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Who will be next president of Sri Lanka? by Maj-Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd

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Maj-Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd)

  • Who will be next president of Sri Lanka?
Presidential polls: Frontrunners

Maj-Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd)
former GOC in IPKF, Sri Lanka

Betting in Colombo, as I discovered last week, is rampant on who will be the next president. Also, last week, on September 5, the Joint Opposition (JO) led by the Rajapaksa clan — the most famous of them being former president Mahinda Rajapaksa who defeated the invincible LTTE ending a 30-year old insurgency when its leader Prabhakaran and his army were defeated comprehensively in 2009 — staged its biggest protest rally in Colombo. It included Mahinda’s younger brother and former army colonel and defence secretary during the war and a contender for presidency, Gotabaya; his son Namal, also not without presidential aspirations; brother Basil, out on bail; and many others who lambasted the fractured National United Government (NUG) led by President Maithripala Sirisena of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) — two bitterly opposed parties which were brought together by a conjugation of interests and countries, including India, to oust the pro-China Rajapaksa.A similar mass mobilisation was organised in January 2016 to bring down the government. This time around, with the economy in a tailspin, postponement of provincial council elections due to the government’s proposal for delimitation of constituencies being defeated in parliament — a blessing in disguise for the government — in which the JO abstained, the government was punched into a corner. The ruling formation has not forgotten the drubbing it received in the local body elections of February 2018 when the JO swept the polls.

Like in Nepal, India is competing with China to preserve its increasingly questionable strategic superiority in Sri Lanka. The ruling government’s heart is not with China. But the weight of the carry-over Rajapaksa debt makes it lean towards Beijing.With the outcome of the next set of central and provincial elections uncertain but advantage the Rajapaksas, India, like Nepal, has decided to distribute its eggs in more than one basket. BJP MP and trouble-shooter Subramanian Swamy, a congenital LTTE baiter, is a long-time friend and ally of the Rajapaksas and was the Indian VVIP in Colombo during their rule. Mahinda will deliver a talk on India-Sri Lanka relations: The way ahead this week at Delhi — the fixture an alibi for meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval who played a key role in Mahinda losing the elections in 2015 in his third crack at the job. While he has publicly accused India of regime change, he has kept open back channels. India will have to play its cards extra carefully this time.

During the 2016 protest rally, the government was united, had a two-thirds majority and was seen to be acting against the corruption of the former regime, alleged human rights violations and constitutional reforms to settle the ethnic conflict. Although the government has established fast-track courts to deal with corruption and (Gotabaya has been banned from foreign travel by court) and Office of Missing Persons which has given its preliminary report recommending the President suspend military and police officers implicated in disappearances during the war, it is unlikely the government will take any action against them as the military has been placed by the JO on a pedestal. It would be treasonous to act against soldiers who bequeathed glorious victory.President Maithripala Sirisena has ruled out any early presidential poll. A new president has to be in place before January 9, 2020. My conversations with political pundits in Colombo suggested that a common candidate like in 2014-15 of the SLFP and UNP is highly unlikely now but there are still 16 months to go for elections. Rajapaksa’s candidature for a third term after the 19th amendment which put a bar on it will be tested in court for its retrospective application. Meanwhile, some scenarios are being tossed around.

First scenario

A three-way contest between Sirisena, Wickremesinghe and a JO candidate — Mahinda or Gotabaya, even Namal or a dark horse. Both Maithripala and Ranil want to become president. As neither is a likely winner on his own (though Ranil nearly made it in 2005, but for the Tamil vote), it could be a common candidate other than these two. Many names are being mentioned, among them Sajith Premadasa, son of Premadasa, former president of the UNP.

Second scenario

Repeat of 2014-15: A common candidate of the SLFP and UNP versus JO

Third scenario

The JO and SLFP rump getting together, ie the SLFP and Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) plus the dissident SLFPers all unite against the UNP. In other words, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena re-unite against Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Fourth scenario

Gotabhaya for president and Mahinda as prime minister and Ranil for president with Maithripala Sirisena for PM. Most unlikely.

