Current Events :
GOG( Gurdians of Goverance) on colcluding Day TRAINING AT GURDASPUR was visited by Lt Gen TS Shergill,PVSM Sr advisor to the CM Punjab cum Sr Vice Chairman of GOG and Maj Gen SPS Grewal ,CMD PESCO cum Vice Chairman GOG
Tribune News Service
Jammu, January 29
The National Conference (NC) on Monday demanded the arrest of soldiers named in an FIR in the killing of two civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, while the ruling BJP demanded withdrawal of the FIR.
“Politics apart, this cycle of killings must end. We all have to end this bloodshed,” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in the state assembly.
“As per news reports soldiers, including a Major, have been named in the FIR.
“Bullets have been fired at chest height, which means the forces were not controlling the situation, but only firing,” he said, and added, “What was the purpose of ordering a magisterial probe if the police have already lodged an FIR into the incident.” Earlier, senior NC leader, Ali Muhammad Sagar demanded the arrest of the soldiers named in the FIR lodged in the killing of two civilians, Javaid Ahmad and Suhail Ahmad, in Ganowpora village on Saturday.
The incident had occurred when a stone pelting mob had attacked an administrative convoy of the army.
On the other hand, ruling BJP legislator, R.S. Pathania demanded withdrawal of the FIR lodged against the army personnel.
Pathania demanded that a fresh FIR be lodged in the incident without naming any army personnel.
The BJP legislator said “serious charges” had been levelled against the army in the FIR which appeared that it had been “done under pressure”.
IANS
In an olive green pilot’s G-suit and a helmet, Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday soared high on a Sukhoi-30 MKI jet, the first Indian woman Defence Minister to go on a sortie on the all-weather, long-range fighter. The supersonic jet took off at 1 pm; after a 45-minute flight seated behind the pilot, Group Captain Sumit Garg, Sitharaman, 58, was back at Jodhpur Air Force station. Then President Pratibha Patil had also flown in the jet in 2009, as did APJ Abdul Kalam. In 2003, then Defence Minister George Fernandes had also taken a sortie aboard an SU-30 jet.
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, January 22
Actor Mohit Raina today visited the city to promote his upcoming TV show ‘21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897’. The show is based on the Battle of Saragarhi.Mohit is playing the role of Havildar Ishar Singh who, along with other 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army, had successfully defended a remote outpost in the North-West Frontier Province from an attack by over 10,000 Afghan tribesmen.Produced by Contiloe Productions, ‘21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897’ will be aired on Discovery JEET from February 12.Talking about his role, Mohit, who was also one of the leads in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, said, “The moment I heard about the role, I wanted to play the character and understand the situation. My fascination for uniform also motivated me to grab the role.”The show will be aired for a period of over two months, depicting the courage of Sikh soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of their duty.On preparations, the actor said, “I am so excited to be in Punjab. I have learnt a lot about Punjab and its culture while playing the role of Ishar Singh. I had listened to many Punjabi songs and watched movies. Ishar Singh was ready to sacrifice his life for his motherland. The intensity and passion of the character have to be lived from the core of the heart.”The show has been shot in the Leh-Ladakh region. Bollywood actor Mukul Dev is also playing the role of Afghan leader Gul Badshah.
From page 01 JAMMU: On the festival of Lohri, Pakistan killed an Indian soldier on the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Saturday.
“Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts in Sunderbani sector around 2 pm. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively,” said an army officer.
However, in the exchange of fire, Lance Naik Yogesh Muralidhar Bhadane, was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries, he added.
The officer informed that both the sides used small arms and the exchanges lasted around 15 minutes.
