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Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, November 9

On Kartarpur stage, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday warmed Pakistan asking the neighbouring country to stop interfering in Kashmir and Punjab.

He said: “We will retaliate. We are not wearing bangles.”

Capt had on Wednesday also stuck to his stand that India needed to be cautious of the hidden agenda of the Pakistan Army.

Referring to the official song released by the Pakistan government, welcoming Sikh pilgrims, which have posters of Sikh separatist leaders like Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale and Amrik Singh Khalsa, besides Maj Gen Shabeg Singh, in the background, the Chief Minister said: “On one hand Pakistan shows love and on the other they do this. This is very inappropriate.”

A video song, which was on Wednesday released by Pakistan government prior to the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, has run into a controversy as it showed Khalistani separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale amongst other leaders.

The video song had been released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on November 4.

As the video of ex- Adjutant General, Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar’s recent interview to a private news channel was being repeatedly shared on social media, a disgruntled viewer commented if it is the worst time to be a soldier or rather a veteran. AG’s statements have not gone down too well within the fraternity. The last couple of years have been tough for the soldiers of the Indian Army, serving and retired both, for the reasons we all are well aware of. The AHQ seems highly insecure and has ended being up and against its very own soldiers. Why?

Nothing justifies treacherously targeting their brother officers and taking away their hard-earned honour. With seemingly strong leadership, we expected the Indian Army to further strengthen the force to reckon with! An army that believed in itself and its soldiers.

An army where every family felt secure and well cared for! An army where the trust in the organization ran several notches higher than the God himself! But what we get to see is a deeply resentful army. Peeved at the way some decisions have been taken, restrictions issued, without taking into consideration that it would impact the morale of the soldier on the ground; many soldiers have taken to social media to express their disappointments. From demonizing the disabled soldiers to intemperate statements in media to the down gradation of our soldiers who defended the sovereignty of the nation to unfounded allegations to having a code of conduct for our veterans, demeaning our men in Olive greens seems to be the flavor of the season.

In the name of restructuring the army, the soldiers are being hit where it hurts the most. A deep divide is being made between the serving and the retired, the top brass and the junior ranks. Indian army is no longer one big happy family, it used to be. And that is where the biggest damage lies. In times when the country is facing threats from in and outside, shouldn’t it be our priority to be well prepared and comprehensively improve the morale of our soldiers to ensure they come back as winners whenever; whatever the situation is! For this, greater involvement of veterans will come handy. Imagine a group of highly skilled workforce deeply rooted in the military ethos, mutual respect and their commitment towards the organization which goes beyond any financial gain. Shunning them will certainly not help.

No, it is not the worst time to be a soldier. It cannot be. We should not let views of a select few deter us. We cannot. And I will quote the famous Urdu poet Rahat Indori Sahab, here- 

“Jo aaj saahibe masnad hain kal nahin honge

Kiraaydaar hain zaati makaan thodi hai”

We should aim to become a major global military power. Enhancing Defence capabilities should be our focus area.

Soldiers are trained to be a part of something greater than themselves and for them, nothing is greater than their country. The onus lies on the top brass of our coveted organization to stop sending such adverse messages and treat the entire fraternity as a family.

Concerns regarding the honour and dignity of soldiers can certainly not be resolved until the officers in the higher ranks of the Indian Army remain indifferent and apathetic. Together we can and we will become the best military power in the world. Othering each other will only strengthen the enemies of the organization, address the soldiers, address the issue, don’t let it simmer. Let the country before self, be our cementing factor.

Best is yet to be.

Jai Hind.

WASHINGTON: China is a growing military power but countries like India and Japan are also following through in the region by increasing their defence rollout, the US has said as it voiced concern over Beijing’s activities in the disputed South China Sea.

“China is a growing military power in this region. That’s natural. It’s a big country. It’s a country that’s trying to develop itself economically,” US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in response to a question from an American soldier in Hawaii on his way back from his Asia trip.

“It’s not the only one. Japan is increasing its defence rollout here, so is India. Many, many countries are asking us to work with them, because they want to be part of this regional architecture that keeps the peace, and we welcome all of them to include China,” Carter said.

As the US and China engaged in a standoff last week over an American guided missile destroyer in Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea, Carter said there is no question that the US has some points of contention with China and objections to things they’re doing.

“We, as many countries out here, are concerned about their activities in the South China Sea. We’ve called on China and others who are doing things in the South China Sea, reclaiming land, militarising features, to hold that permanently, all of them. We think everybody ought to just stop that, and that these are things to be resolved diplomatically,” he said.

“I have certainly said, and will continue to demonstrate, that for our part, the US will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law permits — South China Sea to the Arctic — that’s not going to change,” Carter said.

The US move to send USS Lassen to the SCS brought angry denunciations from China, which said its sovereignty had been violated and warned America not to take “dangerous actions”.