If Mahinda Rajapaksa is allowed a third term, there is nothing to prevent former president Chandrika Kumaratunga who glued together the grand unity between Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe to put in her claim. She will be backed by the SLFP rump and many from the Mahinda lot. The story doing the rounds is that Mahinda does not want Gota to become president as he will not provide space for the rest of the Rajapaksa clan. Colombo’s grapevine also suggested that the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka had told Mahinda that Gota is not suitable presidential material. For any of the Rajapaksas to win, the party will require 70 per cent of the Sinhalese vote. At present, the line-up for the next president is complex and confused.

Besides the domestic factors, there is China which will be inclined towards a known Rajapaksa as opposed to a relatively less familiar Wickremesinghe or Sirisena. Similarly, the US and India could jointly back the same horse, but who, it is difficult to tell. Nobody in Colombo has the name of the winning horse. Nor is anyone prepared to guess.

 

Defence Ministry Sends Experts To 5 Countries For New Assault Rifles

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In June last year, the Army kick-started initial process to procure around 44,600 carbines, nearly eight months after a tender for it was retracted.

Defence Ministry Sends Experts To 5 Countries For New Assault Rifles

The Indian Army has been pressing for fast-tracking the procurement. (File)

NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry has sent a team of military experts to Australia, the US, South Korea, Israel and United Arab Emirates to look for new assault rifles and battle carbines.

Sources said the nine-member delegation of experts will interact with leading manufacturers of assault rifles and close quarter battle carbines which are being procured for the Indian Army.

“The empowered committee for procurement of the weapons will hold meetings with leading manufacturers of these weapons and evaluate qualities of their rifles and carbines,” said a source.

In February, the defence ministry had approved purchase of 7.40 lakh assault rifles to bolster the strength of the armed forces.

In June last year, the Army had kick-started the initial process to procure around 44,600 carbines, nearly eight months after a tender for it was retracted.

Around half a dozen firms including a few global arms manufacturers had responded to the RFI.

In the last few months, the Defence Ministry has fast tracked procurement of rifles, carbines and LMGs to equip the soldiers on the border with modern and more effective equipment.

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The Indian Army has been pressing for fast-tracking the procurement of various weapons systems considering the evolving security threats including along India’s borders with Pakistan and China.

Alas, the soldier is gone by PS Randhawa

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Alas, the soldier is gone

PS Randhawa

I wonder where the soldier has gone whom I saw in my childhood? In the school in my village, in the 1960s and ’70s, our classroom walls adorned huge posters of Subedar Joginder Singh, Major Somnath Sharma, Major Dhan Singh Thapa and other Param Vir Chakra awardees. That was the time when the wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971 had been fought. Our village soldiers who returned from the front narrated numerous tales of bravery. Hav Karam Singh, who was in the artillery and had a penchant for writing Punjabi poems, would recite them at the village gurdwara — Kadh-kadh topan chaldiyan (guns go blazing boom boom). A soldier coming on leave was revered and held in very high esteem. In any congregation, he was offered a place of pride. Old soldiers were part of village folklore. Our language books had poems eulogising the bravery of soldiers. I still remember a poem, ‘Wagan chhad de hanjhuan waliye ne pair dharan de mainu raqab utte, mere desh te bani e bheed bhaari tut paye ne wairy Punjab utte’ (O my bride with tearful looks, allow me to leave for war as the enemy has attacked my country and Punjab front has got activated). A number of stories of war heros were part of textbooks. Ballads of war and poems about soldiers featured predominantly in the Saturday Bal Sabha. No school function was complete without one or two items praising the soldiers and the Army.  A soldier formed an important part of Punjab’s culture. A number of folk songs sung by women on weddings were about longings of brides for the soldier gone to war; a sample: ‘Pehli gaddi aave mera Hauldar ve” (May my Havildar come back in the first available train). Songs played on All India Radio such as, ‘Mahi ve lai ke chhuttian mahine dian aa” (O my beloved come home on leave for a month) and ‘Mahi aave jang jit ke, te main randion suhagan hovan’ (May my beloved come back after winning the war and I may become a bride again) are still fresh in my memory. Soldiering was the most revered profession in Punjab. Almost all the sportsmen of national and international fame were from the Army. Be it hockey, athletics, boxing, wrestling or any other sport; almost all were predominantly represented by soldiers. Most of the players preferred to join the Army. But now everything has changed. Heroes are synonymous only with films. A soldier does not find a place in Punjabi culture. Folk songs eulogising him are long forgotten. One hardly finds a chapter on brave soldiers in any textbook. Sportsmen do not join the Army. Veterans do not find a respectable place even in village meetings due to politics. That soldier of my childhood days is lost.

