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Rohtang Pass thrown open to traffic, 46 rescued
SHIMLA: Over 40 people, including patients and defence personnel who were stranded at a camp, were rescued as BRO opened the Rohtang Pass for traffic on Thursday.
At least 180 vehicles crossed the pass on Thursday.
The 13,000-ft high passRohtang Pass was closed and traffic on the Manali-Leh highway had come to a standstill following heavy snowfall on November 17.
At least 46 persons, including patients and defence personnel, were lodged at Kokhsar village, 70 km uphill from Manali.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, 38 Border Road Task Force commander AK Awasthi said, “The Border Road Organisation (BRO) had on Wednesday completed snow clearance operation on Rohtang Pass, but did not allow movement of traffic due to ice on roads. The pass was thrown open for traffic on Thursday morning.”
Saying that the clearing operations were a great challenge, Awasthi said, “80-member work force worked 12 hours while subzero temperature affected efficiency of machines. High-velocity winds in the area also made snow clearance more difficult,” he said.
Meanwhile, the district administration in Lahaul & Spiti has also sought help from the army asking it allow the use of under construction strategic tunnel in Rohtang .
“We have requested the defence authorities to allow us to use tunnel in case of medical emergencies,” said deputy commissioner Lahaul & Spiti Dewa Singh Negi. MARRIAGE PARTY RESCUED
As many as 35 members of a marriage party, who were trapped in snow, were brought to Udaipur, 60 km from Keylong on Thursday. The marriage party, which had left for Miyarh valley on November 15 from Kullu, was caught in the snow. “They all have been taken to a rest house in Udaipur,” said Udaipur naib tehsildhar Karam Chand.
2-month-long ops led to Lashkar killings
Chinar Corps GOC Lt Gen JS Sandhu along with Victor Force GOC Maj Gen BS Raju and DGP SP Vaid addresses a press conference in Srinagar on Sunday. Tribune Photo: Amin War
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 19
The relentless operations in Hajin for the past over two months by security forces yielded fruits on Saturday when they eliminated the six-member Pakistani group of the Lashkar-e-Toiba which was involved in many killings and also injuring CRPF commandant Chetan Cheeta.Six top Lashkar militants, including Obaid, alias Osama Jangvi, son of Abdul Rehman Makki, second in command of Jamat ud Dawah, and nephew of alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks Zakir Rehman Lakhvi, were killed in a gunfight at Chandrageer in Hajin, Bandipora, 32 km from Srinagar. An elite Garud commando of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala, 31, who was operating with the Army for operational training was also killed in the gunfight.The General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen JS Sandhu, on Sunday said Hajin was an area of focus for the security agencies.“Terrorists had resorted to some atrocities in the area. As a strategy, we had launched several operations in Hajin mid-September onwards. We were practically launching search operations on a daily basis. We had inducted Special Forces in the area and along with the intelligence network, police and the CRPF, the law and order in Hajin was brought under control. We were keeping a watch over the Chandrageer area for the last two-three days and yesterday based upon a specific input, the joint operation was launched in which six terrorists were eliminated,” Lt General Sandhu said at a joint press conference also attended by Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid and senior police, Army and CRPF officers.“All six were foreign terrorists led by Mehmood Bhai and comprised the bulk of the Hajin group. I want to highlight that the Hajin group (of the Lashkar) has largely been decimated,” he said. “We will continue the operations and we hope to restore peace in the Valley as soon as possible.”The DGP said the operation on Saturday evening had “cleaned up the area”. “I am sure the people will have a sigh of relief and they would lead a life free of terror,” Vaid said at the joint briefing.Obaid was the third member of the Lakhvi’s family who had joined the Lashkar ranks and got killed in Kashmir since 2007. Hajin, which was once the headquarters of counter-insurgency group Ikwan, had of late turned into a strong base for Lashkar. Earlier this year, Lakhvi’s another nephew Musaib was also killed in Hajin.IGP, Kashmir, Munir Khan said the Lashkar leadership is sending their relatives to boost the morale of its cadres. “There is a leadership bankruptcy in the Lashkar and other organisations. In a way to motivate their cadres operating in the Valley, they started sending close relatives. It is nothing more than that,” Khan said.Top officers involved in the anti-militancy operation said they had plugged loopholes to ensure no repetition of the past as this group had managed to escape at least twice in recent months.“In the past operations, the militants used to fire indiscriminately at a single point to break the cordon. In a few cases they had managed to escape and we lost many of our men. On Saturday afternoon when the operation was launched around four suspected houses, they followed the same strategy, but we had plugged all exit routes and in half an hour all six top militants were killed,” a police officer said. “We suspected a local militant might have been part of the group, but he was not with them. The combing operation was over in two hours.”Nearly 200 terrorists still active in KashmirThe Army on Sunday said 190 militants were killed in the Kashmir valley this year. The GOC, 15 Corps, Lt Gen JS Sandhu, said out of the 190 militants, 66 were killed along Line of Control while they were trying to infiltrate. “Of the killed, 80 terrorists were locals and 110 were foreign terrorists. This has brought a remarkable change in the ground situation,” he said. Around 200 militants, including 110 to 120 locals, are currently active in Kashmir.
