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Standoff escalates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade Iran reversed its deci sion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. The escalating stand off over the critical choke point threatened to deep en the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators ex pressed confidence that a new deal was within reach. The strait is closed until the US blockade is lift ed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said Saturday night. Hours earlier, two gunboats from Iran’s Rev olutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. It reported that the tanker and crew were safe, with out identifying the vessel or its destination. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait, and further limits would squeeze the already constrained sup ply, driving prices higher once again. Meanwhile, a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to be holding

NEPAL PMs DARING STEPS:

8th Central Pay Commission CPC: Msg from Brig IM Singh, President IESL

32 years on, SC revokes illegal termination of squadron leader, restores honour

Son in US Army, 53-yr-old Punjabi woman detained by ICE, ‘denied’ food and water for 24 hours

China sets up new county in Xinjiang near PoK, Afghan border

108 cops trained in counter-terror ops

Distance from conflict does not ensure immunity: Indian Navy Chief on West Asia war

Australia names India ‘top-tier’ defence partner in 2026 strategy, plans USD 887 billion investment

Iran-Israel war: Iran fires on ships in Strait of Hormuz as Tehran imposes restrictions again

Sri Lanka reached a historic milestone as Parliament voted 154–2 to scrap the 49-year-old law providing pensions to Members of Parliament. This decision marks a major shift toward fiscal accountability, answering public calls for reform. By eliminating these lifelong perks, the government is signaling a new era that puts national development ahead of political privilege. we also wish similar law in India

Msg from Brig IM Singh, President IESL :8th Central Pay Commission CPC

Msg from Brig IM Singh, President IESL.👇

The 8 CPC has called an IESL rep for a meeting on 8 CPC issues on Tuesday 21 Apr at Delhi.

I have nominated Maj OP Choudhary, Mob 9711606828; Mail ID op_choudhary03@yahoo.co.in.

He has successfully fought the case of Majors in AFT Chandigarh, who have suffered since 6 CPC. He’s fully knowledgeable about the cases of Capts, Majs and Lt Cols.

IESL has also forwarded various issues to AGs Branch. These will also be intimated to him.
Please give this wide publicity. Any Veteran wishing to convey any point please do so directly to him.

Brig Inder Mohan Singh (Retd)
President IESL.
18 Apr 26.

A Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice KV Viswanathan concludes that disproportionate punishment was given to the ex-squadron leader on September 22, 1993

Ending an over three-decade-long ordeal for Indian Air Force Squadron Leader R Sood, who was wrongfully terminated from service for alleged use of criminal force against a junior officer, the Supreme Court on Wednesday restored his honour.

A Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice KV Viswanathan concluded that disproportionate punishment was given to the ex-squadron leader on September 22, 1993 while his commanding officer, a wing commander-rank officer whose order Sood followed, was let off leniently. It directed the Centre to pay him arrears of salary and allowances to the extent of 50% from September 23, 1993 till the scheduled date of his retirement.

The incident occurred in 1987, at the time when Sood was posted as ‘Senior Operation Officer’ in a remote village in the Thar desert and stationed in a building belonging to the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF).

“…justice demands that the ignominy with which the appellant (Sood) had to survive the past more than three decades is obliterated, the wrongful termination of his service be revoked and his honour restored,” the Bench said, setting aside the September 22, 1993 order of his dismissal from service.

“Appellant could not work beyond September 22, 1993 admittedly because of the illegal order of termination and not owing to any fault on his part,” it noted.

Irrespective of service benefits, restoration of honour remains the foremost concern of defence personnel. We restore it with the direction that on a date to be fixed by the Chief of Air Staff, the appellant shall be signed off in the normal manner he would have otherwise been entitled to, but for the order of dismissal,” the top court said, seeking compliance of the order in three months.

It said for notional promotion his case may be placed before the Review Departmental Promotion Committee as per the governing rules for consideration and he has to be given pensionary benefits as admissible to him in law.

“The financial benefits due and payable in terms of this order, including increased pay subject to notional promotion being accorded, be calculated and paid to the appellant with interest at 9% per annum from the date of presentation of the writ petition before the High Court (an unspecified date of 1995, but the exact date must be gathered by the respondents from the records) till date of payment,” it ordered.

The Bench said that since Sood, having crossed the age of superannuation, cannot be reinstated in service but in law, was entitled to claim all consequential service benefits which would have accrued to him, had he not been fastened with such illegal order of dismissal.

It set aside the order of the high court which upheld the disciplinary proceedings against Sood. Finding fault with the order of termination of service, the Bench said Sood’s superior officer was visited with the penalty of “severe displeasure for three years” whereas he was ordered to be dismissed from service. It said the court finds it imperative to bear in mind that queries were repeatedly raised as to the rationale for imposing such a comparatively lenient punishment upon the senior officer while punishing the appellant with dismissal.