10 BSF jawans en route to J&K on army special train go missing

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10 BSF jawans en route to J&K on army special train go missing

Photo for representational purpose only.

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, June 28

Disappearance of 10 BSF jawans from a special train heading for Jammu is a case of French leave taken by the jawans, a BSF spokesperson here said.Personnel from the 83rd battalion of the BSF boarded the special train on Tuesday from a station in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Their absence was first noticed at the Mughalsarai junction on Wednesday evening. The jawans found absent are believed to have disappeared from the train between Bardhaman station of West Bengal and Dhanbad in Jharkhand.“In all likelihood the jawans are from the Jharkhand area and they went to their respective homes,” RP Jaswal, DIG, posted in the BSF’s South Bengal Frontier Headquarters here, said.Special trains meant for security forces take a long time to reach their destinations. The 10 BSF jawans who disembarked en route are expected to reach Jammu on their own and report for duty. However, they will face disciplinary action for their unauthorised absence.A complaint has been filed with the Government Railway Police in Mughalsarai station, known now as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar railway station, saying the jawans have gone “absent without leave”.Filing police complaint under such circumstances is routine, the DIG said.

Cong, BJP spar over surgical strikes Stop playing politics on soldiers’ blood: Surjewala

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Cong, BJP spar over surgical strikes

Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab Chief Minister

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 28

Accusing the BJP government of playing politics on the blood of soldiers, the Congress on Thursday said the sacrifice of soldiers was a matter of pride, not politics.Reacting to the release of a video on the September 2016 surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads in Pakistan, the Congress said the “BJP was in a habit of using the valour of Army personnel for electoral benefits”.“Our forces have given a befitting reply to every challenge to India’s integrity, both internal and external. Decisive demolition of the terror infrastructure has been a hallmark of the untiring mettle of our armed forces. Conducting strategic ‘surgical strikes’ with utmost precision and effective penetration at different times in last two decades has been characteristic of the grit and determination of our forces,” Randeep Surjewala said, seeking to underscore the point that these strikes are not new.To drive home his point, Surjewala cited the following surgical strikes of the past – January 21, 2000 (Nadala Enclave across the Neelam River); September 18, 2003 (Baroh Sector, Poonch); June 19, 2008 (Bhattal Sector, Poonch); Aug 30 to September 1, 2011 (Sharda Sector, across Neelam River Valley in Kel); January 6, 2013 (Sawan Patra Checkpost); July 27, 28, 2013 (Nazapir Sector); August 6, 2013 (Neelam Valley); January 14, 2014 and September 28, 29 2016.The Congress said the BJP “shamelessly politicised the 2016 surgical strikes for the March 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and went to the extent of organising “samman samaroh” of then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Agra besides running a high voltage publicity campaign by pasting posters and hoardings giving credit of the strikes to the PM”.“BJP trashed every tradition of restraint by belligerent chest thumping to claim credit of surgical strike with an eye on political and electoral gain. BJP president Amit Shah went to the extent of claiming in October 2016 that the Army had crossed the LoC for the first time in 68 years,” Surjewala said, asking the BJP to restore benefits to Army personnel that it had cut over the past, including rations.Surjewala also drew attention of the BJP to the poor defence preparedness due to cuts in defence Budget allocations.