Family members wail over the death of teenager Gaura Ram of Kapurpur village during shelling in RS Pura sector of Jammu. Inderjeet Singh
Sepoy Mandeep Singh
Tribune News Service
Jammu/Rajouri, January 20
Four persons, including a soldier, were killed on Saturday as Pakistan continued shelling border posts and civilian areas along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region. Eighteen persons were injured, an SSB and a BSF jawan in the Pargwal sector among them. With the authorities sounding a red alert, more than 10,000 residents of border villages have shifted to safer places. Over 300 educational institutions along the IB and the LoC in Jammu region have been shut for three days.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics and mortar bombs in Krishna Ghati sector along the LoC in Poonch at 8.20 am. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively. However, in the exchange of fire, Sepoy Mandeep Singh of Alampur village in Punjab’s Sangrur district was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries. He is survived by his father Gurnam Singh,” a defence spokesperson said. He said as Pakistan resorted to unprovoked shelling in Gajansoo area of Kanachak sector in Jammu this afternoon, shells exploded at the Gajansoo bus stand, injuring two persons. One of them, Tarseem (25), died in hospital later. Pakistan Rangers also shelled forward hamlets in RS Pura. Gaura Ram (17) of Kapurpur and Gahar Singh (45) of Abdullian were killed and five others injured.Already this year, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 100 times, resulting in the death of three Army soldiers, three BSF men and six civilians. The Indian Army has lost two soldiers and the BSF two jawans since Thursday. The shelling has caused extensive damage to property and livestock. “The border hamlets have virtually turned into war zones,” the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of RS Pura, Surinder Choudhary, who led a police team to rescue and shift the injured, said. “Border residents would not have died or been injured had the government constructed bunkers or given us land in a safe area, as promised several years ago,” said Sudershan Singh of Arnia.While firing and shelling ended in Hiranagar, Samba and Arnia at 1.30 am today, it continued in Ramgarh sector till 5.30 am. (With PTI inputs)
Gauri Chhabra
In a path-breaking move, the Indian Army opened combat positions for women, a gender barrier broken by only a few countries globally. The role of women in the armed forces for a long time was limited to the medical profession, that is doctors and nurses. In 1992, the doors were thrown open for women’s entry as regular officers in aviation, logistics, law, engineering and executive cadres. Thousands of spirited young women applied against advertisements and it was a turning point in the history of the Indian Army. In the recent years, steps have been taken to make armed forces more women inclusive by enabling them to serve on submarines, in ground combat positions and tank units. In February 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee announced that women will be allowed to take up combat roles in all sections of the Indian Armed Forces, signalling a radical move towards gender parity in one of the world’s most male-dominated professions. A few months ago, the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence has asked all wings of the Army to come up with suggestions for roles for women. In October, the government took the first steps towards bringing women into combat roles and approved air force plans for female pilots to fly warplanes from June 2017, on a three-year experimental basis.
Getting in
The Indian Armed Forces are the federal military forces of the Union of Republic of India. It consists of four professional uniformed services: The Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard. Recruitment is voluntary, which implies that every citizen of India is eligible to be a part of it, provided he/she fulfils the specified criteria for selection. Manpower in each of the services is broadly divided into commissioned officers, JCO’s (Junior Commissioned Officers) and other ranks, based on their qualifications and seniority.
