Road-widening work in progress near PAP Chowk in Jalandhar. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12

The Army is upset with the state government for dilly-dallying on giving land to it in exchange for defence land in Amritsar and Jalandhar.The government had acquired about 10 acres of land in Jalandhar Cantt for widening of the national highway near PAP Chowk. In exchange, it had promised to give an alternative land.It’s been two years and the government is yet to honour its promise. The widening of the road, though, is in progress.In Amritsar, the government had acquired 47 acres and promised 100 acres in exchange in Nawanshahr’s Bir Sarnagwal village.In a meeting here today, senior Army officers reminded Revenue and Home Department officials about the unfulfilled promises. The government assured the Army of speeding up the process of giving land in exchange for the Amritsar land. As for the Jalandhar Cantt land issue, the government said the matter had been stuck.Sources told The Tribune the Army was asked to settle the matter with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), as both were Central departments.The Army reminded the state government that the previous SAD-BJP government had pressed on the Army to give the land for a public cause. Moreover, the state government is the executing agency for land acquisition.On the insistence of Army officers, the state government agreed to examine the possibility of acquiring land for the Army, but officials insisted the Army should settle the matter with the NHAI first.An official said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh would take a final call on the matter.Sources said as per the laid-down formula of providing alternative land, the Army is seeking land worth Rs 400 crore in Bir Sarnagwal village in lieu of Rs 98-crore land.

Army offers to construct road  Thursday’s meeting discussed a contentious matter of passages in Jalandhar Cantonment used by residents of six villages to gain access to the national highway. Citing security threats, the Army wants to construct a boundary wall and block the entry of villagers. The villagers and local politicians protested and the matter is hanging fire. The Army proposed to construct a periphery road outside and along its boundary wall leading to the national highway for the benefit of villagers. For this, the Army has demanded 20 acres from the state government. The meeting agreed to form a committee of officials to study the project and report within 15 days.

Recently Pakistan was embarrassed in the UN General Assembly by its Permanent Representative’s gaffe, when she waved the photograph of a Palestinian girl injured in an Israeli raid and tried to pass it off as a Kashmiri victim of alleged Indian atrocities. Much as Pakistan’s international embarrassment gives us a high, the fact remains that Islamabad has, in most cases, got away lightly for the turbulence and chaos it has wreaked on the world at large.

Living in Delhi, watching our television channels and reading the lively newspapers, one starts to imagine that all of India’s adversaries are under international pressure for the wrongs they do to this nation. This is delusional. It is good to step outside India occasionally and informally interact with international players and personalities. Pakistan may not exactly be thriving, but in world forums it certainly seems to get space. It uses that space to create a perception that Pakistan is the biggest sufferer of terrorism. India’s efforts somehow do not seem to get across the message that the claim is untrue and that Pakistan is the largest exporter of terror. This is despite some high-end diplomatic achievements in the recent past.

Surprisingly, few analysts, Indian and foreign, view Pakistan for its geostrategic value: It controls access to the heart of Asia and, in reverse, to the Indian Ocean. This will remain so as long as Iran is isolated. Without Pakistan’s willing assistance no foreign force can fight in Afghanistan. Leave alone the shenanigans and subterfuge Pakistan’s agencies weave, sheer logistics will ensure that. Can the US and the International Security Assistance Force fight with its logistics base at an airhead in Tajikistan or Uzbekistan? So, even as President Trump puts Pakistan on notice and places strictures on Habib Bank, it’s a question of how far and for how long can the pressure be maintained. A good strategic mind should picture that Pakistan is one of the rarest of nations which has five civilisations as neighbours and each of them has a stake in its territory. That enhances its strategic importance, especially since the US, which is not a  neighbour, has even greater stakes than its neighbours.

Nowhere was the importance of Pakistan more evident to me than, of all places, in Israel. It is not because Islamabad’s activities came under discussion at the recent World Summit on Counter Terrorism at Herzliya, Israel, but because they did not. The conference, which has acquired an iconic status in the world of strategic affairs and analysis, was focused on the terror threats in the Middle East and its linkages to Europe. Even in brief mentions about the history of violent extremism, Pakistan was absent. Attempts to draw the attention of the largely Israeli and western audiences towards the role of Pakistan in the spread of radical Islam and the involvement of Pakistani henchmen in many acts of violence in the western world cut no ice. What is more surprising is there were Pakistanis from the western world on the stage dropping platitudes and conveying greetings as if that country is a moderate haven in the Islamic world.

