Category Archives: Uncategorized

Meet Captain Abhilasha Barak who left her engineering job in Deloitte and became the first Army Aviation Corps as Combat Aviator in 2022 when she was only 26-ye…

Abhilasha Barak from Haryana, And she is the first woman officer who joined the Army Aviation Corps as Combat Aviator, she was just 26-years-old when she added her name in the history by earning this prestigious position.

When did this Happen?

When did this Happen?

Her commissioning marked a landmark moment on May 25, 2022, at the Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik, Maharashtra. The ceremony was attended by senior officials, including Lt Gen A K Suri, Director General and Colonel Commandant of Army Aviation.

Follow Us

Her Academic Journey

Her Academic Journey

Abhilasha completed her schooling from the Lawrence School in Sanawar and then she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Technology (BTech) from Delhi Technological University (DTU) in 2016.


Pakistan to honour PAF Cobra pilots for ‘shooting down’ six Indian Air Force fighter jets

Pakistan claims that they decided to target the IAF’s Rafale fighter jets first because Indian Air Force considers them to be game changers

 By The Week News Desk Updated: June 06, 2025 16:41 IST

Pakistan has credited No. 15 Squadron of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), also known as Cobras, for “shooting down” six Indian Air Force fighter jets during the recent military stand-off between the two countries.

According to Pakistani media reports, PAF formally acknowledged that the Kamra-based Cobra squadron, armed with Chengdu J-10C multi-role fighter jet, led the charge of Pakistan’s air defence. Pilots from this squadron are expected to be publicly named and honoured at a formal ceremony later.

Pakistani military official account claims that the Chinese-supplied J-10C fighters, equipped with PL-15 BVR Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles brought down three Rafales, a Mirage-2000, Su-30MKI, and MiG-29.

ALSO READ: India’s BrahMos stunned Pakistan. Will global demand for the combat-proven missiles now soar?

“The pilots involved in the operation will be honoured soon. These are some of the finest aviators in our ranks and their performance speaks for itself,” Dawn quoted a senior PAF official as saying.

The official claimed that the PAF targetted the Rafales first because the Indian Air Force “expected them to be game-changers.”

“From heroic air battles in the 1965 war, where Flt Lt Imtiaz Bhatti downed two Indian Vampires, to Cold War-era vigilance during the Soviet-Afghan War, the squadron has always remained combat-ready…Now equipped with J-10C 4.5+ generation fighters, the Cobras continue to embody precision, courage, and aerial dominance,” the PAF media directorate stated in a release. 


Let’s give peace a chance

article_Author
Gunbir Singh

THE Indian subcontinent, with its shared histories and contrasting histrionics, has been a theatre of geopolitical turbulence for eons. The current India-Pakistan imbroglio, therefore, remains unresolved, to say the least.

I have crossed the Wagah-Attari border as part of CII business delegations, SAARC events and on the invitation of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to chair a subcontinental water session. Each time, the warm hospitality of people bowled us over. The intellectual and spiritual experiences energised us, and the cuisine satiated our palate beyond compare.

And yet, the discourses on governance were careful, the presence of intelligence operatives in the shadows obvious, and the approach of our hosts, concerned with our wellbeing, watchful. But at no point did national political animosity ever surface to our discomfort. We found the neighbours to be able to laugh away their situations, those that contrasted with India’s growth story, in a self-deprecating yet light-hearted way.

During a visit to LUMS, we met Kamil Khan Mumtaz, an erudite scholar and conservation architect. He took us to construction sites, both restorative and new, which gave us an insight into the fascinating work he was doing. What was even more endearing was his admission that he drew inspiration from Bhai Ram Singh, who designed the monumental Khalsa College of Amritsar in 1892.

Most of the evidence of Sikh architecture, including that of Bhai Ram Singh, got left behind in “Lehenda Punjab” of Pakistan at the time of the Partition. Mumtaz shared masonry tips that we were able to implement in restoration work at the college. These interactions, and the varied cultural exchanges over the decades, saw festivals of Punjabi poetry and Sufi renditions, reminding the newer generations of the bonds that existed between the people. The commonalities are many, despite the politics that mars the synergy.

The Pahalgam tragedy and its aftermath have created deeper chasms. India did what was needed to be done. But one wonders what impact the pivotal change in India’s mood shall have. Will it have a sobering effect? Will Pak Generals become more aggressive? Or will they amend their policy of “a thousand cuts” to that of “ten thousand nicks.”

