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Remembrance: A woman looks at the pictures of martyred police personnel on Police Commemoration Day at PAP Complex in Jalandhar on Friday. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh

Rachna Khaira

Tribune New Service

Jalandhar, October 21

The Union Home Ministry has approved two armed battalions for Punjab to strengthen the second line of defence in the border areas.Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had sought the sanctioning of five armed battalions in the state to detect and prevent intrusion in the border districts.“The battalions with strength of 1,100 personnel each will be equipped with the latest weapons and technology to deal with any insurgency,” said DGP Suresh Arora, who was here to attend the 57th state-level Police Commemoration Day observed at the Punjab Armed Police headquarters here.He said the Centre had agreed to bear the cost of the raising and further maintaining of these battalions that would be deployed along the international border in the state.The DGP said the state government had taken several measures to upgrade the Police Department in the wake of terror attacks in Dinanagar and the recent one at the Pathankot airbase.He said while the Union Government had sanctioned Rs 106 crore to upgrade the Police Department, the post of IG (Counter Intelligence) and AIG (CI) had been created in the department to improve the performance and coordination of the state police with that of the BSF and the Army. MF Farooqi, an ex-BSF top brass, had been recruited as IG (CI) by the state police recently.

Families of police martyrs honoured

• Fatehgarh Sahib: The district police organised a function to commemorate the sacrifice of police martyrs at the Police Lines here today. Sixteen families of the martyrs from the district were honoured. Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha and District and Sessions Judge Sanjiv Bery were the chief guests, while SSP HS Bhullar presided over the function. OC

BSF jawan remembered

• Hoshiarpur: BSF martyr constable Roshan Lal, who got President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (posthumously), was on Friday remembered on Police Commemoration Day by NCC cadets of his alma mater, DAV Senior Secondary School. NCC incharge Sanjiv Kumar said Roshan Lal had laid down his life fighting terrorists even after being injured in a grenade attack in the Gul area of Akhnoor sector in J&K on November 29, 2002, at the age of 28. OC

Panaji, October 20

In a suspected case of road rage, five Naval men have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 25-year-old man in Vasco town near here, police said on Thursday.Rajesh Pachar, Shamlal Singh Takshak, Jitendra Singh, Amit Kumar Jaiswal and Anupam Sharma, posted at the Navy’s INS Hansa base, were yesterday arrested for assaulting Atul Bicholkar in Vasco town.As per the complaint filed by Bicholkar’s mother, the five men were yesterday travelling in an official vehicle which they dashed against the two-wheeler of her son.When Bicholkar fell down, they assaulted him with a metal pipe and fist blows causing grievous injury to his right leg and other parts of the body, according to the complaint.Offences have been registered under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 325, 326 read with 149 of the IPC against the five accused, police said. — PTI

Capt Amarinder Singh cleans the statue of martyr Nand Singh at Fauji Chowk in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 19