While Indian diplomacy is of a high order, Indian authorities perhaps do not realise that Pakistan undertakes a focused quasi diplomatic campaign to project it as the most moderate of nations. Retired diplomats, senior military officers and some academics, suave and articulate, are leading the charge in major world capitals and speak at all important think tanks, where they sell Islamabad’s line. London’s famed strategic speaking circuit, Washington’s think tanks and even Belgium’s numerous forums under the aegis of the European Union are places where the Pakistani presence is most noticeable. They help create the impression that Pakistan is facing deep challenges from Islamic extremist violence because they focus mostly on the internal security situation. The success of operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasad, the cleaning up of Karachi’s badlands and the neutralisation of anti-minority groups such as Lashkar e Jhangvi are talked about. Hardly anyone in these audiences is aware of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) or the Haqqani network. With the focus on ISIS (Daesh), these speakers discuss the dangers of ISIS finding its feet in Afghanistan or Pakistan and how much the government is doing to prevent that.

With Israeli efforts focused on Iran, analysts in the western capitals, and many even in South East Asia, are led to believe that the two real scourges of extremist Islamist violence are Iran and Daesh. That helps Pakistani transnational extremist groups to remain well under the radar of international concern.

All the above and the substantial work that Pakistan’s strategic community does has helped it retain an equilibrium in global forums and added to its strategic confidence. The one recent instance that surprised Pakistan was India’s handling of the Doklam stand-off with China. It marginally dented Islamabad’s confidence riding on the investment volumes promised by Beijing in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Any incremental increase in India’s strategic confidence worries Islamabad no end. Prime Minister Modi’s successful visits to the US, Germany, Israel and to the BRICS summit have added to that pressure. With a virtually interim government holding office in Islamabad and the Pakistan Army in effective control, we are likely to witness a greater surge of quasi diplomatic activity. The display of high energy activity at the UN General Assembly, where Pakistan’s efforts were pointed towards carving a perception of victimhood for itself, is an indication.

India needs to look below the radar as well and enhance its quasi diplomatic outreach. And these activities need to move beyond the immediate neighbourhood. There are capitals and curious audiences waiting to hear the Indian narrative. India must not disappoint them, for its own sake and theirs.

US wants to play it safe in Afghanistan, and with Pak

Long haul: The United States is in its 17th year of war, with no early end in sight.

