct. For Siachen glacier, the success rate is between 75 and 80%. An average of 20 avalanches trigger every year in this region.”
800 attend Army medical camp at Sonwar
Tribune News Service,Srinagar, January 6
Over 800 people attended a medical camp organised by the Army at Government Boys High School, Sonwar, today.The medical camp was organised under the aegis of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps with an aim to reach out to the local population, a defence spokesperson said.“People benefitted from the exclusive medical care, including provision of free medicine. The team of doctors also provided necessary guidance for a healthy lifestyle,” said the spokesperson.The team comprised an orthopedic surgeon, physician, pediatrician, dental officer, nursing officers and six nursing assistants.
Parrikar admits to ‘gaps’ in acting on alert
Body of sixth terrorist found, but combing operation to continue to sanitise air base
Vijay Mohan & Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service,Pathankot, January 5
While admitting lapses in following up Intelligence reports suggesting a terror strike on a key Air Force station here, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today refrained from directly blaming Pakistan for the attack that left seven personnel dead and about 20 injured. He declared that all six terrorists were killed inside the base and combing and search operations were on only to detect any unused ammunition.“I see some gaps in the process, which we would be able to establish only when the investigations are complete, but we did not compromise on the security of the base. The terrorists were contained within a 200-metre radius,” he said in response to a question.Pointing out that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had taken up the probe, he added that he would not like to comment on Pakistan’s role as the investigations were underway, though several items that appeared to be made in Pakistan had been recovered.While refusing to comment on the Border Security Force (BSF), that is responsible for guarding the international border, the Defence Minister said that the NIA has got some initial leads on how the terrorists infiltrated into India.Parrikar said the combing operations are likely to conclude tomorrow. “It is a very complicated task as every inch of a very vast and difficult area with many blind spots has to be combed to recover any IED or grenade that may have been left behind by the terrorists. The body of a terrorist still has a vest strapped to it, with the possibility of it being booby-trapped,” he said.The actual encounter began at 3.30 am on January 2 and finished by 7 pm the next day, and what followed was combing and sanitising operations, Parrikar said.On being asked if two terror attacks within a span of six months in the same sector in Punjab indicated deliberate targeting of the state, he said there could be many responses to this.The Defence Minister also went around the air base and was shown the site of the encounters with the terrorists, their hiding places and the recovered items as well as several “blinds” or undetonated grenades strewn in the area.
PATHANKOT ATTACK
NIA picks up SP for questioning
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 5
Controversial former SP (Headquarters) Salwinder Singh was picked up by the National Investigation Agency sleuths for questioning today evening.The officer was taken to an undisclosed location in Gurdaspur, where he is being treated as a “witness” and not an “accused”. However, an officer revealed that he may be in trouble if the investigating agency founded something amiss.Singh, under transfer as Assistant Commandant, 75th Battalion, PAP, Jalandhar, was availing his “joining time” when he claimed that he was kidnapped on the night of December 31 by terrorists.He had said that he, Gurdaspur-based jeweller Rajesh Verma and his longtime cook Madan Gopal were taken hostage by “four or five Urdu-speaking men”. Twenty-four hours after his suspected abduction, five terrorists entered the Air Force complex in Pathankot and started firing.Sources said the NIA team politely questioned his security guards as to where the officer was. Once they were shown the way in, they asked him to accompany them. The SP did not resist.
NIA to seek Pak help
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 5
National Investigation Agency chief Sharad Kumar today said the Pathankot terror attack probe was a “very challenging task” and the agency would seek Pakistan’s help once the identity of those involved, both the killed terrorists and their handlers, was ascertained.The National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief, who would be flying to the Pathankot Air Force base tomorrow, said, “As a lot of investigation still needs to be done, I am not fixing any deadline. But we will try to complete the probe soon.”The Centre, it is learnt, would be sending to Pakistan a Letter Rogatory (LR), a formal request from a court to a foreign court for some type of judicial assistance. The LR would also carry with it DNA samples of the slain terrorists, their phone call details, number of handlers based in that country and other information to help nab the masterminds of the crime, sources said. The most common remedies sought by LR are service of process and taking of evidence. Kumar refrained from naming any terror group and also did not confirm whether the attackers came from Pakistan (as suggested by preliminary evidence).“Let us work first. We will be able to establish everything once we have some evidence to support our claims. The case has to be proved before the court of law and, therefore, I will refrain from making statements on speculation,” he said.Sources said DNA test on the six terrorists would be conducted as early as possible while the details of the phone calls made by the terrorists to their Pakistan-based handler were being prepared, which would also be submitted to Pakistan.The NIA is also likely to interrogate Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh and his two associates.