Martyred Mandi jawan was lone bread-winner of family Body to be brought to his village by road today
Inder Singh, an Assam Rifles jawan, was killed in an explosion at Manipur’s Chandel district on Monday. He was on patrolling duty at Maha Mani village when the improvised explosive device exploded around 6.15 am.
Tribune News Service
Mandi, November 14
The world of Mandi soldier’s family came crashing down when the news of his death reached his village. Inder Singh, an Assam Rifles jawan, was killed in an explosion at Manipur’s Chandel district on Monday. He was on patrolling duty at Maha Mani village when the improvised explosive device exploded around 6.15 am.The blast claimed the lives of two Assam Rifles jawans and left six injured.Inder’s family at Pandoh village in Mandi district was inconsolable. The martyr’s wife and mother said he was the lone bread-winner as his father had died long ago. His seven-year-old son had no idea what was happening in the house. Relatives were seen consoling the family. His wife said life would never be the same as tears rolled down her cheeks. Though the family is proud of Inder’s sacrifice, it will be difficult for them to come to terms with the loss.The family and relatives are waiting for the body which will be brought by road from Pathankot.Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Madan Chauhan said the body was expected to arrive here on Wednesday morning and the cremation would be done the same day. He added that the district administration would provide every possible help to the family.
Zimbabwe military denies coup in TV address; says President, family safe Soldiers, armoured vehicles seal road access to govt offices
President Robert Mugabe and General Constantino Chiwenga. Reuters/file
Harare, November 15
Zimbabwean military officers read an address live on state TV on Wednesday, saying they were not launching a coup but were “targeting criminals around” President Robert Mugabe.
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“It is not a military takeover of government,” said one general reading a statement.
“We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the president… and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed.
“We are only targeting criminals around him (Mugabe) who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice,” Zimbabwe Major General SB Moyo, Chief of Staff Logistics, said on national television on Wednesday.
“As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.”
Zimbabwean soldiers and armoured vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, a Reuters witness said on Wednesday.
While nearby, Zimbabweans queued for cash outside banks as public taxis ferried commuters to work.
The military detained Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo on Wednesday, a government source said. Chombo was a leading member of the so-called ‘G40’ faction of the ruling ZANU-PF party, led by Mugabe’s wife Grace, that had been vying to succeed Mugabe.
Soldiers deployed across the Zimbabwe capital Harare on Tuesday and seized the state broadcaster after Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party accused the head of the military of treason, prompting frenzied speculation of a coup.
Just 24 hours after military chief General Constantino Chiwenga threatened to intervene to end a purge of his allies in Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, a Reuters reporter saw armoured personnel carriers on main roads around the Capital.
Aggressive soldiers told passing cars to keep moving through the darkness. “Don’t try anything funny. Just go,” one barked at Reuters on Harare Drive.
Two hours later, soldiers overran the headquarters of the ZBC, Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster and a principal Mugabe mouthpiece, and ordered staff to leave. Several ZBC workers were manhandled, two members of staff and a human rights activist said.
Shortly afterwards, three explosions rocked the centre of the southern African nation’s capital, Reuters witnesses said.
Mugabe, the self-styled ‘Grand Old Man’ of African politics, has led Zimbabwe for the last 37 years.