Vivek Katju

SEVEN weeks after President Donald Trump announced the Afghanistan and South Asia policy, his administration is still working on fleshing out its contours to enable its operationalisation and effective implementation. In extensive joint interactions with the US Congress’ armed forces committees last week, defence secretary James Mattis and Gen Joseph Dunford, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, clarified to many sceptical members the policy’s objectives — regionalise, realign, reinforce, reconcile and sustain — and the means to be adopted to achieve them. What they said reveal US dilemmas, especially regarding Pakistan and the role expected of India in Afghanistan. The difficulties that the Trump administration is facing in evolving a consensus among its institutions concerned  can also be inferred from the interaction. Mattis told the House committee, “…in the US government the treasury secretary, the Secretary of State, the intelligence community and the defence department (will) lay out what we need Pakistan to do and then we are going to use the whole of the government institutional effort to align basically the benefits and the penalties if those things are not done”. As Trump had taken seven months to work out this crucial policy relating to America’s longest war — which has entered it 17th year with no early end in sight — it is passing strange that institutional coordination was not completed prior to Trump’s announcement. Leaving that aside, it is noteworthy that the US seeks to enlist all the 39 countries in the NATO campaign in Afghanistan to also pressure Pakistan to do the right thing in Afghanistan. This will not be easy.Clearly, Trump gave primacy to the views of the defence department in his Afghanistan and South Asia policy. US generals have plainly told Trump that unless Pakistan shuts down the Taliban havens on its soil and gives up supporting them, the military tide cannot be decisively turned against the terrorist group. Unless that happens, the Taliban will have no incentive, as it has had none over a decade and a half, to look towards the path of negotiation and reconciliation with the Afghan government. While the logic of this view is undeniable, the difficulty lies in finding the way to realise it is here that there are differences within the US administration. While US generals may want harsh action against a recalcitrant Pakistan, the State Department is dragging its feet. Part of this was evident during the just-concluded visit of Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Asif to Washington. He described his meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as “excellent” while that with national security adviser Gen HR McMaster only as “not bad”. The latter would have no doubt read out the riot act to the generally abrasive Pakistan minister.On his part, Asif took an aggressive approach in Washington, telling his hosts that they had “lost” the Afghan war and to stop using his country as a “whipping boy”. This was in keeping with Pakistan’s initial defiant and angry posture to Trump’s dire warnings and demands. However, Pakistan is simultaneously taking a more sober and pragmatic approach too and as its part, Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa visited Kabul last week to seek to assure President Ashraf Ghani and his colleagues of his country’s cooperation with Afghanistan in the struggle against terrorism. It is early days, but he seems to have made some headway in Kabul, for Mattis informed the House committee, “Based on a visit three days ago of the chief of the army staff of Pakistan to Kabul, we actually have for the first time a sense of some optimism out of the Afghan government”. Some veterans of the Afghan security establishment have cautioned President Ghani in putting his trust in Bajwa’s words. Having been badly bitten earlier by the Pakistan army how will Ghani react? This will have to be carefully followed by India for it will impact its interests. And it should not be overlooked that while India’s stock is high in Kabul, Ghani can be mercurial in his thinking and articulation.In his congressional testimony, Mattis referred warmly to his Delhi visit last month. He noted the growing strategic convergence between the US and India and was positive about India’s efforts in Afghanistan. In this sense, his sentiments were largely like those expressed by the Indian strategic community on India-US convergence on both Afghanistan and the wider Asian region. It is, however, essential to constantly examine the nature, extent and quality of this convergence even while welcoming it. Counter-terrorism cooperation is an obvious area of strategic convergence. It is noteworthy that the US after years of reluctance to call out Pakistan is now doing so. Its emphasis on Pakistan acting against all foreign oriented groups, including those that are operating in India, is good. It is also good that General Dunford had no hesitation in stating that the ISI has links with terrorist groups. With all this, it would be short-sighted on India’s part not to expect that US’ primary focus is on Pakistan’s connections with the Taliban. Its main objective is to defend the US against the repetition of another attack on the American mainland from Afghanistan. Against the LeT, the JeM and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the US will and has imposed sanctions and will cooperate with India on the intelligence front, but it is India that must act to eliminate their threat. And if in India’s so doing the US feels that its interests in Pakistan are threatened, it would not be reluctant to try to restrain India, as it has in the past.Pakistan has maintained a high decibel in asserting that India has no political and military role in Afghanistan since Trump’s policy announcement. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi made this point in New York last month as did Asif in Washington. The Pakistanis are fixated, overlooking the fact that it is for Afghanistan and India to bilaterally decide this issue. In this context,  India must always be and project that it is an independent actor in Afghanistan.In the Asian region, and in the context of China, India must not hesitate to acknowledge and act positively,  together with the US where interests converge, whether on the OBOR or the South China Sea or in the Indian Ocean. While doing so, it must retain its strategic autonomy. This will ensure that its relations with Russia, so vital in many areas, are not overlooked even if there is a growing gap on Afghanistan. On China too, India must develop independent and full deterrence, especially in its strategic programme, even while cooperating where it is in its interest to do so.The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs

File photo for representation only.

Srinagar, October 6

The Army recruitment rally drew an overwhelming response from the youth as more than 1,800 candidates from Jammu and Kashmir appeared in the tests conducted here.“The recruitment rally of Army continues to draw overwhelming response from the local youth of valley. The UHQ quota recruitment was conducted on October 4 and 5 at JAK LI Regimental Centre, Rangreth, for the wards of serving and retired soldiers of the regiment,” an Army official said.Over 1,800 candidates appeared in the rally for enrolment as soldier general duty, tradesmen and clerk from all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.“The recruitment was conducted successfully and all candidates were given an opportunity to participate in the physical tests. Security aspects were coordinated with Budgam police for the smooth conduct of the rally,” he said.The selected candidates, who have cleared the physical screening, will now be put through a detailed medical examination and a common entrance examination to draw a merit list as per vacancies, the official said.“The rally has been a huge success in terms of the enthusiasm and willingness seen amongst the candidates, who turned up in large numbers from various parts of Kashmir Valley,” he added. — PTI