5th terrorist killed, endgame in sight
PATHANKOT SIEGE DAY 3 NSG ops still on, officers say all assets being combed; civilians inside airbase safe
Aseem Bassi & Vinay Dhingra
PTI PHOTO- NSG Lt Colonel Niranjan EK’s wife (centre) and other family members with his coffin in Bengaluru on Monday. The officer was killed in a grenade blast at the Pathankot air force base on Sunday.Security personnel were searching Punjab’s Pathankot air force base on Monday after killing a fifth attacker in a counter-terror offensive that began last week, while India announced it would decide on foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan slated for January 15 only after the operation is over.
Security sources told HT that a sixth terrorist too had likely been killed but an announcement would only come later as his badly disfigured body was yet to be identified.
“The search and combing operation is still on. All civilians in the airbase are secure,” said Major General Dushyant Singh, inspector general (operations) of the National Security Guards (NSG).As the government mulled its options on the proposed talks with Pakistan, the United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of militant outfits, claimed that the attack was carried out by Kashmiri militants. Government sources, however, believe it is a diversionary tactic and the strategy displayed by the Pathankot attackers indicates they were trained by professional soldiers.
“The terrorists used all the military tactics like conserving firepower, attacking at 3am when the level of alertness is at its lowest and going quiet to give the impression that all the attackers had died,” said an official.
The Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting in the Capital to discuss the Pathankot counterterror operation during which seven Indian soldiers died and an attack on the Indian consulate at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar and FM Arun Jaitley attended the meeting. Jaitley said the attack in Pathankot was a fidayeen strike aimed at causing loss to strategic assets. “I think let the operations get over and it is only then government takes a view on such matters (the talks),” the finance minister told reporters.
Asked why it was taking so long to neutralise the terrorists, Major General Dushyant Singh told reporters that the operation would not end until all assets and the entire airbase had been secured. He did not respond to questions about a sixth terrorist holed up in the area.
There was little clarity on how many terrorists remained within the airbase, while the government asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the attack. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, which was blamed for the December 2001 attack on Parliament, is suspected to behind the siege.
A friend of superintendent of police Salwinder Singh whose car was snatched by the attackers ahead of the terror strike told investigators that the four gunmen who overpowered them were receiving instructions to hurry up as “the other group” had already reached the intended place.
Reports earlier on Monday indicated that at least two terrorists were hiding in a building that housed families of air force personnel and that the gunmen had arrived in two separate groups.
There were unconfirmed reports in the afternoon that the two-storey building in which the terrorists were holed up had been razed.
Security analysts raised questions about the operation that has lasted longer than the 26/11 Mumbai attacks when the NSG was rushed to the financial capital to secure multiple targets.
The assault that began early on Saturday morning dragged on as security forces struggled to contain the heavily armed attackers at the sprawling station. The Pathankot airbase is spread over more than 2,000 acres, including forests and tall grass.
The commanding officer of the base, Air Commodore JS Dhamoon, described it as a “mini-city” that includes homes for families and a school for children of the personnel stationed there.
Officials said there have been no civilian casualties and no aircraft or military equipment has been damaged in the fighting. The base houses a fleet of India’s Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware.
‘My father was not afraid of anything’
GURDASPUR: The terror attack on the Air Force station in Pathankot will haunt Madhu Radha forever. As the bullets began flying, she, her mother and her brother took refuge under a bed. However, even as she was hiding under her bed, the terrorists took something precious away from her — her father’s life.
