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PM Narendra Modi with Iranian President Hassan Rouhan during the signing of port pact in Tehran, Iran. PTI file

Washington, May 25

The US is “watching very closely” India’s growing ties with Iran after it recently pledged $500 million for developing the Chabahar port and will see if its legal parameters and requirements are being met, the Obama administration has told lawmakers.As of now, there is no military or counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries that could be a cause for concern for the US, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)She said the US is “watching very closely” India’s relationship with Iran. “We also track very closely what their economic engagement is and make sure they understand what we believe are legal parameters and requirements,” Biswal said.“With respect to the announcement in the Chabahar port, we have been very clear with the Indians on what we believe are the continuing restrictions on the activities with respect to Iran and what we have done,” she said. She was responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Iran visit from Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. Modi’s visit, that saw the signing of a bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port for which India will invest $500 million, came months after the lifting of international sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s historic nuclear deal with the western powers over its contentious atomic programme.“Obviously nothing appears to be in violations of our agreements. But how do we see India as partner in fighting extremism and financing terrorism?” said Cardin as he expressed concerns that India’s economic relationship with Iran would further boost Tehran’s alleged activities to support various terrorist groups. She said India’s burgeoning ties with Iran were driven by ever-growing energy needs and using the Persian Gulf nation as a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia.Biswal in her answer said: “They (Indians) have been very responsive and receptive to our briefings, to what we believe the line is. And we have to examine the details of the Chabahar announcement to see where it falls in that place. “But with respect to India’s relationship with Iran, which I do believe is primarily focused on economics and energy issues, we do recognise that from the Indian perspective that Iran represents for India a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia.”“For India to be able to contribute to the economic development of Afghanistan, it needs access that it does not readily have across its land boundary. And India is seeking to deepen its energy relationship with the Central Asian countries and looking for routes that would facilitate that. “That said we have been very clear with the Indians what our security concerns have been and we would continue to engage them on those issues,” said the US official. — PTI

Port pact to ‘counter’ China-Pak alliance

New Delhi, May 25

The pact between India and Iran to develop the strategically located Chabahar port, along with the one with Afghanistan on road and rail network, will counter China and Pakistan’s alliance in South West Asia, BMI Research said today.“The agreement between India and Iran to develop the latter’s port of Chabahar is a major boost for both countries, as well as Afghanistan. In particular, growing co-operation between the three countries will counterbalance China-Pakistan alliance in the geopolitics of South West Asia,” it said.BMI Research, a Fitch Group company, said the governments of India, Iran and Afghanistan have taken a significant step towards closer cooperation by signing an agreement on May 23 to develop Iran’s southern port of Chabahar.“Once the port is developed, it will provide a major boost for Indo-Iranian trade, and also provide a new route for Afghanistan’s exports, bypassing Pakistan.“In particular, the new port at Chabahar is designed to compete with Pakistan’s port of Gwadar, which is being developed with Chinese assistance as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” it added.The CPEC in turn is part of a much bigger Chinese initiative known as “One Belt One Road” (OBOR), which envisages new land and sea routes connecting China to Western Eurasia and East Africa. Iran stands to benefit from Chabahar as it will get an enhanced port from which to export more goods to India and the Asia-Pacific region at a time when it is seeking to reintegrate itself into the global economy, the BMI Research said. Iran will also benefit from increased Indian investment.The pacts include one on setting up of an aluminium plant and another on laying a railway line to give India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. — PT

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 22

As changes in the Army’s top hierarchy are on the cards following the retirement of senior officers, two Lieutenant Generals have proceeded on leave because the government is still to decide their new assignments even though posting orders of officers selected to replace them have already been issued.Sources said Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, is tipped to take over as the new Vice-Chief when the incumbent, Lt Gen MMS Rai, retires at the end of next month.While the posting orders are yet to be issued, two names are doing the rounds to take over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, from Lt Gen KJ Singh. These are Lt Gen DR Soni, an Armoured Corps officer who till now was commanding the Bathinda-based 10 Corps, and Lt Gen Surinder Singh, a Guards officer commanding 33 Corps in the north-east.Lt Gen Ashwini Kumar, an Army Air Defence Corps officer, has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding, 10 Corps, in place of Lt Gen Soni. Lt Gen Soni and Lt Gen PS Mehta, GOC, 21 Corps in Bhopal, have been “sent” on leave for about a month till the government decides their new postings. Officers appointed to replace Lt Gen Soni and Lt Gen Mehta, who have been attached to Headquarters South Western Command and Army Headquarters, are expected to assume charge this week. While Lt Gen Soni is expected to be elevated as an Army Commander, Lt Gen Mehta is tipped to get a staff appointment.Army sources said that it is not unusual for officers to be sent on “cooling-off” leave till fresh posting orders are issued. Central Army Commander Lt Gen BS Negi, too, was attached to Headquarters Northern Command after completion of his tenure as GOC, 14 Corps, and remained on leave for about a month before proceeding for his current assignment. Similarly, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen DS Hooda had spent a month-long cooling period before taking over in July 2014.The Chief of Staff, Western Command, Lt Gen Gurdip Singh is also retiring at the end of this month. A Major General posted at Headquarters Eastern Command is expected to take over from him on promotion.