In contrast to his elevated status on the continent, Mugabe is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa’s most promising states.
The United States and Britain advised their citizens in Harare to stay indoors because of “political uncertainty.” “US citizens in Zimbabwe are encouraged to shelter in place until further notice,” the US statement said.
The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office statement told “nationals currently in Harare to remain safely at home or in their accommodation until the situation becomes clearer.” The Southern African nation has been on edge since Monday when Chiwenga, Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said he was prepared to “step in” to end a purge of supporters of sacked vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Only a few months ago, Mnangagwa, a former security chief nicknamed “The Crocodile”, was favourite to succeed his life-long political patron but was ousted a week ago to pave the way for Mugabe’s 52-year-old wife Grace to succeed him.
‘Politics over the gun’
Chiwenga’s unprecedented statement represented a major escalation of the struggle to succeed Mugabe, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since it gained independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe chaired a weekly cabinet meeting in the capital on Tuesday, officials said, and afterwards ZANU-PF said it stood by the “primacy of politics over the gun” and accused Chiwenga of “treasonable conduct … meant to incite insurrection.” The previous day, Chiwenga had made clear the army’s refusal to accept the removal of Mnangagwa – like the generals a veteran of Zimbabwe’s anti-colonial liberation war – and the presumed accession of Grace, once a secretary in the government typing pool.
Local government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, a leading figure in her relatively youthful ‘G40’ faction, refused to answer Reuters questions about the situation in Harare. “I’m in a meeting,” he said, before hanging up shortly before midnight.
Army, police and government spokesmen refused to answer numerous phone calls asking for comment.
‘Defending our revolution’
Neither Mugabe nor Grace have responded in public to Chiwenga’s remarks and state media did not publish his statement. The Herald newspaper posted some of the comments on its Twitter page but deleted them.
The head of ZANU-PF’s youth wing, which openly backs Grace, accused the army chief of subverting the constitution.
“Defending the revolution and our leader and president is an ideal we live for and if need be it is a principle we are prepared to die for,” Youth League leader Kudzai Chipanga said at the party’s headquarters in Harare.
Grace Mugabe’s rise has brought her into conflict with the independence-era war veterans, who enjoyed privileged status in Zimbabwe until the last two years when they spearheaded criticism of Mugabe’s handling of the economy.
In the last year, a chronic absence of dollars has led to long queues outside banks and an economic and financial collapse that many fear will rival the meltdown of 2007-2008, when inflation topped out at 500 billion percent.
Imported goods are running out and economists say that, by some measures, inflation is now at 50 percent a month.
According to a trove of intelligence documents reviewed by Reuters this year, Mnangagwa has been planning to revitalise the economy by bringing back thousands of white farmers kicked off their land nearly two decades ago and patching up relations with the likes of the World Bank and IMF.
Whatever the outcome, analysts said the military would want to present their move as something other than a full-blown coup to avoid criticism from an Africa keen to leave behind the Cold War continental stereotype of generals being the final arbiters of political power.
“A military coup is the nuclear option,” said Alex Magaisa, a UK-based Zimbabwean academic. “A coup would be a very hard sell at home and in the international community. They will want to avoid that.” Agencies
PUNJAB State to hold nation’s first military lit fest
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 27
A three-day military literary festival, the first such event in the country that would focus on contemporary thought and promote recent publications on defence and national security, is being organised here by the Punjab Government from December 7 to 9.Sources said the modalities and programme of the event were being worked out and different themes explored. Chief Minister Capt Amari nder Singh had held a meeting in this regard yesterday.“Books published recently are being shortlisted and their authors would be invited to talk about their work. Panel discussions on the topic would also be held,” an official said. Besides, there could also be talks by eminent persons on current military issues and other aspects of national security as well as subjects like war stories, military history and acts of gallantry, the official added.The idea of a military literary festival was mooted by Governor VP Singh Badnore earlier this year while releasing a book on the legendary Saragarhi battle authored by the CM. He opined that a number of senior and distinguished retired defence officers, including close to a 100 lieutenant generals, were based in Chandigarh and their expertise and experience should be a source of enlightenment for others.