HT PHOTOMartyr Fateh Singh’s daughter Madhu Radha carrying his body for cremation at Jhanda Gujjran village in Gurdaspur district on Monday.Honorary Captain Fateh Singh, who had won medals and accolades in the Commonwealth shooting competitions in Delhi in 1995, was transferred as a personnel of the defence security corps (DSC) from Orissa to Pathankot Air Base.
Madhu Radha, 25, who teaches in a Mhow school, had come with her mother Shobha Rani and brother Nitin to spend her winter holidays with her father in Pathankot when the terrorists decided to strike.
Speaking to Hindustan Times on Monday, Madhu Radha said that her Fateh Singh had just stepped of his quarters on Saturday when the firing started. Ordered to switch off all lights, the family stayed hidden under the bed, till an uncle posted with the Dogra Regiment came to their rescue and took them to his quarters.
She said that her mother had come to know about Fateh’s death, but hid the fact from her brother and her. The siblings only came to know that their father had been martyred after the family arrived at their native village.
Madhu Radha said that her father was unarmed when he happened to spot two of the terrorists. He snatched a gun from one of them and killed the two, but suffered fatal injuries in the process, sustaining two bullet wounds.
Her father, she recalled proudly, was not afraid of anything and always advised others to only speak the truth.
Fateh Singh was cremated with military and civil honours at his native Jhanda Gujjran village in Gurdaspur district on Monday, amidst anti-Pakistan slogans by hundreds of mourners. Madhu was among the pall bearers.
Another martyr, DSC personnel Kulwant Singh, from Gurdaspur’s Chak Sharif, was also laid to rest in his hometown with full honours.
Punjab Police reduced to a mere bystander
SIDELINED Despite experience of anti-terror operations, state police officers kept at arm’s length by army
From page 1 CHANDIGARH: Ever since Pakistani terrorists struck at the Pathankot airbase before dawn on Saturday, the Punjab Police top brass have been kept at an arm’s length by the army. Even as the anti-terror operation that is still not over and is taking place in Punjab’s territory, the state police have literally no clue about what is happening inside the battle zone.
SHYAM SHARMA
AND SAMEER SEHGAL/HT(Top) Army jawans carry the coffin of Havildar Jagdish Chand during his cremation in Chamba; and Brigadier Anupinder Singh Bevli (left), Major General Dushyant Singh, IG (operations), National Security Guard, and Air Commodore JS Dhamoon (right) addressing a press conference at the Pathankot airbase on Monday.The role of the state police has been restricted to ‘traffic management’, while the police top brass known for proven antiterror exercise have been kept at bay. While additional director general of police (ADGP, law and order) HS Dhillon has been camping in Pathankot since January 1, director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora reached the hot spot on January 2 soon after the terror strikes began. Both cops are well known for their rich experience in anti-terror operations when the border state was in the grip of militancy. However, the role of DGP Arora and ADGP Dhillon in the ongoing operation has been reduced to that of a bystander.
This despite the fact that the first and the concrete input of ultras’ having sneaked inside Pathankot came from the state police after the vehicle of a superintendent of police (SP) was waylaid on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 by the four terrorists wearing army fatigues. It was the Punjab Police that raised the alarm, prompting other security agencies to react and act fast.
Key state police officers sheepishly admit that they have been reduced to a “doormat” and know “nothing” about what is happening inside the airbase.
“We are clueless about the ongoing operation. The security agencies executing this operation have not involved the Punjab Police in planning etc.,” a senior police functionary admitted. The well-equipped state intelligence wing, which has busted a range of terrorist modules even abroad and are now being headed by DGP Anil Kumar Sharma, who has spent more than a decade in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) —the premier spy agency of India is groping in the dark.
DINANAGAR OP: STATE POLICE DID IT ALONE
The response to the Pathankot terror strike has brought under spotlight the July 27, 2015, Dinanagar attack and the swift action of the Punjab Police in neutralising hardcore terrorists. Parallels are being drawn between the counter-offensive of the state police in the Dinanagar police station siege and the Pathankot action, where the cream of the Indian defence forces is taking on the terrorists since the morning of January 2.
