Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 14

The much-awaited Passing out Parade of the Indian Military Academy will be held on December 9. Ahead of the parade, the graduation ceremony of ACC wing of the academy will take place on December 1. This will be followed by the award ceremony on December 6 and subsequent Commandant’s Parade on December 7.Over 500 Gentlemen cadets, including foreign cadets, will participate in the parade. Preparations have already begun for the event at the academy.Since its establishment during the pre-Independence days, around 60,000 officers have passed out from the academy. The parade is held in June and December, which is also known as the autumn term parade, every year. Events to be heldDec 1: Graduation ceremony of ACC wing

Dec 6: Awards ceremony

Dec 7: Commandant’s Parade

Dec 9: Passing Out Parade

The meeting of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with the leaders of Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad early this week was to find common ground in fight against terrorism, the Pentagon said on Friday.“The Secretary had very fruitful conversations about where we can find common ground,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Dana White told reporters at her weekly news conference.She said the effort was to broaden the relationship between the two countries.

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“As he said no one had lost more troops and lives to terrorism than the Pakistanis. So again, this is about broadening our relationship and looking for opportunities. I think there are opportunities. I think his trip showed that,” White said.She was responding to a question on Mattis’ conversation with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad on Monday.“Terrorism. I mean, the threat of terrorism–I mean everyone has–Pakistan has an interest in ensuring that terrorism is defeated. They’ve lost thousands of troops, and they’ve lost thousands of innocents as well,” White said.The Pentagon chief spokesperson said it was in the interest of Pakistan and the US to find a lasting solution to the Afghanistan problem.“It is in the interests of Pakistan, the US, the region to ensure that we can encourage that Afghanistan has a political reconciliation. So we’ll look for ways to work with Pakistanis to find that common ground and move forward,” White said.Mattis had on Monday asked Pakistan to “redouble” efforts to confront militants operating from its soil. PTI

With the only occurrence of three brothers as Generals in the Indian Army, this trio has entered the record books

Ambitions can be common but attaining them together and without a pre-planned accord was more than a coincidence. After around 35 to 40 years of serving the army and being posted all over the country, Lt Gen (retd) Anup Singh Jamwal,

Lt Gen (retd)Kuldip Singh Jamwal and Maj Gen(retd) RajinderSingh Jamwal found themselves posted in record books. Entering the Limca Book of Records for being the first trio of brothers to be serving as generals at the same time, for the Jamwals, service indeed began from home.

The three brothers served as Generals in 2006 together from February 20 to August 31. Appearing in the 2007 Limca Book of Records, incidentally their village too was featured the same year. Gurha Slathia, a village south of Jammu and their native where two of the brothers are currently settled was in the limelight for nine out of 10 men having served the army and having 14 serving colonels and several Brigadiers at that time. “It was my father Mahatam Singh’s discipline who retired as a Major from the army as well as the regularity of in our village that was a major inspiration for us. While my brothers went through the National Defence Academy, I went through the Technical Grant commission after engineering,” adds Maj Gen RajinderSingh Jamwal, the youngest of the three who after retiring chose to settle down in the city.

Lt Gen Anup Singh Jamwal commissioned in December 1966 and Lt General Kuldip Singh in 1967 both from the regiment of artillery and commissioned into the EME in December 1973, RajinderSingh Jamwal became a General in March. “With the initiative of few friends who went ahead with the procedures, we were enrolled in the national records. It was later a halfhearted attempt to enter the world records however, since I remained very busy we eventually did not go ahead. While in service we have always tried to maintain a low profile and this feat towards the end of it was a pleasant achievement,” says Lt Gen Kuldip Singh Jamwal.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 5

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tonight said she would reconsider the cap on the education expenses of children of martyrs.Speaking in Ahmedabad, she said fee capping was part of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations. The Cabinet took a call on it. “I will go back and reconsider it,” she said. Terming it a sentimental issue, she said, “Our government is never against soldiers.”(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The Tribune was the first to report the matter in its edition dated December 1.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already asked for details in this regard and is expected to sort out the matter. In September, the Department of Ex-servicemen in the MoD decided to cap the fee at Rs 10,000 per month, impacting around 3,200 students in schools, colleges and professional institutions.The forces raised an objection on October 10, but the ministry turned it down. Now, the forces, under the banner of the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (a body of three service chiefs), have sought removal of the cap.A letter by the committee says “these personnel made the supreme sacrifice for the country and the provision of educational concessions to their wards is a small gesture to recognise their commitment to the defence of the country”. The committee has sought a review of the government decision.Under the scheme, rolled out in 1972, the tuition fee of children of martyrs or those disabled in action is paid by the ministry.The scheme to bear the cost of education of children of martyrs was announced in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 1971—two days after the Pakistani forces surrendered to the Indian forces at Dacca (now known as Dhaka).

