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HOLD SWAY: Media can’t be the mouthpiece of the government of the day.

IN these difficult times in Indo-Pakistan relations, the biggest casualty on the Indian side has been the credibility of privately-owned Indian electronic media. Many of us have experienced how quickly the printed press folded up during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. The wonder is that under the Modi dispensation electronic media have lined up behind the government on its own. Many channels have become super patriots joining the most jingoist voices, but most channels have succumbed to the use of adjectives that give the game away. There is no fairness in presenting facts and it is a toss-up whether Indian channels are copying their Pakistani counterparts or chasing TRP ratings or both. We all honour soldiers who die in the line of duty and pay them due respect, apart from compensation to their families. But for our television channels to describe every such death as that of a martyr is stretching the use of the English language. And covering Pakistan, TV scrolls describe Prime Minister Nawaz Shatif’s presentation at the UN as a “rant”. Where is the dividing line between the duties of media as opposed to acting as a propaganda megaphone for the government?It is true that our private electronic media live in different ages. One channel has adopted what was in vogue 25 years ago, if not longer, in the West by de-sexing genders. Thus their cameramen and women are always “persons”. Another channel continues to beat its drums over the non-interview it had with Prime Minister Modi in how dramatically it has affected its TRPs.Are we then in the game of TRPs without any responsibility to be fair in our reporting? There is not a squeak from the concerned broadcasting organisations on the merits of unbiased reporting. In relations with Pakistan, anything goes, the harder the punch, the better. One channel seems to have opened a direct line to India’s RAW to get the lowdown on the inner recesses of the Pakistani state.What our electronic media do not realise in their cheerleading for chauvinist forces is that this phase will pass, as all phases do, but restoring their credibility with their audiences will be a long-haul problem. As their print colleagues will tell them, even after wearing sackcloth and ashes it took a long time to convince readers that newspapermen were trying to tell the truth.There are, of course, exceptional times such as during the Bangladesh war when media went with the swing. But mercifully, we are not at war with Pakistan and can attempt to present a fairer picture of what is happening. For instance, there was not one commentator to make the point that but for Ms Sushma Swaraj’s inability or unwillingness to make her presentation in English, half of its impact was lost. Except for South Asia, the world is not familiar with Hindi and listening to a translation can never have the impact of an original presentation.How then can we get electronic media to do a fairer job of reporting? One would have expected broadcasting organisations to take the call and seek answers. But they seem to be strangely tongue-tied leaving it to each channel to win its spurs in the propaganda war against Pakistan. The golden arches of TRPs are inviting them — and who cares about credibility?The record of press commissions in India is hardly inspiring. Rather, we must make a new foray in getting the combined weight of serious citizens to lobby against a pernicious trend that threatens to destroy the freedom of media. The forms can vary from small seminars to larger meetings and neighbourhood conclaves focused on one problem: how to keep media from becoming cheerleaders of chauvinist forces?Until the Emergency came, print media were patting themselves on the back that having fought for the country’s freedom, they were the great upholders of the freedom of the press. And yet more than 99 per cent of the press crumbled overnight. The moral of the story is that press freedom should be fought each day because it is the authority’s effort to exploit weaknesses. It would be unfair to paint all television channels with the same brush and the demands of TV as a medium are very different from those of print. But this is certainly a time for introspection if even a man of the calibre of Rajdeep Sardesai can fall a victim to chauvinist trends. The atmosphere is simply too corrosive. There is no substitute for self-policing and it is time for veterans of Indian TV to get together to frame a set of working rules that distinguishes between fair reporting and propaganda. It is not the task of private TV channels to beat the drums of chauvinism. Such an assertion will present two kinds of problems: pressure from the owners and the commercial wings in charge of TRP ratings.But this is a battle journalists have fought all the time everywhere. The question for TV journalists is that time has arrived in India and it is up to them to show their mettle. I am not disparaging the commendable efforts of many channels for their pioneering investigative reporting of trends and controversies and enlarging the Indian viewers’ ken by demonstrating to them the wonders of nature and animals. And some channels make room for serious discussions although the highly accented Indian English of one anchor takes away part of the charm. What I have described above relates to English language channels; channels in Hindi and regional languages are often even more extravagant in presenting news and views. They would of course need separate treatment.As a nation, where do we go from here? First, we must separate fact from fiction and draw clear lines between responsibilities of media and the task of governance. It is not the task of media to become cheerleaders of the government of the day. Second, broadcasting organisations responsible for overseeing TV channels must come out in the open and take charge.