India is in a sweet spot economically, and a war is not what it aspires for — but it will not tolerate transgressions. However, it must resist the temptation of triumphalism. Strategic restraint and long-term vision are hallmarks of a mature power. Pakistan desperately needs to repair its faltering economy, rebuild international credibility and prioritise the welfare of its citizens, even though its leadership continues to carry the weight of historical grudges.

Peaceniks are not the flavour of the season, but ample warmongering has already been done. Living near the border in Punjab, a battleground state, one can only seek harmony rather than the destruction of life and property on both sides of the Radcliffe Line. Enough blood has been spilled. Give peace a chance!


Time to reassess, size up Pakistan

There is a need to pay greater attention to how the world views India’s neighbour

article_Author
Sanjaya Baru

PAKISTAN is a failed State. Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state. Pakistan’s economy is sinking. Pakistan has been internationally isolated. We have dehyphenated ourselves from Pakistan. Even Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, delinked his visit to India from a trip to Pakistan. For a decade now, the Indian public has been fed this narrative. A leading New Delhi think tank even published a paper by one of its senior scholars, titled, ‘Jaishankar Makes it Clear: Pakistan is Now Just a Sideshow for India.’

What accounts for this hesitation on the part of the so-called ‘international community’ to call a spade a spade?

On June 4, less than a month after the two nations were engaged in hostilities focused on terrorist groups based in Pakistan, the United Nations Security Council named Pakistan as vice-chair of its Counter-Terrorism Committee. This comes on top of a series of minor and major diplomatic victories for Pakistan over the past month. It is time to pay greater attention to our relations with our neighbour and to how the world views Pakistan.

The first diplomatic shock came when on May 9, two days into the cross-border hostilities, the executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) voted to extend an over $2-billion loan to Pakistan. India was the only member of the board that abstained. All others, including all members of the Group of Seven, voted to give Pakistan a breather. The only Indian official who publicly criticised the IMF board for this decision, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, did so almost as an afterthought. The IMF decision was followed by financial support from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Then spoke US President Donald Trump. In the first of a dozen statements so far, he claimed credit for getting the warring neighbours to declare a ceasefire. He persisted with his claims even after India officially denied that the US had anything to do with the ceasefire. To rub salt into Indian diplomatic wounds, President Trump not only equated India and Pakistan as good friends of the US but claimed that both are important countries because they are nuclear powers and that they would now trade with each other and the US to avoid future conflict.

While many countries supported India in its battle against terrorism, only two — Israel and Afghanistan — named Pakistan as its sponsor. Within days, Beijing hosted a trilateral with Pakistan and Afghanistan and made the two make up. That left only Israel, accused today of conducting genocide against a hapless people, supporting India. Even Russia spoke with a forked tongue. Days after the Pahalgam terror attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mocked the European Union, saying that India was seeking “partners not preachers”. Sure, no one preached after that. However, few partnered.

Many in India are aghast. What accounts for this hesitation on the part of the so-called ‘international community’ to call a spade a spade? Why has there been no whole-hearted condemnation of Pakistan or at least a more genuine expression of solidarity with India? Why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi have to depute multi-party delegations of members of Parliament around the world to do the work of India’s ambassadors?

The point is that it was not always like this. The international community stood with India when in 1999 it repulsed Pakistani soldiers attired in mufti at Kargil. The global opinion on the status of Kashmir changed after that, with US President Bill Clinton giving his imprimatur to the Simla Agreement that sanctified the Line of Control as a virtual border. Clinton visited India for five days and Pakistan for five hours. He praised India and admonished Pakistan.

Again, in November 2008, after the terror attack in Mumbai, the entire world stood with India. Pakistan was shamed for its role on both occasions because its role was manifest and, equally importantly, the world gave Indian statements due regard. Statements made by the governments of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were taken seriously in all major capitals of the world. Neither had to waste national resources to fly 50 parliamentarians around the world to convince them of our case. Professional diplomats did that job.

The Union Government’s inability to identify the nationality of the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack and clearly establish Pakistan’s culpability has handicapped Indian diplomacy this time. Equally, many countries are wondering whether Indian domestic politics has not played its part in weakening India’s case on cross-border terrorism. The Indian State was viewed as a secular and democratic state and the governments of Vajpayee and Singh as responsible governments that deserved international support. The Indian case in this regard has become weaker and international opinion less charitable.

The first task of national security and foreign policy management has to be the correct sizing up of one’s enemy. Second, to ensure adequate contact at different levels that facilitates an exchange of credible information. By shutting down all diplomatic, business and civil society engagement with Pakistan, India has deprived itself of the means to acquire a balanced assessment of its neighbour and the ability to influence opinion across the border.