US ‘accessed’ Russian sub in India Newspaper report triggers diplomatic row, another portal denies
India leased the Chakra, an Akula-class submarine, in 2012 for 10 years for almost $700 million. file photo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 10
A Russian newspaper last night created a diplomatic row between India, Russia and the US. The matter was sorted out this morning when another Russian news website termed the information given out by the newspaper as incorrect and blamed French lobbyists for spreading misinformation.Yesterday, Russian newspaper “Kommersant” reported on its website that the Indian Navy had allowed a US technical crew into top secret compartments of India’s existing Russian-built nuclear submarine, the INS Chakra.The Kommersant referred to this as “an unprecedented scandal” and said the incident “threatened to seriously complicate negotiations (between India and Russia for another nuclear submarine)”.The newspaper said it was a violation of the terms of the contract between India and Russia. India leased the Chakra, an Akula-class submarine, in 2012 for a period of 10 years for almost $700 million. The ownership of the vessel rests with the Russians.Kommersant had cited US-based website ‘strategypage.com’ saying: “Moscow suspects that despite the leasing conditions prescribed in the contract, Delhi allowed representatives of the US Navy to the Chakra submarine, who got acquainted with its internal systems.”Akula is globally regarded as top-of-the-line submarine.Today, a Russian news portal, NEWS.ru, debunked the account of the Kommersant and blamed French lobbyists for spreading misinformation to further their own chances of selling a nuclear-powered attack submarine to India.NEWS.ru quoted a source saying: “In addition to the contract for the construction of non-nuclear boats such the Scorpene (now being inducted by the Indian Navy,) the French have a great desire to enter the Indian nuclear fleet.”Sources in India denied that a team of US submarine specialists visited the Chakra, believed to be based out of Vishakapatnam on the east coast. A Russian diplomat said that Russia and India were time-tested friends. “There are mechanisms to sort out such issues. Normally, between two friends you avoid doing things that the other dislikes. We are trying to ascertain facts though, have only read reports. But the matter, if true, will likely be taken up at the various mechanisms of military commissions or between the defence ministries.”
Let’s give the chief a break
The genesis of the article is derived from the vast flow of anti-army chief comments on social media, mostly from the veterans’ community. This article is not intended to defend any individual or institution but to project realities which are being glossed over. The present army chief assumed his appointment on 31 December 2016.
He was vice chief prior to his promotion, hence would possess knowledge of current issues. Since his assumption the army has been in the limelight for a variety of reasons, mostly not favourable. Recent ones include removal of the OROP agitators by force from Jantar Mantar, the Gogoi incident in J and K, the equivalence commission, attempts at degradation of the force by the bureaucracy and the ministry, clearing garbage in remote areas and construction of Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) in Mumbai.
The veterans’ community is hurt by most of these issues, hence are vociferous. This is also a period of intense social media exploitation by veterans and other so-called security experts. Almost everyone considers himself as an authority on national security and matters related to the armed forces, especially the army.
Being at the helm of affairs, the chief is the individual who faces flak in every form of media. Flak flowed from human right activists and opposition politicians on the Gogoi incident and from veterans on a variety of other issues.
At the drop of a hat, social media is abuzz with calls for him to resign, to refuse government orders and even advice on how to disregard government directions. It is a fact that the serving fraternity is bound by silence while their sole voice remains the veterans, who appear to have taken it upon themselves to address all ills which the system faces. They feel that they form the ‘know all fraternity’ and can correct ills by raising voices and seeking resignations. They are right to the extent that the public needs be informed about forcible attempts by the government to degrade the service, however accusing the hierarchy of not acting may be far-fetched.
There is a difference between criticising the head of the institution against criticising the government, which permits derogatory actions to be undertaken under its watch while maintaining a stoic silence.
The army chief, in his capacity as the head of the largest and most powerful force in the nation, has immense responsibilities. He is involved in a perpetual battle to make up deficiencies in equipment profile, manage a hostile internal environment where the bureaucracy is seeking to degrade military ranks, meet the aspirations of the force as also of its veterans, each category demanding priority and special attention.
This is compounded by the fact that he is not part of the government, despite the usage of the term ‘Integrated HQs’. The service HQs have deliberately been left out of the government machinery, placed under a civilian-run defence ministry, solely to restrict the ability of service chiefs to influence the system, as also being involved in national decision making.