Selection process
The procedure for becoming a lady officer in the army is the same as the one followed for men. The candidates have to clear a written exam — CDSE in this case — or there is direct shortlisting on the basis of cutoff percentage, like in the SSC-Tech and NCC entries. After getting selected in the initial process that is written or getting shortlisted, Service Selection Board(SSB) calls are made. The women candidates are called at various selection centres of the Indian Army. Post getting recommended in the SSB, which is a two-stage process, — after clearing stage I you advance to stage II — medical examination of successful candidates is conducted. The All India Merit List decides the final entries, based on the vacancies.Currently, women in the non-medical cadre, serve as Short Service Commissioned (SSC) officers. Under this commission, they can serve in the armed forces for a period ranging from 5-14 years. On release, they can pursue a career in the civil sector. SSC officers are released with gratuity and can avail some benefits as ex-service person, but they do not get pension. Women in the medical branch that is doctors and nurses can serve as Permanent Commissioned (PC) officers and are eligible for pension after retirement. They also have the option to serve as SSC officers.Here is the list of branches, in which eligible women candidates serve as Short Service Commissioned officers…ArmyThe Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination is conducted twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment into the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Indian Air Force Academy (AFA).Girls are only eligible for Officers Training Academy (OTA). The other three — IMA, AFA and INA — are only for men candidates. NCC special entry: You can take the NCC Special entry exam if you are an NCC women cadet. The qualification needed is: The candidate should be between 19-25 years of age. The candidate must have completed a degree with 50 per cent aggregate.JAG entry: This entry is for the law graduates. Age limit is between 21-27 years. Education qualification should be LLB degree.Air ForceAir Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) is a written exam conducted by Indian Air Force twice a year to induct officers in the IAF. The written exam is followed by Air Force Selection Board Interview for shortlisted candidates. The air force entry is possible for women through the AFCAT. The candidates should be a graduate from any stream with physics and Maths in Class XII.NavyPresently, the women are recruited for ATC, observer, law, logistics, education, naval architecture streams.Short Service Commissioned Officer Under University Entry Scheme (UES): Women candidates who fall between19-25 years of age. Educational qualification: Should have completed B.E/B.Tech degree in Naval Architecture / Mechanical / Civil / Aeronautical/ Metallurgical/ Aerospace engineering with an aggregate of 60 per cent are eligible. SSC Naval Architecture: The candidate appearing for this exam should be between 21-25 years of age and should have completed B.E/B.Tech in Computer Science, IT, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical or M.Sc in physics/ maths/ computer application, with at least 50 per cent marks.SC ATC: The candidate should be 19-25 years of age. The candidate should have completed B.E/ B.Tech (any discipline) with 60 per cent marks from a recognised university/ institution with maths and physics in Class XII.SSC Observer: The candidate should be between 19-24 years of age and should have completed B.E/ B.Tech in any discipline with minimum 55 per cent marks from a recognised university/ institution with maths and physics in Class XII.SSC Logistics: The candidate should be within 19-25 years of age. Educational qualification: B.Tech/ B.E (any discipline), MBA with First Class, B.Sc/ B.Com/ B.Sc(IT) with first division and a Post Graduate Diploma in Material Management/ Finance/ Logistics/ Supply Chain Management.Catering billetsM.Sc (Hotel Management)/ MBA (Hotel Management)/ BSc or BA with First Class and a Post Graduate Diploma in Hotel Management.SSC education: The candidate should be between 21- 25 years of age.
Indian Coast GuardWomen are recruited in Coast Guard only as officers in General Duty (Pilot / Navigation) and General Duty (CPL Holders, Short Service entry) branches. The selection process for women is similar to that of male candidates. Assistant Commandant (GD)-SSA: General Duty (Short Service Appointment for a period of eight years, which may be extended to ten years and can be further extended upto 14 years). Age limit: 21-25 years (Five years relaxation for SC/ST and three years for OBC) Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from any recognised university by central/ state government/ UGC with mathematics and physics as subjects upto Class XII.
Assistant Commandant (Law)
Age limit: 21-30 years (Five years relaxation for government employees)(i) A degree in law (ii) Knowledge/ Experience connected with International Law/ Maritime LawTAKE THE CHALLENGE HEAD ON As commissioned officers are between the age of 22-23 years, they may often have subordinates older than their parents. Hence, from day one, it is a challenge and leadership qualities are under test. An officer may have to work in tough terrains or difficult circumstances. Most women, however, who undergo training as cadets in various military academies, cope up with various difficult situations easily. Being a transferable job, transfers and movements are seen as unique travel opportunities to remote locations in the country.