Bahadurpur, a village near Bareta town of Mansa district, is still longing for the statue of naib subedar Nand Singh, the lone winner of the twin bravery awards of Victoria Cross and Maha Vir Chakra.The demand for an entry gate in the name of this great martyr is still awaiting approval.“At the age of 33, Nand Singh, a loyal solider of the Indian Army (by then, a jemadar, who was not even required to go into the battle) chose to lead his platoon of D Coy in a desperate but successful attack to rescue his battalion from an ambush in Uri in Kashmir in December 1947. He was killed in action but his body was never recovered,” mentions former chief minister and Member of Parliament Captain Amarinder Singh in his book ‘Lest We Forget’.In 1944, as jemadar in the British Indian Army, Nand Singh received its highest military honour — Victoria Cross — for his bravery against the Japanese forces on the Arakan front in Burma during the World War-2.On March 12, 1944 on the Maungdaw-Buthidaung Road, Burma (now Myanmar), naik Nand Singh, commanding a leading section of the attack, was ordered to recapture a position gained by the enemy.He led his section up a very steep knife-edged ridge under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire and although wounded in the thigh, captured the first trench.He then crawled forward alone and wounded again in the face and shoulder, nevertheless captured the second and third trenches.On December 12, 1947 he laid down his life fighting Pakistani intruders in Jammu and Kashmir.Captain Amarinder Singh, who himself hails from the 1st Sikh regiment, had mentioned a detailed story on Nand Singh (September 24, 1914 –December 12, 1947) and recalls that it was later discovered that the Pakistanis recognised Singh because of his decorated VC ribbon and took his body to Muzaffarabad, where, in the most abominable manner, “it was tied spread-eagled on a truck and paraded through the city with a loudspeaker proclaiming that this would be the fate of every Indian VC”.Nand Singh’s body was later thrown onto a garbage dump, an emotional Captain Amarinder recalled, lamenting that the state government had failed to take care of the statue of this great soldier of the Indian soil, even though it was located on the “Badals’ own turf”.Captain Amarinder Singh was here to clean the statue of the martyr.Gurpreet Singh, member of panchayat and cousin grandson of the martyr at Bahadurpur village regretted that the state government had not only forgotten his family and the village but even failed to meet the demand of the villagers to set up an entry gate in the name of the great soldier. “The gate at the entry is our demand and Rs 10 lakh has been approved for it but not even a single brick has been laid. We were informed by senior officials of the Army that a statue of this great martyr was made but they were yet to get any space and approval for installation. We demanded that the statue should be installed at Bareta Kainchiyan but the administration is yet to approve space for installation,” he said.“Nand Singh and his four brothers — Chanda Singh, Dhanna Singh, Arjan Singh and Sarwan Singh —were sons of Bhag Singh,” he added.

After cross-LOC raids, aptly called ‘surgical strikes’, at terrorist hide outs in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, there has been much hype and hoopla. The public euphoria, though, is well understood in the wake of Uri massacre . However, the political buzz it has created is sad and unfortunate. Murky allegations, counters and clarifications continue to cloud the national spectrum. Loose cannons on ill-conceived debates, un checked posts and cartoons on social media sites are vitiating the environment.

Having served in the Indian Army for 27 years in a combat arm with an exposure to active operational areas, the military, I can state with conviction, is least affected with such insinuations. Having accomplished the assigned job, the troops would be rearing to take up the next venture with an even enhanced professionalism. The nature of hype that the army experiences is of a different nature, quite contrary to what prevails outside.

The earliest hype that one remembers was during induction into the military academy. The first bug-bear was to pass the drill test. Only the successful cadets would get an out pass , called ‘liberty’ to visit town on Sundays. The drill test was a tough one which required perseverance and a disciplined dedication to transform a carefree, dandy and clumsy youngster into a military man. I recollect my drill instructor’s words,” Cadet, yeh battak (duck) wali chaal nahin chalegi”. The effort to respond to military command coupled with a synchronising movement of body and slick unwavering soldierly demeanour was a task. The success rate in the initial screening was a mere one percent .

The sight of a fellow cadet dressed up in smart mufti atop a bicycle off to see a movie and eating out egged the failures to put in the extra bit. Similar was the challenge to excel in the battle physical efficiency tests (BPET) , 20-km cross-country run, a mandatory boxing bout, a riding test and multifarious sports competition involved during the tough military training. On being commissioned into a tank regiment with glorious traditions of excellence was like getting into fire out of a frying pan. The ability to fire a 105-mm high velocity shell in the bulls eye was the ultimate and the euphoria to enjoy the achievement with the crew heavenly. As one progressed, the ambit of responsibility to deliver, gained prominence both in spectrum and scope, quite insulated from the humdrum of activities in the civvie street.

During OP PARAKRAM, post a terrorist attack on Parliament, we got mobilised for an impending war with Pakistan. I was in command of my regiment and the troops were rearing to go. It was January 13, 2002, and the Pakistan President addressed his nation, fuelling jingoism. We were in our battle stations . I called for a special Sainik Sammellan of my troops for a collective motivational chat as a precursor to real action. After I finished, I asked if anyone had anything in mind. Sowar Manjit Singh, a young 23-year-old tank gunner got up smartly, “‘Saab, mann mein ek hi baat hai’,” and after a pause, :”Ek gola aur ek Pakistani tank”. (I have a thought, another grenade, another Pakistani tank).