When the three heavily armed ‘jihadi’ Pakistani terrorists had stormed the police station at dawn on July 27, they were neutralised much before dusk in the counteroffensive exclusively launched by the Punjab Police. Not letting the army take on the ultras holed up inside the police station had come under criticism. But the police’s stand was that state cops were “capable of killing jihadis.” Also, questions were raised that it took police 12 hours to kill terrorists. But the Pathankot operation is not yet over even after almost three days.
Patriotism fills Ambala air as Gursewak Singh cremated
MBALA: “Bharat mata ki jai”slogans rent the air in Garnala village on Monday morning, as the body of Garuda (air force) commando Gursewak Singh, killed in the Pathankot airbase attack, was brought home for cremation. Gursewak’s body arrived in an air force vehicle bedecked with flowers as villagers chanting ‘Gursewak amar rahe (long live Gursewak)’lined the 4-km stretch of the AmbalaNaraingarh road to Garnala.
R KHANNA/HTGaruda (IAF) commando Gursewak Singh’s body being taken for cremation at Garnala in Ambala district on Monday.
Nearly 400 air force personnel escorted the martyr’s body to the cremation ground, where a large number of officers, bureaucrats and villagers had gathered.
Jawans of the 20 Air Force and the Haryana Armed Police fired their guns in the air, upended their guns, and sounded the last post. Gursewak’s brother, a soldier himself, lit the pyre.
State ministers Anil Vij and Nayab Singh Saini, and MLAs Assem Goyal and Balwant Singh laid wreaths on behalf of the government. Vij also announced `20 lakh financial assistance to Gursewak’s family. Ambala police commissioner OP Singh, Air Vice Marshal Parshant Kaushik, Air Force Officer Commanding at the Ambala airbase, Air Commodore Tejinder Singh, also laid wreaths.
Himachal bids tearful adieu to two martyrs
BASA (CHAMBA)/SHAHPUR: Amid the pall of gloom that descended on the twin Basa-Gola villages in Chamba and Siyunh village in Kangra district, the steady stream of mourning villagers bade a tearful adieu to havildar Jagdish Chand and havildar Sanjeevan Singh Rana, killed in the Pathankot airbase attack.
SHYAM SHARMA/HTArmy jawans and officers carry the coffin of martyr Sanjeevan Singh Rana during his cremation at his native village Siyunh near Shahpur in Kangra district on Monday.Defence Security Corps (DSC) personnel havildar Jagdish Chand, 48, from Basa-Gola was one of the first casualties in the attack in the wee hours of Saturday. Chand, who was among the first security personnel to engage the terrorists, managed to neutralise one of the attackers before being shot dead.
“Serving in the Indian Army is a tradition in our family,” said Chand’s elder brother Budhi Singh, who also retired from the army. The martyr’s father, Bachiter Singh, is also an exserviceman, while his younger brother is a serving soldier.
Chand’s body, wrapped with the tricolour, was taken by pall bearers in the afternoon to the village crematorium, where he was cremated with full state and military honours in the presence of administrative officials and local politicians, including forest minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, and soldiers from 3/11 Gorkha Regiment and 39 Mountain Division.
Chand, who retired from 7 Dogra Regiment and joined the DSC in 2009, is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, who lit the pyre. He was the family’s breadwinner.
In Siyunh, a sea of humanity swooped down on the premises of havildar Sanjeevan Singh Rana, 50, who was critically injured in the terror attack and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
“It’s a tragedy not for me but for the nation. I am proud my son sacrificed his life for the country,” said Rattan Singh, who retired from the army, while trying to hold back tears. “I am a proud soldier and want my grandson to also don the olive greens.”
Rana, who retired from 15 Dogra regiment in 2007 before joining the DSC, is survived by his wife Pinki Devi, a son and two daughters. He, too, was the sole earner in the family. Transport minister GS Bali and social welfare minister Dhani Ram Shandil attended the fallen soldier’s cremation, done with full military honours.
`20 LAKH EACH FOR KIN
SHIMLA: Chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday announced a financial assistance of `20 lakh each to the family members of the deceased soldiers.