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma (L) with CMs of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Arunachal Pema Khandu during a recent visit to Tawang. — PTI

Beijing/New Delhi, October 24

China today warned the US that any interference by it in the Sino-India boundary dispute will make it “more complicated” and “disturb” hard-won peace at the border, days after the US envoy in India Richard Verma visited Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet. India reacted saying there was “nothing unusual” about the trip to a state which is an integral part of the country.Asking the US to desist from interfering in the India-China border dispute, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China was firmly opposed to the visit. Referring to Verma’s October 22 tour to Tawang at the invitation of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Lu said the US envoy visited a “disputed region”. “We have also noted that the place visited by senior US diplomatic official is a disputed region between China and India. We are firmly opposed to his visit,” he said.China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet and routinely protests visits by Indian leaders, foreign officials as well as the Dalai Lama to the area.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: “The US Ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited. There is nothing unusual in it.” — PTI

Will complicate dispute: China to Washington

• The place visited by US envoy is a disputed region between China and India. We are firmly opposed to it… It will only make the dispute more complicated —Lu Kang, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman

Nothing unusual about it, says India

• The US Ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited. There is nothing unusual in it —Vikas Swarup, MEA spokesperson

CHANDIGARH: Brilliant soldier, thorough professional and gentleman to the core are how course mates and colleagues describe Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, 57.

PTIDirector General Military Operations Ranbir Singh addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

In a break from tradition, the director general of military operations (DGMO), who planned the Indian Army’s surgical strikes against terrorists and their handlers in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir on Thursday, briefed the media himself. In doing so, he became the face of the army and the man of the moment.

“Unlike the briefings during the Kargil war when the army spokesperson addressed the media, this time we heard it straight from the DGMO,” says Chandigarh-based Col Avnish Sharma (retd), a course mate of Lt Gen Ranbir Singh at IMA. “He is the first infantry officer after former army chief General K Sundarji to command an armoured division. It is a huge feather in his cap. It speaks volumes about his competence and versatility,” he adds.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh commanded 33 Armoured Division at Hisar in 2012. He has served as a colonel and brigadier in the directorate general of military operations, the nerve centre of military policy, planning and conduct of operations.

PUNJAB CONNECT The general belongs to Jalandhar and is an alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala. He passed out of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, on December 13, 1980, and was commissioned in 9 Dogra, which he went on to command.

Brought up by his uncle, Colonel Manmohan Singh (retd), after his father’s death at an early age, he excelled in academics throughout. “Ranbir was always a topper be it at school or in military courses. He faithfully followed my advice and remained a teetotaller,” says Col Manmohan Singh, who is the deputy director of sainik welfare in Jalandhar.

The family belongs to Ambala Jattan village near Garhdiwala in Hoshiarpur district but is now settled in Jalandhar.

APPROVED TO BE CORPS COMMANDER Though his juniors have taken over command of corps, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, who is also approved to command one in a month or two, has been retained in his present post because of the competence and professionalism he brings to the job at this critical juncture.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, who served with UN missions in Angola and Rwanda, graduated from the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington before taking command of his battalion, 9 Dogra. After commanding a brigade, he did a year-long course at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK.

He has also served on the Faculty of Studies at the Army War College, Mhow, after doing the higher command course.

The ever-smiling general is fond of reading and a good golfer.

Prof Laxmi Kanta Chawla

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 22

A day before the inauguration of the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum in the city, former Punjab Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla today stirred up a controversy by raising a question mark over the inclusion of Victoria Cross winners of the First and the Second World Wars who fought off Britishers in the list of martyrs.While appreciating the government’s initiative for setting up the war memorial, she said the main aim of it was to apprise the coming generations about those martyrs who had laid down their lives for the country in the line of duty.It was because of their sacrifices that the people of the country feel safe and secure besides enjoying freedom.However, she said the government has also listed the names of 46 Victoria Cross winners who fought the First and the Second World Wars for the British Government, which ruled the country for centuries and committed atrocities on those who fought for the freedom of the nation.She pointed out that it was unfair to give them space along with the martyrs of the country.She also raised an objection over the missing Hindi language from the war memorial while descriptions were written in the Punjabi and English languages only.