Chandigarh, May 21

To harness the vast repository of knowledge possessed by a large number of senior defence officers residing in the tricity, a think tank on defence and strategic affairs, “Gyan Chakra”, was launched by the Western Command in Chandimandir today.The institute was inaugurated by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command Lt Gen KJ Singh. The event coincided with the Army Commanders Conclave that is being attended by former chiefs of the Western Command. On the occasion, Lt Gen KJ Singh presented the future vision and developments for the Command with particular reference to the veterans’ issues.He said since a large population of veterans, including senior officers, were residing in the tricity, there was a need to generate new ideas on national security and defence-related issues for the benefit of the serving community in particular and society at large.The institute will also conduct exchange programmes with other similar institutes such as United Service Institute of India, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi, and Defence and Strategic Affairs Departments of various Universities of the region. Lectures, seminars, conferences, workshops, research work, literary festivals and publishing of a journal will be undertaken under the aegis of the institute.A seminar on social media and a military literary festival that would include presentations on service as well as offbeat subjects pertaining to the armed forces are also proposed to be held next month.Among former chiefs of the Western Command who were present included Lt Gen SK Sinha, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Gen JJ Singh, former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Lt Gen HB Kala, Lt Gen Surjit Singh, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi and Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra. Lt Gen HS Panag, Lt Gen GS Sihota and Lt Gen BS, who had headed other command and are now settled here, were also present, along with a host of senior serving and retired officers. — TNS

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar being given a guard of honour at Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadium in Rohtak on Wednesday. Photo: Manoj Dhaka

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, June 15

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar came here today to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who is camping here for a training session.Talking to reporters, Parrikar maintained that the Rafale deal with France was yet to be finalised. In response to a query on the Sweden tour of Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the minister said it was a routine visit.Parrikar then visited Shri Lal Nath Hindu College, where the RSS camp is in progress, and met Bhagwat.Chief Minister Manohar Lal is also likely to visit the camp in a day or two.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi on Saturday. PTI

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 21

The BJP today emphasised it remains committed to implement the vision document for Assam in toto, underlining the new government will work to complete fencing of India-Bangladesh border and update National Register of Citizens work to detect illegal migrants in the state.“We will work to secure the interests of Indian citizens in Assam, protect their identity so that they can live with pride and take steps to detect illegal migrants,” Sarbananda Sonowal told The Tribune here flanked by BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, considered the chief architect behind the party’s unprecedented success in this gateway to the Northeast.Sonowal, who arrived here from Guwahati to discuss government formation with party leaders, said people of the state have entrusted BJP with a Himalayan responsibility and his task would be work hard and carry people along.The 53-year-old Sonowal, currently a Sports Minister in the Modi Government, is scheduled to be elected leader of the BJP legislature party tomorrow at Guwahati and take oath as the Chief Minister on Tuesday.On his part, Madhav said the state government will work to complete the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to stop infiltration, enact laws to further the objective and work with alacrity to fence entire 263-kilometer long border it shares with Bangladesh.Of the 260-odd km border, 224 km of the 229-km sanctioned is already fenced while some 40-odd km is riverine area.The process of updating of the NRC is going on and the new government, Madhav said, will complete it at the earliest. The final list was to be published on January 1 this year as per a Supreme Court order two years ago, but the verification process is not yet complete with some 3 per cent work remaining.According to reports, some 68 lakh people have submitted documents for inclusion in the NRC and once finalised, it could set into motion procedure to deport illegal migrants who entered Assam after 1971.The issue of illegal migrants from Bangladesh has been a long festering problem that led to the Assam agitation in the 1980s steered by All Assam Students Union, whose product Sonowal is. Nearly a decade ago, as Asom Gana Parishad MP, Sonowal won a major victory after Supreme Court struck down the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal, a key proviso in the Assam Accord.