He loved to be in thick of action, says Samba martyr’s family
SAMBA (J&K): Mortal remains of Lance Naik Mool Raj, who was killed in Pathankot operations, were on Monday consigned to flames with full militarty honours at his native village here.
Mool Raj was such a man who always wanted to be in the thick of action, the family said. The father of two had fallen to the bullets of terrorists inside the airforce base, just a day after he returned to join his duties after celebrating the New Year with his family which consists his aged mother, wife and two college-going children.
Before returning to join his duties in Pathankot, he took a promise from his children that one day they would make him feel proud.
“Instead he made us proud! Though the lacuna that his absence has created in our life will never be fulfilled, but we are proud to have a father like him”, said Mool Raj’s Asish Kumar.
Mool Raj had joined the Defence Security Corps (DSC) after his retirement from the army 13 years ago. Thousands of people, including state minister Chander Prakash Ganga, senior Congress leader Manjeet Singh and senior defence official, bid their final adieu to the braveheart.
Proud of his sacrifice, says NSG bomb expert’s father
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/BENGALURU: : The body of Lt Colonel Niranjan EK, a bomb expert with the National Security Guard (NSG) who was killed while defusing a grenade at the Pathankot airbase, was brought to Bengaluru, from where it was taken to his hometown Palakkad in Kerala.
His body was accompanied by family members and senior IAF and NSG officials, and was taken to his ancestral village Elambulassery by road from Palakkad for last rites. People assembled on both sides of the road to catch a last glimpse of the martyr. It took almost two hours to cover the 20km distance from the helipad to his house.
The cremation will take place on Tuesday afternoon. The body will be placed at a school nearby for the public to pay their respect.
Tributes paid to bravehearts
Tribune News Service,Ludhiana, January 3
Several religious, social and political bodies have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Pathankot air base and paid rich tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives fighting against the terrorists.District Congress activists led by District Congress president Gurpreet Gogi and MLA Surinder Dawar held a candlelight march and burnt the flag of Pakistan at Gaushala Chowk in Division No. 3 area.Speaking on the occasion, Gurpreet Gogi urged the Centre to keep an eye on the terrorist activities in Pakistan while extending a hand of friendship.Meanwhile, activists of the Congress and Rashtriya Dharm led by convener Vinod Jain and Ranjan Singh also paid floral tributes to the martyrs.Members of Rashtriya Dharm said Pakistan had once again launched a proxy attack on the sovereignty of India.“The government ought to mend the security lapse, if any, in the attack on air base at Pathankot, seal the borders andkeep strict vigil to maintain security on the borders to avoid recurrence of such incidents,” the members added.Moreover, members the Anti-Drug and Corruption Welfare Society led by president Sanjeev Chaudhary and chairman Jaspal Singh Bunty took out a candlelight march at Chaura Bazar to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Pathankot terror attack.Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Chaudhary demanded government jobs and Rs 1 crorecash for every martyrwho laid down hislife fighting against the terrorists.