In his remarks, the Defence Secretary reiterated that the presence of the US in the region ensured peace for decades and this played a key role in the rise of China.

“Look what’s happened out here. Japan rose and prospered from the ashes of World War II. Then Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, now China and India.

“They’re able to do that, to follow their own destiny, dream their own dreams, live their own lives, because of the environment of peace and stability, and that has been a very important measure underwritten by the role the United States. We intend to keep going back,” he said.

“That in a sentence is the rebalancing. You, right here, are the heart of that. So you’re playing a role in history that you’ll look back on later in your lives and recognise and be able to tell your children the value of,” he said.

Image only for representational purposes

Srinagar, November 19

Four associates of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who were responsible for carrying out a blast in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, have been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

While investigating the terror attack that took place in the Arihal area of Pulwama in July, police learnt about the involvement of a person, Sharik Ahmad, who had been constantly communicating with a foreign militant and making plans to carry out attacks in the area, a police spokesman said.

“Accordingly, Ahmad with the help of three other JeM associates, identified as Aqib Ahmad, Adil Ahmad Mir and Owais Ahmad, conspired and executed the terror attack in Airhal area,” he said.

On Monday, the module was busted with the arrest of the all four persons, the spokesman said.

He said the investigation into the case revealed that all the four persons are linked to JeM and played their active part in conspiring and executing the terror attack in Arihal area.

Incriminating material was recovered from their possession and it has been taken into records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes, the spokesman said, adding further investigation in the case is in progress. —PTI

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Militants lobbed a grenade in a busy market in the heart of the city, killing one person on Monday, almost three months since the Kashmir Valley shut down in response to the Centre revoking the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

At least 13 people were injured in the grenade attack, the second in less than a month, and were rushed to the nearby SMHS hospital where the condition of two is critical, officials said. The attack took place at 1.20 pm, a time the Hari Singh High Street market was crowded with people and roadside vendors.

On October 12, militants injured five people in a similar grenade attack in the area.

Security forces have cordoned off the area.

Traffic was scarce in the city with the capital of the newly created union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shifting to Jammu for the winter.

On August 5, the Centre announced the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

On Monday, almost three months to the day, normal life remained disturbed.

Shops and other business establishments opened early in the morning but downed their shutters around 12 noon due to fewer customers following shifting of the capital to Jammu as part of bi-annual ‘darbar move’, officials said.

While public transport was off the roads in most parts of the Valley, the movement of private vehicles in the city was less than usual as a large number of government employees have shifted base to Jammu.

A large number of roadside vendors set up their stalls on the TRC crossing-Batamaloo axis in the city but the number of customers was less, the officials said.

Efforts of the state government to open schools have not borne any fruit as parents continue to keep the children at home due to apprehensions about their safety. However, board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 are going on according to schedule.

Landline and postpaid mobile phone services have been restored across the valley, but all internet services continue to remain suspended since August 5.

Most top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers—Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti—have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

The government has detained Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was chief minister. PTI

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The Air Force’s MiG-27 strike aircraft would fly into the sunset on the last day of this year, bringing to an end the era of ‘swing-wing’ fighters in the IAF.

IAF sources said the fleet is formally being retired on December 31 and a ceremony is being organised at the Jodhpur airbase, where the last remaining MiG-27 outfit, No.29 Squadron, also called Scorpions, is based. Besides squadron officers, other IAF serving and retired personnel who have been associated with the aircraft are expected to attend the event.

Nicknamed Bahadur in India, the Soviet origin MiG-27 was inducted into the IAF in 1984 and over the years served seven operational squadrons and other combat training and tactics-evaluation establishments. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) built 165 of these aircraft and in 2004, HAL began upgrading some of these aircraft, christened MiG-27 UPG, to enhance their combat capability and extend their service life.

Armed with rockets, bombs and air-to-surface missiles, the aircraft formed an important element of the IAF’s ground attack and tactical close support capability. They had last seen active combat in the sub-continent during the 1999 Kargil conflict when these were used, with limited effect though, to launch aerial attacks on enemy positions along the Line of Control.

While the upgraded version continued in service, the IAF began retiring the earlier ‘M’ and ‘ML’ variants a few years ago. The last ML versions were decommissioned in 2017 at the Hashimara airbase in North-East. Over the past few years the fleet, due to its age, was facing a serious serviceability problem. Like the MiG-21, India is among the last nations to operate the MiG-27. The remaining MiG-21s are expected to serve for another about four years.

No swing-wing jet in iaf’s inventory 

• The IAF’s tryst with swing-wing aircraft began in 1981 with the MiG-23, which came in two versions the ‘BN’ for ground attack and the ‘MF’ for air defence
• The MiG-23s were decommissioned in 2009 from the Halwara airbase in Punjab. With the MiG-27 also retiring, there will be no more swing-wing aircraft