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 17

Western Command chief Lt Gen KJ Singh will visit Samba on May 19.His visit comes following the two-day visit of the Defence Secretary to forward areas on the Line of Control (LoC). Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar on Sunday visited forward areas along the LoC in the Jammu region.“Though the Western Command chief is visiting to witness the finals of a volleyball tournament in Samba, he is likely to review the security scenario along the 198-km-long international border in the Jammu region,” said a defence source. Lt Gen KJ Singh may also review the summer strategy of the Army and the Border Security Force on the international border.

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 16

In a major development in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), political parties have demanded repealing of laws that requires candidates contesting elections to sign an affidavit of allegiance to the “ideology of the state’s accession to Pakistan.”According to several media reports, leaders from different ‘nationalist parties’ in PoK, who have been demanding an ‘independent J&K’, have emphasised the need for doing away with the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act, 1974, and electing a constituent assembly to draft an independent constitution for the state under occupation of Pakistan.Reports say that during a conference, “Election of AJK Assembly under Act 1974 and the Rights of People of AJK,” representatives from United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) and the Awami Workers Party (AWP) put forward these demands.Parties have also denounced what they called undue interference by Islamabad in matters of the state through the ‘AJK Council’ and the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs.Sub-section II of Section VII of the Act says, “No person or political party in ‘Azad Jammu’ and Kashmir shall be permitted to propagate against, or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to, the ideology of the state’s accession to Pakistan.”Since 1947, when Pakistan occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir after it invaded the state, every effort has been made to muzzle the democratic voice of people. Unlike J&K which saw successive democratic elections allowing public representatives to take policy decision, Pakistan army is the major decision maker in PoK.

Dear Veterans,

I am doing a book launch at India International Centre tomorrow at 1830 tomorrow ( Monday 16th) and would be honoured if maximum  veterans  can attend despite the heat.

I am attaching the invite to be uploaded on Sanjha Morcha web site.

Parsekar in his statement said, “We have our own son of soil (Manohar Parrikar) as a Defence Minister. Two months back we successfully hosted Defence Expo in the state. The interest shown by youths in the expo was enormous.” He further added,
“This is an attempt to provide Goan youths another employment avenue. The defence sector was never an attractive career option for Goan youths due to some misconceptions.”

The recruitment drive, as put out by Parsekar, will showcase and provide different avenues for the youth in the state, giving the alternative opportunity to work in the defence sector of the country. On 3 June, the recruitment drive will conduct recruitment for musician position in the IAF. With legacy of good music and musicians, Goa seemed a perfect choice.

Parsekar on the recruitment said, “Goans are good musicians. Our youths are best suited for this post. They should apply and get into this new avenue of career. The education qualification for the post is only secondary school examination.”

In order to conduct the recruitment drive smoothly, the Goan Government has already sat in meetings with Director of Education, Director of Higher Education and District Collectors. The Chief Minister Parsekar also said that in order to spread awareness about the drive the state government has planned to rope in various media outlets.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on criminal defamation comes as a disappointment. The state uses criminal defamation to intimidate media, political opponents, whistleblowers and NGOs, coerces them to adopt self-censorship and dissuades them from exposing wrongdoing. Justices Dipak Misra and PC Pant have observed that “criminal defamation doesn’t have any chilling effect on freedom of speech”. The fact that they chose to caution the judges handling defamation cases to be “extremely careful while issuing summons” shows they recognise the harassment caused in the pursuit of the case itself. Editors and journalists are frequently put to inconvenience as defamation suits are filed on flimsy grounds, sometimes deliberately in remote areas. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s government alone has initiated 100-odd defamation cases against media and politicians.Defamation is treated as a civil offence in countries across the world. The Human Rights Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has called upon nations to abolish criminal defamation. In India criminal defamation invites a jail of two years; in a civil suit only damages are paid on conviction. Truth is a complete defence in a civil case but not so in criminal defamation where the court has to be satisfied that it is uttered in public interest. The government’s arguments were: (1) In India citizens may not have money to pay damages for civil defamation (2) civil cases can take up to 20 years to settle (3) a criminal offence alone can effectively counter defamation in social media and (4) the law is part of the state’s “compelling interest” to protect the dignity and reputation of citizens.The petitioners — Subramanian Swamy, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, who all face defamation cases — had rightly pleaded that criminal defamation was used as a weapon to kill free speech. It is a tool not only in the hands of the government to stifle criticism but also powerful politicians and crooked businessmen who use the threat of criminal defamation to intimidate critics. Civil defamation is a sufficient deterrent to misuse of the constitutional right to free speech. There is merit in the argument that the case should have been decided by a Constitution Bench since the constitutionality of Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC was challenged.