आतंकी को उसी की बंदूक से मार गिराया
Posted On January – 3 – 2016
पठानकाेट, 3 जनवरी (ट्रिन्यू)
शनिवार तड़के जब आतंकी एयरबेस में घुसे उस वक्त डीएससी (डिफेंस सिक्योरिटी कॉर्प्स) मेस के कुक हाउस में नाश्ते की तैयारी की जा रही थी। वहां पर लाइटें जल रही थी। आतंकियों ने फायरिंग शुरू कर दी। इस हमले में तीन जवान शहीद हो गए। उसके बाद आतंकी आगे बढ़े तो डीएससी जवान जगदीश सिंह उनके पीछे भागे। उन्होंने एक आतंकी को दबोच लिया और उसकी ही राइफल छीनकर उसे मार गिराया। इसके बाद वह बाकी आतंकियों का पीछा करने के लिए उनकी ओर भागे, लेकिन आतंकियों की गोली का निशाना बने और बहादुरी से लड़ते हुए शहीद हो गये। उनकी शहादत काे पंजाब सहित देश के कई लोगों ने सैल्यूट किया है।
इन जांबाजों ने दी शहादत : लेफ्टिनेंट कर्नल निरंजन ई कुमार, कैप्टन फतेह सिंह, हवलदार कुलवंत सिंह, सिपाही जगदीश सिंह, संजीव कुमार, गुरसेवक, गरुड़ कमांडो करतार।
ग्रेनेड हटाते हुए शहीद हुए लेफ्टिनेंट कर्नल निरंजन : रविवार को शहीद हुए लेफ्टिनेट कर्नल निरंजन केरल के रहने वाले थे और एनएसजी के बम निष्क्रिय करने वाले दस्ते के सदस्य थे। आतंकी हमले के बाद के तलाशी अभियान के दौरान वे एक मृत आतंकी के शरीर से ग्रेनेड हटाकर निष्क्रिय करने का प्रयास कर रहे थे। इसी दौरान ग्रेनेड फटने से निरंजन की मौत हो गई। इस दौरान चार अन्य सुरक्षाकर्मी घायल हो गये।
शुरुआती संकेतों के अनुसार आतंकी ब्यास नदी की सहायक नदियों के रास्ते अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सीमा से लगे पठानकोट के बमियाल गांव में घुसे। माना जा रहा है कि आतंकियों ने 30-31 की रात को भारत में घुसपैठ की। आतंकियों ने जिस इलाके से सीमा पार की वहां बड़ी-बड़ी जंगली घास है, जिससे उन्हें छिपने में मदद मिली। ब्यास की एक सहायक नदी इस गांव से होते हुए पाकिस्तान जाती है और भारत में प्रवेश करने के लिए मादक पदार्थ तस्कर अकसर इस रास्ते का इस्तेमाल करते हैं।
उमर का पीएम पर कटाक्ष : जम्मू-कश्मीर के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री उमर अब्दुल्ला ने पठानकोट में आतंकवादियों से मुठभेड़ के दौरान प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी द्वारा योग पर चर्चा किए जाने की निंदा की है। उमर ने मोदी पर कटाक्ष करते हुए ट्वीट किया, ‘काम करते रहना ठीक है, लेकिन जब पठानकोट में मुठभेड़ चल रही हो तो योग पर भाषण देना ठीक नहीं है।’ वह कर्नाटक में योग सम्मेलन में प्रधानमंत्री के संबोधन का जिक्र कर रहे थे। उमर ने पठानकोट में आत्मघाती हमले के स्थान से जख्मी सैनिकों को बाहर निकालने के लिए आपातकालीन प्रबंध नहीं होने को लेकर पंजाब के अधिकारियों की भी आलोचना की।
अमेरिका सहित तमाम देशों ने की निंदा
वाशिंगटन : पठानकोट एयरबेस पर पाकिस्तानी आतंकियों के हमले की अमेरिका समेत तमाम देशों ने निंदा की है। अमेरिकी विदेश विभाग के प्रवक्ता जॉन किर्बी ने कहा, ‘अमेरिका भारतीय वायुसेना के स्टेशन पर हुए हमले की कड़ी निंदा करता है। पीड़ितों और उनके परिजनों के प्रति हम संवेदना व्यक्त करते हैं। अमेरिका आतंकवाद के खिलाफ लड़ाई में भारत सरकार के साथ मजबूत साझेदारी के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है।’
US gives thumbs-up to Lahore stopover
International media calls it ‘sign of thawing’ ties | BJP hopes to create ‘Akhand Bharat’ | Cong tells PM to be cautious
Washington, December 26
Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore as a significant development in the ties between India and Pakistan, mainstream American media today said it was likely to add momentum to a tentative reconciliation process between them.“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Friday — a significant sign the icy relationship between the two neighbours is thawing,” CNN said. The Washington Post said Modi had “pressed the reset button on the blow-hot-blow-cold relationship” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, paving the way for official dialogue to resume next month.The Wall Street Journal said Modi’s surprise move was “likely to add momentum to a tentative reconciliation process” between the nuclear-armed neighbours, while The Chicago Tribune noted it as “potential sign of thawing” relations.It is “the biggest surprise of all” of Modi’s diplomatic moves since he came to power on May 26, 2014, for which he had invited leaders of the South Asian countries, the Time magazine wrote.“It’s the first trip to the country by an Indian head of state in a decade — and could be a sign of improving relations between the two neighbours,” the popular National Public Radio said. According to The Los Angeles Times, with his Lahore visit Modi “breathed new life into a long troubled” relationship. The New York Times, which quite often has been critical of the Prime Minister, while underscoring the significance of Modi’s impromptu trip to Lahore said the Indian leader in the past had moved from one policy to the other and described it as “a diplomatic dance”.Twitter – where the Prime Minister first informed the world about his visit to Lahore – was abuzz with his decision to meet Sharif. All major American news outlets took to Twitter and other modes including SMS and emails to inform their readers about the breaking news from South Asia. Even on a Christmas Day, a number of think-tank experts and academicians expressed their views about Modi’s Lahore visit on the social media.