Army Major made 3,300 calls in 6 months to fellow officer’s wife he killed

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Shailza Dwivedi, wife of Major Amit Dwivedi, was found at the Delhi cantonment area on Saturday with her throat slit and signs of being run over. (Facebook Screengrab | Shailza, Mrs India EARTH MoSt Creative)

New Delhi: Indian Army Major Nikhil Handa exchanged 3,300 calls and 1,500 text messages with wife of a fellow officer he is accused of murdering since January, it was revealed in court on Monday.

Shailza Dwivedi, wife of Major Amit Dwivedi, was found dead at the Delhi cantonment area on Saturday with her throat slit and signs of being run over.

The court has sent Major Handa, arrested on Sunday from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, to four-day police remand.

When Shailza Dwivedi, one of the finalists of Mrs India-Earth 2017, refused Major Handa’s marriage proposal, he allegedly attacked her with a knife, threw her out of the car and ran her over to make it look like a hit-and-run, the police suspect.

He was obsessed with her and wanted to marry her.

“Judging by the number of calls he made, he was too possessive about her,” said police officer Vijay Kumar.

Read: Army Major ‘obsessed’ with officer’s wife, killed her for rejecting him

The murder weapon has not been found.

According to police, Major Handa had fought with his wife over his relationship with Shailza Dwivedi the night before he murdered Shailza Dwivedi. On Saturday, he had called Shailza and arranged to meet with her.

After the murder, he reportedly took his Honda City car for a thorough cleaning but forensic experts were still able to detect traces of blood.

“We have fingerprints and Shailza’s hair from the car. Handa also deleted many apps from his and her phones. We are trying to retrieve them,” said a police officer.

The police say Major Handa also tried to get rid of Shailza’s phone by breaking it to pieces and dumping it in a trash can near his home, but it was found.

Also Read: For murdered Army Major’s wife, women safety was cause close to heart

CCTV footage from outside the Army Base Hospital in the cantonment area showed Dwidevi getting into a car. Her body was found in the area half-an hour later. She was run over, but the police found that her throat was slit before that.

Major Handa and 30-year-old Shailza Dwivedi had met in 2015 in Nagaland when her husband was posted there. They kept in touch even when she came to Delhi along with her husband who was transferred to the capital.

Major Handa, currently posted in Nagaland’s Dimapur, was arrested after Major Dwivedi revealed his suspicion to the police and subsequent investigations were made.

Gen Rawat, Guv discuss Valley’s security situation

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 23

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat met Governor NN Vohra here on Saturday evening after reviewing the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the hinterland.During their extended discussions, the Governor and the Army Chief discussed issues relating to the external security environment, challenges of counter-terrorist operations in the hinterland and the arrangements for the safe conduct of forthcoming Amarnath yatra.They also discussed the steps required to be taken for assuring a stable and bright future for the youth of the state. Earlier, General Rawat visited the Valley and reviewed the prevailing security situation along the LoC and hinterland.Accompanied by Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh and Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen AK Bhatt, the Army Chief visited forward posts along the LoC in the frontier districts of Kupwara and Baramulla where he was briefed on all aspects of operational and logistical preparedness.The Army Chief was appreciative of the measures and Standard Operating Procedures instituted by the units and formations to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements.Commending the performance of the troops in the recent successful operations, the Army Chief stressed the need to maintain the extra vigil to defeat the evil designs of hostile forces.Ops in hinterland

  • The Governor and the Army Chief discussed issues relating to the external security environment, challenges of counter-terrorist operations in the hinterland and the arrangements for the safe conduct of forthcoming Amarnath yatra
  • They also discussed the steps required to be taken for assuring a stable and bright future for the youth of the state

Cantonment Roads: Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right

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The MoD’s decision to open cantonment roads to the public appears to violate the existing law governing cantonments.