Attari, January 18
The war of flags between India and Pakistan at the Attari-Wagah joint check post (JCP) is set for a renewal with the authorities on the Indian side readying to make the Tricolour flutter once again on top of a 360-foot-tall flagpole at Attari.While the Pakistani national flag has been fluttering since last August, the Indian flag had to be taken off on a few occasions last year as strong winds along the border belt have repeatedly damaged the Tricolour.The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), which manages the Indian flag at Attari, has handed over the task of hoisting and maintenance of the flag to Delhi-based company Fast Track. The company manages the giant national flag fluttering at Central Park in New Delhi’s busy Rajiv Chowk.The AIT has given the contract for maintaining the flag to the company for over Rs 46 lakh annually. The pole and flag were installed last year at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. The flag, which got damaged four times, has been replaced five times at a cost of Rs 6 lakh each time. Even though the Pakistani flag is fluttering on a higher 400-foot pole, the Indian authorities have decided to keep the Tricolour at a height of 360 feet only.India had pipped Pakistan in this war of flags by hoisting the flag in March last year, much ahead of Pakistan’s move to hoist a flag near the JCP. However, the Indian flag had to be taken off from the pole as the strong winds repeatedly damaged it. The main reason for this was that the Tricolour is made, as per specifications, from khadi material which could not sustain itself at the height of 360 feet. The Pakistani flag is reported to be made from a finer and stronger material. — IANS
Too busy to read the whole story? Listen to it instead:
On 13 July 1999, even as the Indian Army achieved its final success in Kargil, a new phenomenon unfolded in the Kashmir Valley. A small group of foreign terrorists (FTs) staked out a company of the Rashtriya Rifles in north Kashmir and executed an intrusion into its camp resulting in heavy casualties among the Security Forces (SF). Within a few days, other SF camps were struck with a couple of such actions for which they were unprepared.
Those were the days when the ratio of FTs to local terrorists (LTs) was skewed almost completely in favour of the former. These sneak actions were termed by terrorists as Fedayeen. The latter is a phenomenon associated with Palestinian suicide squads. It literally means – ‘those who sacrifice themselves in the name of God’.
In the context of J&K, it meant a transformation of the sub-conventional conflict in the sense that till July 1999, FTs in groups of about 6-8 terrorists challenged the SF in villages, towns, jungles and mountain tops but scrupulously avoided coming near the camps.
The sudden change in terms of targeting the SF camps with suicide squads, that attempted to intrude through perimeter fences or by means of various ruses such as the disguise of Indian soldiers, was aimed at placing the SF on the defensive.
They hoped to tie them down to their camps and force an out-of-proportion effort by SF to lay emphasis on defensive measures instead of offensive counter terror operations. Some high profile actions by the Fedayeen did manage to place the SF on the defensive as the latter devised new tactical methods of countering them. Casualties mounted in such actions witnessed at various HQ and units including a daring attempt on the entrance to HQ 15 Corps where the Public Relations Officer (PRO) and others were killed on 3 November 1999.
All these Fedayeen actions were executed by Pakistanis recruited from west Punjab with some on death row and others designated as terminal HIV cases. At least two cases of suicide bombing were carried out by local Kashmiris in this period, but by and large the local Kashmiri footprint in Fedayeen was absent.
Better preparedness by the Indian SF and inability to find volunteers as recruit led to the eventual tapering off.
However, after 8 July 2016 (Burhan Wani’s killing) once again Pakistan-sponsored proxy war received a fresh impetus and the Fedayeen trend returned. Pathankot preceded this (1 January 2016) but Uri (18 September 2016) and Nagrota (29 November 2016) followed.
The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), that was looking for a new avatar after being in the dog house for a while, focused on Fedayeen and managed some successful sneak actions against SF camps.
On 31 December 2017, the JeM executed a sneak action against the CRPF Letapura camp near Avantipura. The difference in this was the composition of the Fedayeen squad. The three-man squad had at least two local terrorists.
How does the presence of locals in such squads change the nature of proxy conflict and thereby the threats? South Kashmir is an ideologically more energetic segment where after Burhan Wani’s killing, the terrorist movement involving local youth has taken shape. While the presence of FTs still persists it is mainly restricted to north and central Kashmir.