The scraggy, desolate desert echoed with a loud unison of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai “and “Nishay kar apni jeet karoon”, our regimental war cry. Such is the focus of our soldiers, oblivious to irrelevant hype and hoopla. The honorable defence minister was right when he said that he gave the army an opportunity to exploit its potential. We thank the minister and wish he makes it a habit.

(The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor. Views expressed

are personal)

IFEEL anger that the present-day politicians can act so low as to use even the most delicate matters of defence and security to their partisan advantage. Previously, the matter of defence was accepted as the country’s concern. That is why Jayaprakash Narayan, who had been maligned for his anti-corruption movement in Gujarat by Indira Gandhi, had no hesitation in agreeing to her request to go on international tours to educate the public about the delicate situation in Bangladesh. No one played politics with the country’s security and dignity and the sacrifice and planning of the defence forces. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then leader of the opposition, called Indira ‘Durga’. The Congress projected it not as a victory of the Indian Army for its brilliant strategy, rather it was claimed as Indira’s personal victory and strategy. Still, nobody grudged it. It is common to give credit to the current leader — just as the Allies won the world war, but in the UK, it was Churchill, and not the coalition partner Labour Party, who got the credit. It is a different matter that England’s electorate was sensible enough to realise that post-war reconstruction required a modest-looking Attlee than the bumbling Churchill. The CPM is now taking the same stand as the Congress — not surprising — having accepted in the West Bengal general election the role of a junior partner, it has to follow the lead given by Rahul Gandhi. Need I remind the CPM and CPI that in the war against Hitler, they gave all credit to Stalin’s leadership than to the unimaginably courageous Red Army? It is natural in politics. The Army does not want public kudos, it only wants its due recognition, dignity and respect.Let Rahul also be updated that because of this victory in East Bengal, Indira preponed the general election in the country by almost two years. The election was due to be held in February 1972, but Indira, in the wake of the Bangladesh victory, dissolved Parliament on December 27, 1970, and held fresh election and obtained overwhelming victory — unlike when parliamentary elections were held in February 1967, the Congress had won only 54 per cent seats. No one accused Indira of foul play, as Rahul has done now of Modi. Everyone took it as a normal political strategy which every party is entitled to. What would Rahul like to call his grandmother’s normal political strategy?Following the Uri attack, there was a condemnation of the alleged lack of proper response by the government. The healthy conventions of democracies that these matters are left best to be determined by the Army and its experts (along with the mandatory consultation with the Opposition, of course only on general information and not strategic details) was ignored by Modi, so when the government owned up to the strategic strikes inside Pakistan area, the Opposition demanded proof — an insult to the Army and its achievements. And when pressed to a corner, the government yielded and purported to give proof; maybe a little too self-congratulatory. There the matter should have rested under mature politicians. But then Rahul, who in the first instance behaved like a responsible opposition leader, soon let partisan thinking take over and in a totally unacceptable language attacked Modi for ‘jawanon ke khoon ki dalali’. To make his point stronger, he referred to Raj Babbar’s film Insaf ka Tarazu, proudly proclaiming that ‘Congress has given justice to the people. Congress has respected insaf ka tarazu which Modi has not’. Would some of Rahul’s cronies explain to him that Raj Babbar’s role in the said film was that of a villain-rapist and since he was protected by his riches and cronies, the public took upon itself to avenge the insult to womanhood by killing the villain. Is there any relevance to the present situation?These election strategies are normal in a democratic state — every political party is perfectly within its rights to take political advantage. I am surprised that the Congress and the Left are behaving in such a cringing and ‘unsportman-like’ manner. In this game of one-upmanship, Congress spokesperson correctly taunted the BJP by reminding it that as far back as 1965, it was Lal Bahadur Shastri, Congress PM, who crossed the LoC. But some cynics may comment that though the Congress wants to take the credit for Shastri’s bold action, but in reality, it acts so shamelessly that none of the top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, considered it their duty to pay homage at his samadhi on his birth anniversary recently. Does one take the revival of Barua’s insulting slogan of ‘India is Indira’, with the difference of substituting instead Sonia or Rahul, as the Congress philosophy?Of course, the BJP conduct in the post-strikes is also stinking. It is a nauseating suggestion, as if these strikes were given under the special command of Modi or BJP president Amit Shah. The abhorrent elections strategy by the BJP in UP is openly to whip up anti-Muslim sentiment. Look at the way compensation was given to the kin of the man who died in hospital and was charged with the murder of Akhlak in Dadri. Also, the way in which actor Nawajuddin was prevented by BJP and Shiv Sena goons to participate in Ram Lila when he volunteered to do so.It is uncomfortable how Pakistani actors are now being denied work in India, even when all permissions have been duly given. The only hope of mutual goodwill and ultimate peace between India and Pakistan depends on keeping alive our common lines of communication, films, plays, music, and common heritage, especially of Punjab on either side. India and Pakistan are like Siamese twin. We can either destroy ourselves by our animosity or become the leaders of the world if we start living peacefully, amid mutual trust. If that sounds like the ravings of a person who spent the first 25 years of his life in Lahore and cannot forget the common culture of a Punjabi (which I believe still exists in both Punjabs), let me be so tainted.The writer is a former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court  