Afghanistan was among the countries that pulled out of the SAARC summit. AFP

New Delhi, September 30Afghanistan on Friday backed India’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, terming it an act of “self-defence” and in a strong message to Pakistan asserted that the time had come to take “tough” and “risky” decisions to deal with the menace of terrorism.Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali said his country did not make distinction between terrorist groups and was against all such organisations that pose a danger and threat to any country in the world.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)When asked about Afghanistan’s stand on the surgical strikes undertaken by India in PoK, Abdali said, “We hope that no one will allow its territory as a safe haven for terrorists to be used against neighbouring countries.”      “If terrorist groups continue to exist without action, no wonder self-defence against such terrorist groups will be in the form of action that we saw,” he said.Abdali said it was “high time we take tough decisions” and they may be “risky” but are needed to be taken to end terrorism.After India, Afghanistan was among three other countries which pulled out of the SAARC summit to be hosted by Pakistan.The Afghan envoy said he could see Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking “bold decisions” and emphasised that there was a need for the leaderships in the region and the governments to take bold decisions and “risks in order to free ourselves (from terrorism) for good”.Asked about the situation in Balochistan and the human rights violations there, Abdali said, “We have a problem of terrorism and Balochistan is our neighbour. We are being affected from our neighbourhood. Terrorism exists and at the same time people suffer there.”“We want to fight terrorism for the sake of all of us. For the sake of the common people of Pakistan, for the Balochis there and for all others living there, especially the Pashtuns. So we would like to end the atrocity, the wars in whatever forms there may be in order for the people to live freely,” the Afghan envoy said. — PTI

The bureaucrat told the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs that the Indian Army has previously carried out such ‘professionally done, target-specific, limited calibre counter-terrorist operations’ strikes across the LoC, sources present at the meeting said. File photo

New Delhi, October 18Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told a Parliamentary panel on Tuesday that although the Army had carried out counter-terrorist military strikes in the past, this was the first time the central government made such a military exercise public.The bureaucrat told the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs that the Indian Army has previously carried out such “professionally done, target-specific, limited calibre counter-terrorist operations” strikes across the LoC, sources present at the meeting said.The statement appears to contradict claims of “never-before” strikes made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.Last week, the minister had rejected Congress’s claims of having conducted similar military exercises under the UPA regime, calling the previous operations “locally executed” by commanders without involving the government.Jaishankar also told the committee that although India had been in touch with Pakistan even after the September 29 surgical strikes, they had no “calendar” drawn up for future talks with Pakistan, sources said.Soon after the operations had ended, the Director General Military Operations of the Pakistan Army was informed about the strikes, the sources claimed.During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat also gave details of the strikes targeting terrorist launch pads across the LoC.Government representatives are believed to have told the panel that the strikes have fulfilled their purpose and they would always make Pakistan wary of them.Jaishankar however parried a question on UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan’s statements that it witnessed no such strike, instead saying that he would not say anything since the panel’s chairman Shashi Tharoor had been associated with the body. — PTI

Indian army soldiers keep guard on top of a shop along a highway on the outskirts of Srinagar, September 29, 2016. Reuters

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 29

It was around noon on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned the military strike across the Line of Control (LoC) to destroy terrorist camps located in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Troops from the 4 and 9 para special forces were used in the operations.

Over the next 16-17 hours, the dynamics kept changing and ended when the Indian Army team reported back successful around 4.30 am on Thursday. The top brass of the political establishment was informed that the operation was a success.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Though cross-LoC military action has been done in the past, the first public announcement of such move came on Thursday morning when Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Ranbir Singh announced this at a press conference.Top sources explained to The Tribune that a military move was ordered in two parts that would be spread across an arc of 250 km. The targets were seven terrorist launch pads at five locations across the LoC that included the Lepa valley, Tatta Pani and Bimber.  The first was to fire artillery guns across the LoC, including from a location near Uri–close to the same place where terrorists had killed 18 Army soldiers on September 18. The second was to use the confusion caused by the artillery fire to sneak in troops from pre-decided spots across the LoC by using the several ingress routes.As the artillery opened up, three separate teams of heavily armed soldiers of the Indian Army crossed over to the PoK, they were backed by UAV’s providing live footage to the Northern command in Udhampur, the tactical headquarters of the three Army divisions at Baramulla, Kupwara and Poonch.The orders were clear “just shoot to kill…don’t leave behind any injured soldier…be quick and destroy everything”. The troops needed to surprise the terrorists in these camps.The actual operation lasted four hours that is it commenced around 12.30 am on Thursday and ended at 4.30 am on Thursday. Around 2 pm on Wednesday, the special teams had been asked to move forward. Helicopters dropped teams at advanced pre-decided locations.  From afternoon till nightfall on Wednesday, briefings were conducted, and troop leaders given clear instructions. The go-ahead to cross the LoC was for midnight; in the meantime, the artillery fire had distracted the Pakistani troops.The Indian Army troops were carrying heavy firing capability that included shoulder-fired weapons.Around 5 am on Thursday, the Pakistan Army retaliated with artillery fire and around 7.30 am US National Security Adviser Susan Rice called up Indian NSA Ajit Doval