Cantonment Roads

On May 22, roads within cantonment areas were opened to the general public through an order issued by the Ministry of Defence. The Army was thus instructed to dismantle all road blocks and barricades. The issue with this decision is that it flies in the face of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Cantonments Act, 2006, the Cantonment Land Administration Rules, 1937 (CLAR), as well as a decision of the Hyderabad High Court. The decision to open the roads to the general public was taken ostensibly by keeping in mind the inconvenience caused to the public due to being denied thoroughfare through the cantonment roads. Another reason cited by the Ministry of Defence on May 28, 2018 was that the good public schools exist within the cantonment areas, and it would not be fair to deny public the access to these schools. On June 5, the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the decision was taken since the local military authorities (LMA) had not followed the procedure laid down in section 258 of the Cantonments Act.

Section 258 of the Cantonments Act lays down the procedures for opening or closing roads. Under this section, a Cantonment Board can open any road for public use. However, to close a road, the Board has to take prior permission of the General Officer Commanding in Chief, or the Principal Director. Further, the decision to close a road to the public can only be for security reasons and must be preceded by a public notification inviting objections and suggestions from the public.

On the face of it, it appears that the Cantonment Boards are in almost absolute control of the roads within cantonment areas. However, when one looks at the law laid down under the CLAR, this is not the case. Rule 4 of the CLAR provides for classifying land in the cantonment areas. The land is classified as Class A land, Class B land and Class C land. Class A land is further divided into Class A (1) land on which barracks, ammunition dumps, rifle ranges and other allied military installations exist. Class A (2) land is the land, which is land not actually occupied by the military, but the military wishes to keep it vacant for specific reasons. Class B land is also divided under Rule 6 into Class B (1) land, which consists of ecclesiastical structures and cemeteries. Class B (2) land is the land which is occupied or used by any department of the “provincial government”. Class B (3) land is the land held by a private person on grant. Class B (4) land is the land, which is not included in any other class. 

Rule 9 lays down which authority controls each class of the land. Classes A (1), A (2), B (3) and B (4) land is managed by the Military Estates Officer or in the present case, the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE), provided that the Union Government has not specifically placed the Class A (1) land under the control of the LMAs. Class B (1) land is managed with the department in possession of the land. Class B (2) land is managed by the “provincial government” in possession of the land. Class C land is solely managed by the Cantonment Board. Rule 14 further states that the DGDE has control over the Class A lands only to the extent of maintenance activities.

Under the Official Secrets Act, section 2(8) defines a ‘prohibited place’, in essence, as any installation belonging to or occupied by any branch of the defence forces. Unauthorised entry into them as well as possessing maps and plans of these protected areas is punishable under sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act. Sections 7 and 8 indirectly empower the armed forces to administer prohibited places. Section 7 prohibits people from interfering with police officers or members of the armed forces in discharging their duties in and around prohibited places. Section 8 makes it mandatory for people to furnish information regarding the commission, abetment or incitement of espionage when demanded to do so by the police or the armed forces. Thus, under the Official Secrets Act, since no unauthorised person may enter a prohibited area, the administration of the prohibited area lies with the armed forces, or the Union Government as the case may be. Thus, the Class A land may be considered a prohibited area under the Official Secrets Act.

Thus, even if a Cantonment Board wishes to open a particular road, if the road traverses through Class A land or Class B land vested with the LMA, then the Board can have no say in the matter.

In 2014, a decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court dealt with very similar issues. The case, Mani Enclave Residents Welfare Association v. Union of Indiaconcerned a series of petitions seeking to quash the decision of the LMAs to close several roads passing through the cantonment areas of Hyderabad and Secuderabad. The petitioners had stated that closing the roads to the public would cause great inconvenience to them, and further complicate their daily commutes. The Army, however, argued that closing the roads was done in accordance to intelligence inputs, and in the interest of security of the defence installations within the cantonment. To support this, the Army provided the Judge with the relevant reports, which were not disclosed in the Judgement. The Army further displayed that the roads through the cantonment would in fact be more circuitous and that the civilian roads would provide a shorter route to destinations on either side of the cantonment area. The petitioners claimed that since they had been using the roads prior to the army’s decision to close them, the roads could not be said to constitute a part of Class A (1) land. This contention was dismissed as the Judge, Justice P. Naveen Rao, stated that merely because civilians were using a particular road would not change the nature of the land on which it was constructed. He further mentioned in his Judgement that security concerns cannot be jeopardised due to the civilian authorities failing to maintain the alternate roads. Thus, the Judgement went in the favour of the Army.