My views on party & state affairs to my relations with the Centre & more, carried in today’s

Rahul a strong challenge to Modi, his elevation as Congress President soon: Captain Amarinder Singh

he sentiment is changing in the favour of the Congress due to factors such as the effects of demonetisation and the goods and services tax ( GST), and the party stands a good chance in the 2019 general election, said Punjab chief ministerAmarinder Singh . In an interview to ET’s Aman Sharma , he said his government has fared better than its counterpart in Uttar Pradesh, which was sworn in around the same time, and that the upcoming industrial policy will help the state attract much-needed investments. Edited excerpts: 

Do you think Rahul Gandhi can pose a credible challenge to Narendra Modi in the 2019 election?
Of course, Rahul Gandhi is a strong challenge to any opponent. Not only is he capable of leading the Congress but he is the best choice of the opposition to take the lead in the 2019 election. He has proved himself time and again as a man of stature and an astute politician. His performance at (University of California,) Berkeley was par excellence. I have been saying for a long time now that the time has come for his elevation as Congress president, and I am sure it’s going to happen soon now. The Congress itself has bright chances in the next Lok Sabha polls as there is palpable swing in the mood of the public in favour of the party. Ups and downs in a party’s fortunes are a part of democratic polity and, while the Congress had been on a downswing for some time, I personally see strong signs of its revival. Things are not good in the country at the moment… the effects of GST, of demonetisation. Look at the recent elections – the student union elections in Rajasthan, Delhi or the Panjab University. It is all indicative of how things are changing. I think Congress has a real good chance everywhere. By the 2019 general election, certainly, we are very much in the run.

How is your relationship with the Prime Minister?
My relationship with PM Modi or Mr Arun Jaitley has always been very cordial. They have gone out of the way to assist us, as our Congress government at the Centre went out of its way to assist the SAD-BJP government in Punjab. Government to government, politics aside, the country has to work. The states cannot work without the Union government and vice versa. I have had no problems with PM Modi – he has gone out of his way to be of assistance. That is the same thing which happened last time when Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and LK Advani ji went out of their way to assist me when I was CM from 2002 to 2007.

You and Siddaramaiah delivered for the Congress, but the party appears to be struggling where it does not have a strong local leadership…
I agree it is the absence of strong faces in many states that has been responsible for the fact that the party has been struggling to make its presence felt there. Actually, I would go a step further and say that what is lacking are strong regional faces. Only regional leaders can take on regional parties and relate with aspirations of the local people. Every state has its own unique problems and needs, which someone sitting in Delhi cannot possibly understand or address. So we need to develop a strong line or regional leadership.

How would you compare your government’s performance with that in Uttar Pradesh, which was sworn around the same time? UP claims to have delivered on its promise to waive farm loans…
Has UP delivered on loan waiver? With payments less than Re 1 being made to farmers? That is a total mockery of the loan waiver promise and shows shocking callousness for sentiments of the farmers. Not only is our loan waiver scheme bigger in terms of quantum of relief it is a more sincere attempt to resolve the debt crises of the farming community. You can see the same difference on all other fronts too. Take, for instance, law and order. Our six-month rule has led to a massive decline in crime but the scenario in UP is in sharp contrast. The same holds true for mafia rule, which continues to prevail in UP, while, in Punjab, we have already abolished sand and transport mafias, as well as drugs mafia. Even the VVIP culture elimination was a step which we first took and which the central and UP governments simply decided to follow.

What has been the impact of GST on Punjab? Are there any teething issues? 
On GST, I would like to reiterate that the scheme will benefit Punjab and help us add some much-needed revenue to our coffers. Of course, there are some teething problems, but once these are sorted out and the process is streamlined, we see it contributing significantly to our revenue. It is estimated it will generate Rs 5,500 crore for the state exchequer this fiscal. But we were expecting that in July. Then we were said in September. We haven’t got it yet. How will the state function? If we can’t get GST, you have taken away all our taxes. Where does the money come from? We have to pay salaries; run the state. Why is there a delay? We were committed this – now I don’t know when it will come.