How rapidly the situation changed in Kashmir in the last two months! Burhan Wani’s death, the campaign of mayhem on the streets and the Deep State’s success achieved in paralysing governance has turned on its head all parameters of normalcy that we were examining at one time. Senior army officers were confessing to me in April this year that it was going to be a hot summer; and I was completely in agreement with them. There were straws in the wind but we could not clutch them all to create the proverbial stick, which could give some indication of what was to come. Triggers can hardly be predicted, but once they occur, it’s always good to remain ahead of the adversary’s decision loop.
The Army teaches its students that when stuck with a problem of assessing what may happen just go back to imagining you are on the enemy side. That is what needs to be done more often when dealing with an intractable, wily, unpredictable and irrational adversary such as Pakistan.

With little time on his hands to do something to be remembered by, Sharif created a situation on the lines of Zia-Ul-Haq’s 1977 plan.

Looking at the summer of 2016 unfold, Raheel Sharif’s advisers and the Deep State in Pakistan would have been worried. On two of the three focus areas, things weren’t going well; Afghanistan and Kashmir. On the third front—internal security within Pakistan, there was a hope emerging. Pressure was building from the ‘friendly terrorists’ that they would all soon become unemployed unless the ropes were loosened by the ‘authority’; that a situation crafted right from Zia-Ul-Haq’s diabolic plan, conceived in 1977, would come unstuck. Then there was the issue of Raheel Sharif’s own credibility. He had little time on his hands to do something to be remembered or, better still, create a situation which would cry for his extension. Zia’s plan had been clear; retribution for 1971 with slow painful strikes in India over an elongated time under a nuclear shadow to neutralise asymmetry; this would create conditions for the required build up of sub-nationalist and pan Islamic passion among the Kashmiris, which would lead to the inability of India to hold on to J&K by force or otherwise.

Over a period of time, the Pakistani strategic leadership had succeeded in promoting in the minds of the Indian strategic community that there were red lines which would invite a nuclear response of undetermined proportions to defend Pakistan’s inter­ests, should India ever choose the military opt­ion. To bolster this and blur the lines of potential Indian decision making, acts of irrationality were executed imposing further caution. This created a ‘false’ sense of security within Pakistani decision makers that they had succeeded in limiting India’s response options in terms of escalation. Perhaps Musharraf’s bluff of 1999 and India’s decision not to cross the LoC or expand the ambit of the Kargil War added weight to the perception; in reality Vajpayee achieved much more through his decision than is perceived by many.

Cut back to 2016. Infiltration was becoming a problem with the strong Indian counter infiltration grid and the terrorist strength was insufficient to achieve anything of substance. The political situation wasn’t really progressing in Pakistan’s favour. The perception that the BJP-PDP alliance would fall apart after Mufti Sayeed’s death did not emerge. Mehbooba Mufti came to power on a BJP-PDP combine and there was a general silence on the touchy issues with Jammu politically quiet, as if to give governance a chance. This was dangerous. The parties were supposed to be ideologically poles apart and if this political coalition worked, it could succeed in stabilising the security situation and resume a development agenda; every element of this was dangerous for Raheel Sharif and the deep state. If something was not done quickly, it would get even more dangerous. Raheel, probably a believer in the maxim that fortune favours the brave, could hardly perceive a potential action which could be classified as bravado.

Just then, Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter. Raheel had probably not perceived how passions would be let lose on Kashmir’s streets by this event. The sleeper cells in Kashmir, the selected and identified surrendered terrorists, the other rabble rousers such as the bar council, the innumerable overground workers and the army of agents of the Hurriyat spread all over the Valley in towns and villages, all needed to come back to life. Infusion of finances was the key. It had already been done; more had to follow. However, even more than that, the lessons of 2010 clearly indicated that there were two aspects which prevented the agitation going the whole way; the strong-pro India performance of the J&K Police and the inability to take the agitation to the rural areas. Orders for this went out immediately and the feedback was that both issues were appropriately addressed.

The next issue which was a concern in 2010 was the stamina of the street turbulence; it would again have a finite limit. Thus, it was important to breathe oxygen into it by some high profile terror acts, which were not possible in the hinterland. This trigger could thus be an act such as this near the LoC, with infiltration from an unconventional route. Tangdhar had been twice unsuccessfully attempted. The finger pointed towards multiple targets with at least one being successful. Then the strike on the HQ 93 Brigade, Poonch, was attempted but failed. Uri was the next natural choice and success came unexpectedly due to the circumstances, adding to Raheel’s belief about the ‘brave’, although as a soldier he knew this was a sneaky and deceitful act and not a brave one. The success being greater than anticipated created a problem with nationalism coming to the fore in India and demands for retribution.