“The punishment of ‘displeasure’ was imposed on the Wg Cmdr before he had superannuated. It is not for us to question the government, in the course of these proceedings, why the Wg Cmdr was let off leniently; however, the question that certainly looms large is why was the appellant singled out for a harsher punishment despite his discharge from the criminal case?” the Bench said.

Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old Indian-origin court interpreter who has lived in the United States for 35 years, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas, prompting a legal battle over her continued custody.

Batra was reportedly arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at Harlingen International Airport on March 17 while travelling to Milwaukee for an immigration court assignment. She is currently being held at a detention centre in Raymondville, Texas.

According to her lawyers, Batra had valid work authorisation under a decades-old “withholding of removal” order, which protects individuals from being deported to countries where they may face persecution. However, it does not provide permanent residency or cancel an earlier deportation order.

Batra moved to the US as a child in the late 1980s after her parents were killed during the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in India. Over the years, she built a career as a certified interpreter and is said to be Texas’s only licensed court interpreter for Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

Her legal team has filed a habeas corpus petition in a Texas federal court, arguing that her detention is unlawful and violates due process protections. They are also seeking to prevent her transfer to another facility and have requested her immediate release.

The petition alleges that Batra was held for nearly 24 hours without food or water after her arrest and has faced inconsistent medical care while in custody. Her lawyers said she is recovering from recent surgeries and has also developed a respiratory illness.

Batra’s son, who recently enlisted in the US military, has submitted a parole application on her behalf that could allow her to remain in the country temporarily.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Batra has a final removal order dating back to 2000 and will remain in custody pending further proceedings. The government has until April 21 to respond to the petition.

China has set up a new county in its volatile Xinjiang province near Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Afghanistan border in an apparent move to beef up security along the narrow Wakhan Corridor to curb infiltration of Uyghur separatist militants.

The county, named Cenling, is located near the Karakoram mountain range and close to the borders with PoK and Afghanistan, underscoring its strategic significance.

This is the third new county established by China in Xinjiang, a predominantly Muslim Uyghur region, in just over a year.

India last year lodged a protest with China over the creation of Hean and Hekang counties, stating that parts of their jurisdiction fall within its union territory of Ladakh.

Hean includes much of the disputed Aksai Chin plateau, which is part of Ladakh occupied by China in the 1962 war and has remained a focal point of the India-China border dispute.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government announced the establishment of Cenling on March 26, though details of its administrative divisions and exact boundaries were not specified.

It will be administered by Kashgar prefecture, according to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Kashgar, a historic city located on the ancient Silk Road, is a strategic gateway connecting China with South and Central Asia.

It is also the starting point of the controversial USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through PoK and has been opposed by India.

Experts say the creation of Cenling reflects Beijing’s growing focus on border security and governance.

Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies in Shanghai-based Fudan University, said the move “reflects China’s deeper recognition of the strategic importance of this region”.

“At a broader level, the decision signals China’s emphasis on its borderlands,” Lin was quoted as saying by the Post.

He noted that the new county is geographically connected to Afghanistan’s narrow Wakhan Corridor, a 74-km strip bordering Xinjiang that separates Tajikistan and PoK, highlighting China’s security and counterterrorism concerns.

Beijing in past has expressed concern about Uyghur militants of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) using the Wakhan Corridor as a route to enter Xinjiang from Afghanistan.

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington, said the new county represented a drive towards a “stronger grass-roots level government structure for effective governance and control”.

“It helps to strengthen the stabilisation efforts by the government in the frontier region, which is traditionally more subject to ethnic turbulence and potential infiltration of foreign militants from Central Asia,” she said.

Focused on drones, ambush tactics, intelligence sharing

A total of 108 police personnel underwent training by the Army to enhance coordination and operational synergy in the dynamic security environment of Jammu and Kashmir.

A Joint Counter-Terrorism Refresher Course for J&K Police personnel, conducted under the aegis of the Tiger Division, concluded on Saturday.

The course, held from April 7 to 18, was jointly conceptualised by the senior leadership of the Army and J&K Police with the aim of enhancing operational coordination, synergy and standardisation of procedures.

“A total of 108 police personnel underwent intensive training conducted by Miran Sahib Brigade. The training focused on strengthening junior leadership capabilities, which are critical for effective execution of small team operations in counter-terrorism scenarios,” an Army spokesperson said.

During the course, participants were trained in a wide spectrum of operational aspects, including small team operations and patrolling, quick reaction team and mobile vehicle check post drills, ambush and counter-ambush techniques, cordon and search operations and room intervention procedures.