For every decision they need to process cases through the ministry, which has and would always remain a stumbling block as it visualises itself in competition with the very armed forces it has been created to support. Hence issues concerning the force which would also concern the chief, as he is responsible for those he commands, would need to be progressed deliberately, at times involving multiple ministries, none of whom are in a hurry to respond.
Government decision-making is slow, especially if it concerns an organisation which can never protest nor apparently influence political vote banks. Government rules also prevent the armed forces from openly participating on social media, holding press conferences to project their viewpoint or contradict actions of the government. The only individual who does interact with the media on a variety of issues is the chief.
Being a mature responsible officer, who must have faith in the political leadership despite negative actions of the bureaucracy, his views cannot contradict those of the national leadership, even if he has reservations. Thus, we veterans need to consider the constraints under which our chief serves, rather than seeking to comment negatively at every stage. In all probability, he would also have been hurt by the treatment meted out to veterans and non-implementation of OROP.
Meeting agitating veterans would send a wrong message to the government, hence has been avoided. He would be involved in behind-the-scenes discussions trying to ensure OROP is processed early and also would have raised maltreatment against veterans at appropriate fora.
These may not be topics which he could discuss in media conversations, hence are deliberately left out. No chief would ever sell his service for personal post-retirement benefits. It is a fallacy which has flourished over the years, solely because a few were awarded with post-retirement appointments. Bureaucrats battle us because we dominate headlines, are more efficient and get more respect from the nation than they do. Jealousy causes more harm than good.
Blaming the hierarchy or seeking resignations of service chiefs is not the answer. Resigning solely to project anger against government apathy is akin to disregarding orders, which would harm service reputation more and enhance the pleasure within the bureaucracy.
Has any bureaucrat ever resigned or owned responsibility? Let us stop seeking resignations and criticising. The chief is capable and knows what his job entails and would be working for the benefit of the organization. Politically we are ignored because we as veterans have never been able to impact vote banks, since we remain a fractured community. Even our own veterans who now form part of the government are the first to ignore us because we are not united.
If we are to be a force to reckon with and ensure the government accepts our just demands then we veterans need to unite, break the shackles of groupism and become a force which can change the fate of governments by the ballot box.
The famous story of the US Bonus army, spreading across social media, is an example. Till then we will always face degradation and be ignored. The organisation would only gain if we support the chief, rather than accuse him.
Let us as a veterans’ community join hands to pressurise the government to act on the threat of the ballot while trusting and supporting our serving hierarchy.
(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army)
HEADLINES ::::01 NOV 2017
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Bringing around Kashmiris Required: a break from demagogy
A war of words has broken out among politicians from the mainland over the Kashmir issue just in time for the Gujarat elections. Kashmir is no stranger to being used as a pawn in politics being played out elsewhere in the country. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Modi and former Union Minister P Chidambaram have chosen to cross swords just when a delicate exercise is under way in the Kashmir valley; the first time that the Modi government has decided to break from the relentless security-led approach. But the appointment of an interlocutor is only the beginning of an attempt to unlock the Kashmir tangle. Three years of trying to strong-arm the Kashmiris may have temporarily depleted the ranks of the militants and dulled the appetite of the average Valley-ite to take to the streets. But there are several stark reminders of how the step-up in Army operations or of its chief’s tough talk has not been able to persuade the average Kashmiri to repose its faith in the Indian political system. The polling percentage in the Srinagar Lok Sabha election was below double digits while the government has avoided holding elections to the parliamentary seat held by the Chief Minister herself for fear of a repeat embarrassment. Pushed in a corner by their unyielding stand, the separatists will be hard placed to enter into talks after having earlier rebuffed Indian civil society’s attempts to reach out to them.The political mood in Kashmir can change with one stray comment from a high-level functionary in Delhi. If at this make-or-break juncture, when the Centre’s designated interlocutor’s first task will be to whittle away resistance because of three years of hardened attitudes, the attempt to use Kashmir to influence state-level politics elsewhere, whether in Gujarat or Karnataka, smacks of short-sightedness. This is the time for the actual stakeholders, the Kashmiris, to have a voice and be heard. That the Abdullahs held a large public interaction for the first time in 15 years should be welcomed. The demagogue-politicians in the mainland, meanwhile, need to take a breather.