Inducting an FT Fedayeen squad is cumbersome and involves recruitment, training, motivation, infiltration and concentration at safe houses. The chances of discovery and attrition are far greater besides the time taken to execute an action. The JeM along with its handlers has belied the belief that Kashmiris do not believe in suicide acts and has probably more volunteers-in-waiting. If this recruitment drive gets further success there could be an army of such youth willing to be members of suicide squads. There would be no need for infiltration and safe houses because locals need none of that.
Fedayeen actions could be executed more frequently and with the help of locals working at SF establishments; all these personnel would immediately become suspect resulting in more alienation. Fardeen Khanday’s eight-minute video aired on social media, in Burhan Wani’s tradition, reveals how the young man had been radicalised in three months. His beliefs appear to relate him to the Islamic Caliphate type of ideology; the larger brotherhood of the Islamic Ummah.
With mosque power at its height, the youth in revolt mode and alienation of general public, a phenomenon which appears not to be waning, the signs for this winter and beyond appear ominous, not the least because of the threat of multiple Fedayeen squads which will force a far greater defensive mentality on the SF.
If this trend translates to the next level, which is suicide bombing with ‘strap on’ explosives and explosive laden cars in the Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan mode, the Indian SF would have a new challenge on their hands.
For enhanced security against local Fedayeen there would be a need for sharper intelligence for which funding should never be a constraint, constantly improving infrastructure of camps and establishments (the Letapura camp is reported to have had the usual glitches) and most importantly a rapid counter radicalisation exercise which needs an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. The meaning of outreach needs redefining but continued military domination is the key.
(Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain is a former GOC of the army’s 15 Corps and now associated with Vivekanand International Foundation and Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies. He can be reached at @atahasnain53. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
From page 01 JAMMU: A Border Security Force (BSF) head constable and a 17-year-old girl died and six villagers were injured after Pakistan rained mortars and opened heavy weapons fire at Indian villages and posts along the International Border (IB) in Arnia and Ramgarh sub sectors of Jammu and Samba districts respectively through Wednesday night.
The deceased jawan and the girl have been identified as Head Constable A Suresh Kumar and Neelam Kumari aka Sweety.
BSF Jammu Frontier IG Ram Awtar said BSF retaliated strongly to the unprovoked firing and shelling.
The 1976-born Head Constable Suresh joined BSF in 1995. He hailed from Tamil Nadu. He is survived by a 13-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.
Arnia SHO Sunil Kumar said that around 8.30 am on Thursday, a Pakistani mortar shell exploded in a field in Pindi Charakan village in Arnia where the girl had gone to relieve herself.
She died instantly, he added. Tehsildar of Arnia tehsil, Gurpreet Singh said, the girl identified as Neelam aka Sweety, daughter of Satpal, had come to her uncle’s house from Dayalachak to attend a family function.
ALERT ISSUED N JAMMU BORDER AREAS
Singh informed that on Wednesday night, Pakistan shelling also injured four villagers, who have been identified as Ramesh Chander, Chanchala Devi, Darshan Lal and Ramesh Lal, all residents of ward number 13 of Arnia Town.
He informed that over 25 villages were targeted by Pakistan.
A police officer from Samba said that overnight shelling in Ramgarh sector also left two villagers injured. They have been identified as Suresh Kumar and Puneet Choudhary of Kamore village.
WE’RE PEACE LOVING BUT HAVE THE RIGHT TO RETALIATE: BSF DG The BSF’s director general KK Sharma said on Thursday the situation along the Line of Control and International Border was “tense” but the paramilitary force was “more than prepared”.
“We don’t initiate first fire but if provoked, we strongly retaliate. The martyrdom of head constable A Suresh won’t go waste,” Sharma said. Commenting on increasing truce violations by Pakistan recently, Sharma said India is a peace loving nation and doesn’t want to create a war-like situation.
“We are more than prepared to foil infiltration attempts and respond to ceasefire violations,” he added.