Penalise countries that provide sanctuary to terrorists: India
Bangkok, October 10

India said on Monday that the global fight against terrorism should not only try to eliminate terrorists and terrorist groups, but also identify, isolate and penalise countries that encourage and provide sanctuary to them.

Terming terrorism as the “single most significant threat to peace and stability in our region”, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said there was an urgent need for measures to counter and prevent the spread of violent extremism and radical ideologies.

“We need to stand united against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said at the 2nd Summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) here.

Singh said there could be no justification for acts of terror.

“Terrorism knows no boundaries. We need to resolve to eradicate this evil from our region and beyond. We strongly believe that the global fight against terrorism should not only seek to disrupt and eliminate terrorists, terror organisations and networks, but also identify, isolate and penalise States who encourage support and finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues. There should be no glorification of terrorists and there is nothing called a ‘good terrorist,” he said.

He said the countries would be failing their people if they did not pledge to use all the mechanisms available to us bilaterally and multilaterally to rid us of this fundamental threat to our societies, communities and nations.

“All our resolve to create a peaceful prosperous community will fail unless we cooperate with each other to end this menace,” he said.

Calling ACD an important forum that brings together so many of our people, Singh said, “This organisation was born out of a felt need to address challenges faced by countries of Asia from the global financial and economic crises. This Summit is therefore timely, given the challenges that our nations face today.”

ACD is an inter-governmental organisation created on June 18, 2002, to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional organisations such as ASEAN, SAARC, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Eurasian Economic Union. — PTI

Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh speaks during the ex-servicemen rally at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall in Jalandhar on Saturday. a Tribune Photograph