Considering the decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, it appears that the current legal position is that civilians can be restricted at any time from passing through Class A (1) land. This arises from reading section 258 of the Cantonments Act while applying the restrictions imposed by the CLAR. Thus, the spheres of control over defence land is laid clear. The LMAs have absolute authority over Class A land, the DGDE has control over Class B land, and the Cantonment Boards have control over Class C land. By imposing an order to open all roads, the MoD appears to have ridden roughshod over the established existing procedure, while stating that section 258 of the Cantonments Act was not adhered to.

Soldier abducted, body found

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Soldier abducted, body found

Aurangzeb belonged to 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. — ANI

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 14

A 24-year-old Army jawan, on his way home in Poonch for Eid, was abducted by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday morning. After a search, his body was found late in the evening.  Aurangzeb of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), posted at Shadimarg camp in Pulwama, was travelling in a private car when the militants reportedly stopped the vehicle,  2 km from the camp at Kalampora.Pulwama SSP Mohammad Aslam said, “his  (Aurangzeb’s) bullet-riddled body was found in Gusoo village, 12 km from where he was abducted… The mutilated body had multiple bullet wounds.”Aurangzeb had joined the Army in 2012. Earlier in the day, defence sources had said the soldier was abducted by terrorists in a Maruti car, “three of them possibly armed”. But local sources claimed a soldier posted at Shadimarg  had stopped a car and requested that a man in civvies be dropped at Shopian. “This vehicle was later intercepted by  militants and the soldier abducted.” In Srinagar, Col Rajesh Kalia too confirmed the incident. The 44 Rashtriya Rifles has  carried out several successful operations in Pulwama this year, leaving more than 12 militants dead.Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the incident as “a very worrying development”. 

Ceasefire in tatters as four BSF men killed in Pak firing

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Asst commandant from Rajasthan among those dead in Samba attack

JAMMU: Four Border Security Force men, including an assistant commandant, were killed and three seriously injured in firing by Pakistan Rangers along the International Border near the famous Chamliyal shrine in Ramgarh sub-sector of Samba district, a BSF officer said on Wednesday.

PTIBSF men pay tributes to their four colleagues at a wreath­laying ceremony in Jammu.

The BSF accused Pakistan of betraying the Indian side by not honouring its truce commitment made at the recent DGMO- level talks on May 29 that was followed by a sector commander -level flag meeting earlier this month.

“They first fired two mortars that landed on our party followed by firing. It happened around 9.45 pm on Tuesday night. We have retaliated and other action is in the pipeline,” said BSF Jammu frontier inspector general Ram Awtar. “Four BSF men have made supreme sacrifices in the line of duty,” he said.

Those men killed in the attack were identified as assistant commandant Jitendra Singh, assistant sub-inspector Ramniwas and constable Hansraj, all from Rajasthan, and sub-inspector Rajneesh Kumar, a resident of Etah in Uttar Pradesh.

Eleven BSF troops have been killed in cross-border firing incidents along border in the state this year, the most losses the border guard has suffered in a year since 2013, latest data reveals.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed anguish over the deaths of the four BSF personnel, and reiterated her demand for cessation of hostilities along the borders to protect lives and properties of border people. CEASEFIRE CALL TODAY A final decision on the commencement of counter-insurgency operations in J&K is likely to be taken by the Centre during a security meeting held at the ministry of home affairs on Thursday, senior government officials said.