While the economic gap between the two countries has certainly grown, Pakistan is not a basket case. It has a sizeable economy, a sizeable industrial and agricultural base, links with major economies and a competent military.

In a recent interview with The Print’s Swasti Rao, a European diplomat reminded Indians of the many strengths and capabilities of Pakistan’s air force. Apart from its hard power, Pakistan has always enjoyed the soft power of its elite. In a highly feudal and unequal society, Pakistan’s elites continue to be groomed to interact with confidence and class with their Western interlocutors. India’s new middle class that now populates its politics and diplomacy is no match.


Govt to revive battalions of border home guards in wake of Pahalgam terror attack

The drills, conducted on May 7 and again on May 31 under Operation Shield, exposed critical gaps in the country’s civil defence readiness, particularly in Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir

n the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Union Home Ministry is fast-tracking a proposal to revive and modernise Border Wing Home Guards Battalions in frontier states, aiming to strengthen India’s civil defence infrastructure.The battalions — originally created to serve as auxiliary forces to the Indian Army and the Border Security Force (BSF) during times of external aggression — have, over time, become largely defunct, barring Rajasthan. Officials say the units in several border states are now barely functional.

Highly placed sources informed The Tribune that the long-pending proposal had gained urgency following the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, in which 26 persons were killed, and India’s retaliatory military operation, Operation Sindoor, against Pakistan. It has also been spurred by concerns raised during recent national-level mock drills assessing preparedness for external aggression and natural disasters.

The drills, conducted on May 7 and again on May 31 under Operation Shield, exposed critical gaps in the country’s civil defence readiness, particularly in Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir. The revived Home Guards plan is among the key remedial steps being expedited, officials confirmed.

According to official data, there are currently 15 Border Wing Home Guards Battalions — six in Punjab, four in Rajasthan, two in Gujarat and one each in Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal. These units are meant to assist the BSF in guarding international borders and coastal areas, preventing infiltration and protecting critical infrastructure during wartime.

The proposed overhaul includes fresh recruitment, modernised training modules and stricter deployment protocols, making the Home Guards a more effective civil defence backup.

Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the states/union territories, comprising citizens from diverse backgrounds who volunteer their time in service of community safety and national preparedness.


Manipur erupts again after top Meitei leader’s arrest

Curfew imposed in five districts, Internet service banned

article_Author
Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service

Fresh unrest has erupted in Manipur following the dramatic arrest of Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol members and its leader Kanan Singh by the CBI, triggering widespread protests and violent clashes across the Imphal valley.

In response, the authorities have imposed curfew-like restrictions and suspended the Internet services across five key districts to prevent further escalation.

Kanan Singh, believed to be a prominent leader of the Arambai Tenggol, a Meiti activist group, was picked up from the Imphal airport in the early hours of June 8. CBI officials confirmed that he is a prime suspect in several cases related to the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur and had been under surveillance for months.

“He was wanted in multiple cases, including the attack on the house of Additional SP Moirangthem Amit and the officer’s brief abduction in February 2024,” said a senior CBI officer. Kanan Singh, who served as a head constable with the Manipur Police commando unit before being suspended, was reportedly leading several armed vigilante actions in recent months.

Following his arrest, Kanan Singh was immediately flown to Guwahati, where violence-related cases from Manipur are being tried, in accordance with the Supreme Court orders shifting the venue outside the state for impartial proceedings.

The news of Kanan Singh’s arrest spread rapidly across Imphal, sparking a massive outcry among members the Meitei community. Within hours, protesters stormed the streets, blocking roads, burning tyres and even torching vehicles near the Raj Bhavan. Near Kangla Gate, barely 200 metres from the Governor’s residence, the protest turned volatile, forcing the security forces to fire multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Several young men poured petrol on themselves, threatening self-immolation to demand Kanan Singh’s immediate release — a grim sign of the deepening anger within the community.

Fearing a breakdown of law and order, the Manipur administration quickly clamped prohibitory orders in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching districts. Mobile Internet, broadband, VSAT and even VPN services have been suspended across these areas for the next 48 hours as a precautionary measure.

“The situation remains tense. The Internet suspension is necessary to prevent the spread of inflammatory content and rumours that may incite further violence,” a senior official from the Home Department said.

A delegation of Manipur MLAs met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday, urging him to intervene and restore calm. The Governor assured the delegation that “all necessary steps” were being taken to maintain order and address the people’s grievances.

Later, the Governor convened a high-level security meeting with senior administrative, intelligence and police officials to take stock of the ground situation and evaluate response strategies.