“Unexpected but welcome visit” by Modi to Lahore, said Richard N Hass, president, Council on Foreign Relations, a top US think-tank. There is “need to make high-level” India-Pak “diplomacy routine”, he wrote on Twitter.Injecting an element of drama into the see-saw Indo-Pak ties, Modi took the world by surprise with a stopover in Lahore on his way back home from Kabul to meet Sharif and attend a family weeding. — PTI
Who said what
- A significant sign the icy relationship between the two neighbours is thawing. CNN
- Modi has pressed the reset button on the blow-hot-blow-cold relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The Washington Post
- Modi’s surprise move is likely to add momentum to a tentative reconciliation process between the two nations.The Wall Street Journal
- It is the biggest surprise of all of Modi’s diplomatic moves since he came to power. Time magazine
- The Indian leader in the past had moved from one policy to the other. It’s a diplomatic dance. The New York Times
‘Seychelles committed to Indian naval base’
Seychelles President acknowledges that India has been steadily increasing its maritime and security cooperation with Seychelles.
A plot of land for India to build its first naval base in the Indian Ocean region has been allocated by the Seychelles government in the Assumption Island.
Lifting the veil of secrecy around the planned project, President James Michel of the Seychelles told The Hindu: “This is a joint project between India and Seychelles involving our two Defence Forces in enhancing our mutual security along our western seaboard. Seychelles is absolutely committed to the project.”
Seychelles is expecting India’s evaluation team to visit the spot soon, President Michel said. The project has acquired significance following China acquiring its first African naval base in Djibouti in November. Once ready, the naval base to be built by the defence forces of India, and Seychelles will help India exercise greater control over the Indian Ocean’s western region all the way to the piracy-prone eastern African coastline.
The base will be one of the major staging posts for a large maritime security network that India is setting up with the help of the various Indian Ocean region partner countries.
Apart from the naval base, India is set to acquire a fully operational coastal radar system (CRS) based in Seychelles from March 2016, Mr. Michel said. The CRS will provide India with the ability to gather intelligence and assist in surveillance operations of the vital energy lanes near Seychelles.
“The Maritime Radar Project is a major development for Seychelles’ and India’s mutual desire for security in the field of maritime security,” said President Michel, who was sworn in for a third term on December 20.
Fighting piracy
Security operation in the Indian Ocean region will also be helped by the leadership role that Seychelles has secured for itself in the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), which will hold its first meeting in Mumbai on January 31, 2016. “Both India and Seychelles have a vested interest in securitising the Western Indian Ocean. We have forged a partnership that has gone a fair distance in eradicating the scourge of Somalia-based piracy as well as other maritime security issues.”
Mr. Michel acknowledged that India has been steadily increasing its maritime and security cooperation with Seychelles and that a new patrol vessel from India will be handed over to Seychelles in mid-January 2016.
“These initiatives have greatly helped our security environment,” said the President who visited New Delhi in August. He had been persistent in building a security network to prevent piracy, arms trafficking and financial fraud in the banks of the Indian Ocean region islands.
India, with its strong intelligence network, will also be helpful in maritime law enforcement by Seychelles, he added. While declaring support for India’s maritime security plans, President Michel pointed out that small nations are equally important in the contemporary world order and need to be taken seriously for the sake of preserving the security and order.