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 8

Punjab Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh today said that he would take up the matter of opening 20 more clinics, under the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) in Punjab, with Union Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar and the local Army authorities.Captain Amarinder was here to to attend a meeting of ex-servicemen of the Doaba region, organised by the Shahkot constituency probable candidate Captain Harminder Singh at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall here.Ex-servicemen said while there was a provision to open an ECHS clinic for every 7,000 population of ex-servicemen, Bholath, which is having over 22,000 population of retired Army personnel, did not have an ECHS clinic or an Army canteen. Since most of them were old, they found it difficult to travel over 15 to 20 km to get themselves checked at Jalandhar.To this, the Captain replied that he had taken up the matter with the Union Government during the Congress regime and even got many ECHS clinics opened in various parts of the state. However, I will again take up the matter with the Union Government and hope that they will provide some respite to our ex-servicemen in the region, said Captain Amarinder Singh.Also, many ex-servicemen raised the issue of extending ex-servicemen reservation benefits to their grandchildren if their children had not availed benefits in government jobs. Retired General SPS Grewal also raised concern over the non-filling of vacancies under the ex-servicemen quota in the Punjab Government jobs. “Even though the state government grants 13 per cent quota in the government jobs, a majority of these are lying vacant,” said Gen Grewal.The ex-servicemen also slammed the working of the District Sainik Welfare Board officials for being a “puppet” in the hands of the state government and urged them to be under a panel formed of ex-servicemen group. Many alleged that no forms were available and even there was no one to help old people in getting these forms filled. Also, many other issues were raised during the meeting. One ex-serviceman also suggested Captain Amarinder that although much had been written on the contribution of Sikh regiments during various wars, nothing much had been written on the contribution of Sikh Light Infantry (Sikh Li) regiments and so he should pen down a book to record their contribution as well. The old horse said though he had participated in almost all the wars, including 1962, 65, 71 and even many other conflicts after that, his unit did not find much place in the Indian history. Captain Amarinder assured him that he would sure write down their role in various wars. Also, speaking on Pargat Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, Captain Amarinder said that though Pargat Singh was welcome in the party, it was better that Sidhu stayed away from the Congress. “He is a very confused personality and should refrain from joining the Congress,” said Captain Amarinder.Later, he also held a meeting with the district in charges and their teams and motivated them to join hands to secure a majority win for the Congress in the 2017 Assembly elections. Captain Harminder Singh said the Congress party would leave no stone unturned to provide respite to the aggrieving ex-servicemen community in the state.

OTHER ISSUES RAISED

• One ex-serviceman also suggested to Amarinder that although much had been written on the contribution of Sikh regiments during various wars, nothing much had been written on the contribution of the Sikh Light Infantry (Sikh Li) regiments and he should pen down a book to record their contribution as well. The old horse said though he had participated in almost all the wars, including 1962, ‘65, ‘71 and even other conflicts after that, his unit did not find much place in Indian history. Captain Amarinder assured him that he would write about their role in various wars. Retired General SPS Grewal also raised concern over the non-filling of vacancies under the ex-servicemen quota in jobs under the Punjab Government

‘Wants military not to shield terror groups, conclude Pathankot probe’ | PM’s office calls it speculation

Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad, October 6

Facing international isolation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an unprecedented move has warned the powerful military not to shield banned militant groups and directed authorities to conclude the Pathankot terror attack probe and the 2008 Mumbai attack trial, a leading Pakistani daily reported today.Sharif’s orders came after a series of meetings between military and civilian leaders, Dawn newspaper said.Edit: Don’t count chickensThe government delivered a “blunt, orchestrated and unprecedented warning” to the military leadership and sought consensus on several key issues, including action against banned militant groups, the paper quoted unnamed individuals involved in the meetings.However, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office rejected the Dawn report. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said: “The story is purely speculative and, as the author himself acknowledged, ‘none of the attributed statements were confirmed by the individuals mentioned’.”The report says at least two sets of actions have been agreed upon. ISI Director General Rizwan Akhtar, accompanied by National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, will travel to all provinces with a message that military-led Intelligence agencies should not interfere if law enforcement agencies act against banned militant groups.Sharif directed that fresh attempts be made to conclude the Pathankot investigation and restart the stalled Mumbai attack trial in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.Those decisions, taken after an extraordinary verbal confrontation between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the ISI DG, appear to indicate a new high-stakes approach by the PML-N government, the paper said.On Monday, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry made a presentation in the Prime Minister’s Office to a small group of civil and military officials. It summarised the results of the diplomatic outreach by Pakistan, the crux being that Pakistan faces diplomatic isolation and that the government’s talking points have been met with indifference in major world capitals, the paper said.On the US, Chaudhry said ties could further deteriorate because of its demand that action be taken against the Haqqani network. — PTI

Opposition blames Sharif for Pak isolation

• Islamabad: A senior Pakistani Opposition leader on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for giving freedom to “non-state actors” that has led to the country’s diplomatic isolation following the Uri terror attack. “Pakistan’s isolation is Nawaz Sharif’s personal failure. Pakistan is isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors,” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan said during a joint session of parliament.