A paramilitary trooper stands guard after a gunfight with militants at Hajin village, Bandipora. PTI

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar October 11

Two Indian Air Force (IAF) commandos were killed in a counter-militancy operation in Kashmir today. Two  ‘wanted’ Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were also killed in the gunfight that took place at Paribal-Salamabad village in Bandipora district this morning.“Two wanted LeT militants and two IAF Garud commandos were killed in Hajin, Bandipora, this morning,” said Sheikh Zulfikar Azad, Senior Superintendent of Police, Bandipora. The commandos were with the Army for operational experience and training, he said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)On specific information about militants’ presence in a house at Hajin, the police, Army and CRPF launched a joint operation around 2.30 am.As the security forces zeroed in on the militants, they came out of the residential building and opened fire,  triggering a gunfight, the police said. An IAF commando was killed on the spot while the other succumbed to his injuries at the Army’s 92-Base Hospital in Srinagar. Security personnel gunned down the two LeT militants as they tried to break the cordon and flee.The slain IAF personnel were identified as Sergeant K Milind Kishor and Corporal Nilesh Kumar Nayan. Kishor, 33, of Sakri town in Nashik, Maharashtra, had joined the IAF in 2002.  Nayan, 31, of Udhadih village in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, donned the IAF uniform in 2005.The killed militants were identified as Nasrullah Mir (alias Anna) of Hajin and Ali Bai (alias Maaz) of Pakistan. The police found two AK rifles, a pistol, 19 rounds, a grenade, two pouches and other ammunition at the encounter site. Mir had joined militancy in May, while Ali  had been active since January 2015.The police said both militants were involved in several attacks, including the killing of local BSF jawan Mohammad Ramzan in September, civilian Muzaffar Ahmad Parray (whose decapitated body was found in the Jhelum in August) and dreaded counter-insurgent Rashid Billa in April.Sources said LeT commander Mehmood Bhai had also been injured in the gunfight. “We are yet to confirm this information,” Zulfikar said.

2 cops arrested for aiding Hizbul Srinagar: Two Jammu and Kashmir constables were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly supplying ammunition to Hizbul Mujahideen. Constables Shabir Ahmad Malik and Nazir Ahmed Najar allegedly supplied 40 rounds of ammunition to overground Hizbul workers in south and central Kashmir, the police said. They were arrested along with two others “affiliated” with the group. DGP SP Vaid complimented the police for busting the “unholy nexus” PTI

Photo courtesy: PIB

Kollam, October 8

Hailing the contributions of soldiers and spiritual leaders, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said they were the “twin pillars” on which the country rested its hope.

Launching a Rs-100 crore initiative of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math to provide clean water to rural India at the math headquarters at nearby Vallikkavu, Kovind also lauded the centuries-old legacy of Kerala in accommodating different religions.

“This is a state where one community has willingly given space to another,” he said, addressing a function organised in connection with the 64th birthday celebrations of spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as “Amma” among her devotees.

The President said his first visit outside New Delhi after assuming office was to meet the soldiers posted in the border town of Leh in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, who, he said, were defending the country’s borders in extremely difficult conditions.

“The bravery of our soldiers on the one hand and the compassion, love and wisdom of our spiritual leaders on the other are the twin pillars on which we rest our hopes,” he said.

Kovind praised Kerala as a state that “has done so much to defend our ethos and culture”.

Referring to spiritual leaders and social reformers from Kerala like Adi Shankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali, he said the southern state was “one of the leading spiritual homes in our country and composite society”.

“Kerala’s spiritual consciousness is well beyond faith and religious distinctions, the Christian community in Kerala is one of the world’s oldest,” the President said.

Pointing out that the first mosque to be built in India was in Kerala, Kovind said he was told that it was constructed by the Arab merchants in the seventh century, during the lifetime of the Prophet himself.

He said Kerala also had a rich tradition of Jews who settled in the state 2,000 years ago.

“These historical instances reflect the mutual accommodation and understanding of different faiths and religious communities in Kerala’s history,” he added.

Lauding the contributions of Mata Amrtianandamayi, Kovind said “Amma” represented the enlightened spiritual tradition of Kerala and described her spiritual mission as a contribution to nation building.

The president launched the math’s ‘Jivamritam’ filtration system, envisaged to provide clean drinking water to one crore villagers across the country.

According to the math authorities, the initial phase of the ‘Jivamritam’ project, aimed at installing specially designed filtration systems for clean drinking water in 5,000 villages, was entirely being funded by it.

Earlier, Kerala Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among those who received the president on his arrival at the Air Force Technical Area of the airport at Thiruvananthapuram. —PTI