The Opposition alleges little has been done against drugs or on your promise of acting against Bikram Majithia or SAD leaders…
Well, the Opposition, having been virtually eliminated in the Assembly election, is desperately looking for straws to hold on to now. Since they have no concrete issues to raise, they are resorting to frivolous allegations. Have they even checked out the figures on drug seizures and arrests made under NDPS Act? Have they bothered to visit the rehabilitation centres and seen the changes there? The fact is that we have completely broken the backbone of the drugs mafia and nobody can now simply go out and pick up any drug of their choice as was the case during the Akali regime. As far as action against Akali leaders is concerned, we have not backtracked on any promise. What we had promised was that we will ensure that any of them found guilty of any misdemeanour will be brought to book and we stand by that promise. Whether it is Majithia or anyone else, let them be proved guilty and you will see the law take its own course. I have said time and again, and still maintain, that we will not indulge in politics of vendetta. Various agencies and departments concerned, including STF, are investigating all allegations and suspicions.

What are you doing to attract corporate investments to Punjab? How will the state come out of its financial mess? 
The new industrial policy, the contours of which have been more or less finalised, is focused on promoting ease of business and providing a level-playing field to all existing and new industrial and business houses. As far as corporate investment is concerned, a leading paper manufacturer, Ruchira, has applied for approvals to set up a manufacturing plant at a Rs 1,000 crore investment. We have received proposals from the Ambanis, Godrej, Tatas, Adanis, Mahindra & Mahindra, Nerolac, Britannia, etc., and these are at different stages of approval or implementation. Public and private sector companies in other countries, such as UK, Israel, UAE, Japan, etc., have also shown interest. Industrial development will, in my opinion, go a long way in reviving the state’s economy. In addition, we are going for fiscal prudence and discipline to boost savings. The mafias are being eliminated, which will ensure that the money earned from various businesses will go to the state exchequer instead of being diverted to the pockets of a few corrupt politicians or officials.

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 1

In an unexplained move, China has backed off from hosting the annual ceremonial border personnel meeting (BPM) with India.The meeting is conducted on October 1 to mark China’s “annual day”, the anniversary of the formation of People’s Republic of China. It was to be hosted by the People’s Liberation Army at five designated BPM points across the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control , the de facto boundary between the two countries along the Himalayan ridgeline.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Beijing’s move comes four weeks after the two neighbours ended their 73-day military standoff at Doklam. This is contrary to Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui’s statement yesterday that the time was right for both countries to “turn a new chapter” and “dance together”. In an indirect reference to the Doklam standoff, Ambassador Zhaohui had called for renewing India-China ties, saying both “India and China should make one-plus-one eleven”. Notably, the May 2015 joint statement issued after a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping spoke of increased military interaction. It said: “The two sides will carry out annual visits and exchanges between the two military headquarters and neighbouring military commands, expand exchanges between border commanders and establish border personnel meeting points in all sectors along the India-China border.”

New road near ArunachalBeijing: China on Sunday opened a 409-km new expressway costing about USD 5.8 billion linking Tibet’s provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi, which is close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. The toll-free expressway links the two major cities that are also tourist attractions in Tibet, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The expressway cuts Lhasa-Nyingchi travel time from eight to five hours at a speed limit of 80 km per hour.Ambala base to be Rafale-readyThe Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base in Ambala for deployment of the first squadron of the Rafale jets, which will give India greater “potency” over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying N-weapons and other missiles. The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal, which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets.

Nyingchi is close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.

Lhasa, October 2

China has opened a 409-km toll-free new expressway linking Lhasa and Nyingchi, the two major cities and tourist attractions in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Nyingchi is close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.

Costing about $5.8 billion, the expressway cuts Lhasa-Nyingchi travel time from eight to five hours at a speed limit of 80 km per hour, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Heavy trucks are temporarily banned from using the Lhasa- Nyingchi expressway, Xinhua news agency added. The India-China border covering the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is deputed.

Notably, China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, whereas India asserts that the dispute covers the Aksai Chin area, which was occupied by China during the 1962 war. The two sides have so far held several rounds of talks with Special Representatives, including a stand-off in the Doklam area, to resolve the boundary dispute. —AN

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. — PTI

Defence Minister on two-day visit to J&K from tomorrow

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 28

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir starting Friday morning.Army chief General Bipin Rawat shall accompany the Minister.She will fly off to Srinagar tomorrow and will be visiting Siachen on September 30.At Srinagar’s she shall be briefed by the Northern Army Command on operational matters.A meeting is scheduled with Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.In Siachen, the Minister is scheduled to spend a few hours and is scheduled to be flown in a helicopter to one of the posts.