India may have to widen its options, increase capabilities, add to weapons, equipment and technology needed for a greater scale of operations in scenarios post surgical strikes on Sept 28-29.Air Marshal Kapil Kak (retd) says: “It was a good operation. However, a pre-emptive strike cannot be an option used every time. We have to develop capabilities that allow greater action on targets deep inside Pakistan”. The daring operation conducted on a pitch-dark moonless night in the early hours on September 29 had the hallmark of a textbook execution: stealth, surprise, high attrition among terrorists and no suffering casualty on our side. When the five teams of Para Special Forces of the Army finally strapped on their night vision mounted helmets and entered PoK past midnight on September 29, senior military commanders in J&K and in Delhi were tense. Army phones and the exclusive restricted access (RAX) phones were buzzing through the night. The Military operations (MO) room on the first floor of the South Block was watching over the operations, so were senior commanders in Northern Command at Udhampur and in Army’s Divisional headquarters at Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara. Cross LoC strikes have been conducted in the past – eight strikes in the past 15 years. But this one was vastly different. There were five teams aiming at six targets and in arc of 250 km. The possibility of them encountering Pakistan Army was very high. The teams were to dodge the Pak Army and aim to hit the terror camps. The terrain in each location was different, the entry and exist routes of each Indian team was different. The weather condition in Poonch is different from the one in north of Kupwara where night temperatures are already in single digits, and approaches are tougher through jungles. The ‘H-hour’   — the specific time at which an operation begins — was met and the strike finally occurred around 3 am on September 29.Backing the troops was high-end technology. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) not only provides real-time imagery to the Northern Army command, it also used very high resolution imagery to create terrain maps of the territory the troops would traverse. The terrain maps are needed to see natural obstacles like rivulets, mountain slopes, gaps and foliage in the jungle. 

Was speaking at Brussels

Brussels, October 5

Asserting that peace is essential to development and terrorism is anathema to it, Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar hit out at Pakistan for becoming an obstacle in the path of trade relations between India and Afghanistan.Speaking at the Regional Integration and Prosperity at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, Akbar stated that the scale of terrorism and violence unleashed against Afghanistan is of a magnitude that did not allow easy project implementation, efficient delivery of assistance or the rapid inflow of investments into an economy that had huge resources and obvious potential.

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Talking about Afghanistan’s exports that had traditionally found their most lucrative market in India, up to Kolkata at the other end of the Grand Trunk Road, the Union Minister mentioned that Afghanistan is much loved and respected in India.He said India had offered a special facility at its border at Attari for Afghan products coming to India via Pakistan, but unfortunately this access had been blocked for political reasons by Pakistan.“Nations cannot become walls aborting a trade and culture that is as old as written history, and as powerful as the lore etched in common memory. But, we will continue to work with Afghanistan for assured and reliable access for Afghanistan’s products to India’s markets through land, sea and air,” Akbar said.Asserting that the full utilisation of Afghanistan’s transit rights as a member of WTO will enable greater prosperity, he added that those who denied transit hurt Afghanistan’s economy, with negative resonance for the larger region.Emphasising that India’s commitment to Afghanistan is abiding, as is its desire to work with the people and government, Akbar said India had dedicated its efforts and resources into bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan, with improvements of internal capabilities and provision of year-round regional connectivity.“We have already completed significant development projects, including scientific water management through dams and infrastructure projects, like highways, worth over US$ 2 billion. We have recently committed to US$ 1 billion more. This is the essence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “neighbourhood first” policy,” he said.“An exciting and innovative future is taking shape through the recent trilateral India-Iran-Afghanistan agreement in Tehran in May 2016, which makes Chahbahar into a hub for immense economic opportunity. These steps reflect India’s sharp focus on strengthening Afghanistan’s economy with greater vibrancy,” Akbar added. ANI