Raheel was now worried. The strategy had always been to keep these sub-conventional operations within India’s limits of tolerance. Circumstances beyond his control had created this situation. The Indians were baying for blood and were sounding more coherent in the spelling out of response options. What assured him was the history of India’s lack of response but what equally worried him was the possibility of India’s political and military leadership attempting something completely irrational, outside the purview of known attitude.

The above were some of the thoughts in General Raheel Sharif’s mind on the evening of September 19, 2016. He wasn’t sure he had clarity on anything he considered. One thing however appeared clear—the Indians weren’t calling his bluff any longer. It was time to call for a Corps Commanders Conference to re-evaluate options and perhaps to discreetly tell the Indians through the Americans that the Pakistanis would reconsider. Time for some shuttle diplomacy perhaps, a la Gates. And a prevention of loss of face.

(Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain commanded an The Indian Army’s 15  Corps in J&K.)

Slide show

Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s chief of army staff is known to see the Taliban within Pakistan as the biggest security threat to his country. He is due for retirement in November this year.

BY ROUNDING OFF, THE PERCENTAGE OF DISABILITY IS ENHANCED; IT MEANS HIGHER PENSION

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has extended the benefit of rounding off disability percentage to pre-1996 retirees with less than 20% disability.

Such a benefit was extended to post-1996 retirees but for pre1996 retirees, the rounding off was allowed only for those with a minimum disability of 20%.

The fifth pay commission introduced broad-banding to minimise medical subjectivity and rationalise mistakes of medical boards. It provided those with a disability below 50% to be granted disability element by treating it as 50%, those with 50%-75% were granted the benefit of 75%, and those above 76% were to be considered 100%. By rounding off, the percentage of disability is enhanced, which means higher pension.

Taking up three cases of pre1996 retirees, whose service was cut short as they had been bailed out with a disability percentage less than 20%, Justice Surinder Singh Thakur said, “In contravention to the policy formulated by the government, the defence ministry has consistently taken the stand that if the disability is even 1% in invalided out cases, post-1996 retirees will be entitled to rounding off but for pre-1996 retirees, rounding off will only be applicable if the disability is more than 20%.”

The judgment said, “This differentiation does not exist in the government letter of February 3, 2000. The counsel for the petitioners informed us that there is no such distinction for civilians and this has been introduced only for armed forces personnel.”

The Chandigarh bench said that the principal bench of the AFT in Delhi removed this distinction in a judgment in 2010 but the government ignored it and neither filed any appeal. “In other cases, the defence ministry has taken the plea that it is unable to issue a new policy without concurrence of the finance ministry. We find that at para 7 of the letter, concurrence of the finance ministry has been taken by the ministry of personnel, public grievance and pension.” The central government counsel couldn’t place any material or argument in support of why financial concurrence when already existing is again required.

In this case, disability percentage will be rounded off to 50 % in case of Bharat Kumar, who came to the court after 22 years of his release with disability of 11 to 19 %, Hoshiar Singh, who approached the court after 44 years of his release with disability of 15% to 19% and Jasbir Singh, who approached the court after 22 years with disability of 11% to 14 %.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Satpal Maharaj.

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 20

Former Union Minister of State for Railways Satpal Maharaj Rawat today expressed concern over large scale migration from the hilly region of the state, particularly villages near the Line of Actual Control with China.Maharaj spoke to The Tribune on the sidelines of the Sadbhavna Sammellan at the Prem Nagar ashram here today. He said the recent instances of incursion by Chinese army personnel into Barahoti in Chamoli district was the result of large scale migration of villagers from border areas.“Earlier no such cases of Chinese intrusions into the Indian territory on the 350 km border that Uttarakhand shares with China. But in the past five years, mass exodus of people from hill districts, particularly border areas and higher reaches, had led to a situation where villages are deserted. Local people were a natural deterrent to Chinese and they provided vital information to the Indian Army about any suspicious movement. Both Union and Uttarakhand governments should focus on this aspect and try to provide infrastructure, facilities and boost agriculture, horticulture and floriculture in border areas,” said Maharaj, a two-time MP from Pauri Garhwal district.He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching various initiatives such as Swacch Bharat, Namami Gange, Start Up and Make in India. On the ambitious Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line project, he said land acquisition was being done and in the coming years the railway line would be laid that was expected to change the economy of Uttarakhand.Maharaj urged people to sow seeds of love, harmony, peace and brotherhood to eradicate social evils and differences in society.