The arrest of Kanan Singh has once again exposed the volatile political climate in Manipur, a state still reeling from the 2023 communal clashes that left over 200 dead and thousands displaced.


Soldier shoots self dead in J-K

Lance Naik Banwar LaL Saran of 9th Raj rifle camp at Gulmarg in Baramulla district shot himself with his service rifle on Sunday night

A soldier allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at a camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg, officials said on Monday.

Lance Naik Banwar LaL Saran of 9th Raj rifle camp at Gulmarg in Baramulla district shot himself with his service rifle on Sunday night, the officials said.

The jawan, hailing from Rajasthan, died on the spot, they said, adding the body was taken to Sub District Hospital Tangmarg for medico-legal formalities.


Once brick-kiln worker, Faridkot’s youth clears NDA exam

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan visited family to congratulate them 2 days ago

article_Author
Archit WattsTribune News Service

From working in paddy fields and brick kilns to clearing the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam, the journey of 24-year-old Akash Deep is nothing short of inspiration.

A resident of Kot Sukhia village near Kotkapura in Faridkot, Akash Deep recently cleared the exam. His achievement has brought pride not only to his family but also to the entire village.

Born into a family of daily wagers, life was never easy for Akash. His parents Hakam Singh and Kuldeep Kaur worked at several brick kilns in Faridkot and Moga districts. The family often lived in temporary labour quarters and struggled to make ends meet.

Akash’s efforts paid off when the NDA results were announced last month. However, the family initially kept the news private, thinking to let him first complete the training.

It only became public after Kotkapura MLA and Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan visited the family to congratulate them two days ago.Speaking to The Tribune, Kuldeep Kaur said, “Akash did his Class X from the government senior secondary school in our village and Class XII from the government meritorious school in Mohali. He helped us by working in fields, brick kilns and grain markets. Despite financial hardships, he remained focused on his dream to become an officer.”

Joined IAF four years ago

Sharing more about his journey, she added, “Akash joined the Indian Air Force four years ago at an entry-level position but never stopped preparing for officer-level exam. During his leave, he would go straight to Chandigarh for preparation, spending little time at home. I am illiterate and don’t even exactly remember his rank in the Air Force. He is currently posted in Ahmedabad.”

She also shared a message for others in similar situations, saying, “We have lived a hard life, surviving on labour and hope, and we are so proud of Akash. May his story inspire other children from poor families to fulfil their dream.”

Emotional Kuldeep Kaur further said that after Akash joined the Air Force, both she and her husband stopped doing labour work.

“We have just two children. My daughter, the younger one, is pursuing BEd and wants to become a teacher,” she said.

Akash’s father Hakam Singh, said, “He always worked hard without ever complaining. We have seen difficult days, but today our son has made us proud. We are thankful to the almighty.”

The family is now waiting for their hero to come home on leave and give him a grand welcome.

Advertisement


Navjot Singh Sidhu returns to ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show 3’: Feels like coming home again

Sidhu has served as a permanent guest on Kapil Sharma’s previous comedy shows

Former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu is set to make his comeback to Kapil Sharma’s comedy show with its third season, the makers announced on Monday.

Sidhu was a permanent guest at “Comedy Nights with Kapil” between 2013 and 2016. He also appeared in the first two seasons of “The Kapil Sharma Show” and “Family Time with Kapil Sharma”.

“The Great Indian Kapil Show 3” will stream on Netflix from June 21. The streaming platform shared the announcement with a video on its Instagram handle.

“Ek kursi paaji ke liye please. Har Funnyvaar Badhega Humara Parivaar with the comeback of Navjot Singh Sidhu & Archana Puran Singh. Watch them in the new season of The Great Indian Kapil Show, streaming from 21st June, at 8 PM only on Netflix,” the caption on the streamer’s X read.

Sidhu said returning to the show feels like coming back home. “Coming to ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ feels like I’m coming home again. It is a home run for me. We heard the voice of the people, so many fans and well-wishers who loved our interactions and wanted to see more,” he said in a statement.

“A smile doesn’t cost you a cent, but it is worth millions of dollars and ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ is an instrument of god’s goodwill to bring happiness to mankind – honoured to be part of it again,” he added.

Sharma said, “Humne promise kiya tha ki Har funnyvaar badhega Humaara parivaar and I’m so excited to have Sidhu paaji part of the family along with Archana ji to enjoy all the chutkules (jokes), the shayaris (poetry) and masti (fun). The mahaul (mood) is set, so stay tuned because this season jokes aur laughter dono ho gayein hain triple.” The upcoming season also features Sunil Grover, Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda.