A second terror attack in six months shows how vulnerable Punjab’s preparedness is to meet any threats of militancy revival. Dinanagar and Udhampur had made it clear that terrorists wanted to shift their area of operation from Kashmir to Jammu and its neighbouring Punjab areas. An advance intelligence alert about a possible terror strike in the Gurdaspur area was available. Yet the state that had suffered so heavily due to terrorism was found wanting. Well-equipped and well trained at one time to tackle militancy, the Punjab Police seems to be taking it easy now, pandering to the whims and fancies of politicians in charge of police stations.   Reports suggest terrorists used established drug trafficking routes to infiltrate and carry out their deadly activities. Though the state political leadership keeps denying this, the Central agencies probing terrorist activities may expose political and police patronage provided to drug peddlers. The Pathankot attack should have normally prompted a security rethink. Instead of recognising and accepting the obvious lapses — delay in acting on actionable intelligence provided by the Centre and distrust of an SP-rank officer’s claims of being kidnapped by militants — the Punjab leadership is busy demanding a greater BSF presence in the state. The BSF failure is evident. What about the second line of defence the Punjab Police is supposed to provide?  In his meeting with the Union Home Minister the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Home portfolio, has emphasised that the Pathankot and Dinanagar attacks should be treated as “acts of disguised foreign aggression”. It means: fund the war against terror. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has praised the Punjab Police for its “prompt inputs and zero-time coordination with the Central forces”. A collective failure is being covered up with laudatory noises. Six terrorists sneaked into the state, had a free run for quite some time, killing a youth and kidnapping an SP along with two others before gunning down seven security personnel at the airbase. Tackling terror in Punjab is the primary responsibility of the state government with help from the Centre. There is a failure. And there is the blame the state and Central leadership cannot run away from.

During the meeting, Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag appreciated Vijender Singh for turning professional and congratulated him for three consecutive wins in 2015.

New Delhi: Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh on Tuesday met Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh at his residence here.

During the meeting, the Army chief appreciated Vijender for turning professional and congratulated him forthree consecutive wins in 2015. During the hour-long meeting, Gen Dalbir Singh also felicitated Vijender.

“It’s an honour for me to meet the Army chief General Dalbir Singh. He is very fond of boxing. He told me that he is following my career from the days I started amateur boxing. I am happy that he is also following my professional bouts,” said Vijender.

“He appreciated my decision of turning professional and winning three consecutive bouts. I would like to thank him for the felicitation. It’s a big motivation for me, getting honoured by the Chief of Army Staff. He also wished me for my next fight, scheduled to be held in Liverpool, on February 13.”

Vijender, who is on a two-week vacation in India, will be flying back to England later this week.

Amaninder Pal,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 6

Besides protection of strategic assets and families of soldiers residing at the Pathankot Air Force station, the safety of 23 trainee fighter pilots from other countries was a major concern for the Indian security establishment when terrorists attacked the air base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2.Trainee fighter pilots belonging to Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Myanmar were present at the Pathankot air base on that day.This was revealed by Lt Gen KJ Singh, Army Commander, Western Command, today. The safety of those pilots was a top priority for the security establishments involved in neutralising the terrorists, he said.Listing the “successes” achieved during the operation, he said, “There has been no collateral damage… Around 3,000 families (11,000 people) live in that air force station. No harm was caused to them. More importantly, there were 23 foreign trainee pilots from four friendly nations. All of them are safe.” There would have been a crisis situation had the terrorists taken hostage even one of them, he said.He also defended the decision to deploy the National Security Guard (NSG) to deal with the situation. “The decision to call in the NSG was taken by the appropriate authority, including the Services chiefs. There could have been a hostage crisis. Besides 3,000 families of Air Force personnel, some foreign trainees were also present there. What if even a single foreign trainee was taken hostage? The NSG is specially trained to deal with such situations,” he said.“Had the air base suffered any damage in the terror attack, it would have been very difficult to fly in the NSG there. That was the main reason that the force was inducted at a very early stage of the operation,” he said.He said the operation was a “complete success”. On disposing of terrorists’ bodies, he said of six, two bodies are completely charred. The other four could be booby traps. A hand grenade hanging with the body of a terrorist is visible. “We have yet to decide whether to destroy these or not,” said Lt Gen KJ Singh, army commander, western command.

Operation named ‘Dhangu Suraksha’

• Lt Gen KJ Singh said the operation to neutralise militants who attacked the Pathankot air base was codenamed “Dhangu Suraksha”. Dhangu is the name of the area where the Air Force station and certain other Army assets are located

Army was alerted on January 1 afternoon

• Lt Gen KJ Singh said the Army received a specific alert on January 1 afternoon. The Army received alert around 12 hours after Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh and his two associates were “abducted” by the terrorists

Jupinderjit Singh,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 3

Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, who was “let off” by a group of terrorists who had kidnapped him, remains at the centre of the investigation into the Air Base attack.“I am a victim in the terror incident and I am being wrongly accused of misconduct in my personal life. I am clear and an investigation, if any, will prove it soon,” he told The Tribune.Salwinder also lodged an FIR at the Narot Jaimal Singh police station about his kidnapping last evening.Salwinder said he was not in the detention of any security agency, after his reported questioning all day yesterday.A departmental Sexual Harassment Committee headed by an IG-rank officer had visited Gurdaspur last week after five women constables, posted with the district police, accused him of sexual harassment. A senior official involved in the inquiry said the SP was transferred pending further inquiry and on administrative grounds to PAP, Jalandhar, two days before the terrorists waylaid him.It is ironical that the SPis a prime witness as well as a suspect, considering the coincidence that he was travelling on the route taken by the terrorists in the wee hours.While being questioned on his kidnapping claims, investigators are also probing his personal conduct.Pathankot SSP RK Bakshi, however, said that Salwinder was a complainant and not a suspect, “He is neither an accused nor a suspect. The other complaints against him are unrelated with the Pathankot police or with the terror attack.”

Intelligence alert came on Dec 26

Mohit Khanna,Tribune News Service,Ludhiana, January 3

“Fifteen terrorists have sneaked into India to carry out some major attack on New Year.” This message was sent to all police districts by DGP (Intelligence) Anil Kumar Sharma on December 26, six days before a group of terrorists waylaid a Punjab Police SP.If the Intelligence input was indeed credible, the terrorists remained in the area for a long time and went untraced despite the alert.Despite this alert, which senior officials term a general alert, the terrorists were able to kidnap a police officer and take away his blue beacon SUV, besides another Innova, and attack the Air Force station.Sources said IG (Counter Intelligence) Pramod Ban had spoken to the SSPs of various districts, especially border districts, to work on the inputs.“We get such general alerts. The information was not specific about Punjab. Still, we took it seriously. We intensified night patrolling, set up more ‘nakas’ and increased general vigil. More force was alerted when the SP incident came to light,” an officer said.

Pathankot, a tactically important air base

Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 3

Located on the northern tip of Punjab just about 40 km from the India-Pakistan international border and close to the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir-Himachal Pradesh inter-state boundaries, the Pathankot Air Force Station is a tactically important base.Part of the Western Air Command, it is home to No. 18 Wing, currently being commanded by Air Commodore JS Dhamoon.The 108 Squadron “Hawkeyes” that fly the MiG-21 fighters and the 125 Helicopter Unit “Gladiators” that operate the Mi-35 helicopter gunships in support of the Army are based here, besides a Pechora air defence missile squadron and other auxiliary outfits.The air base is spread over 75 acres and in November 2006, a civil enclave attached to it for commercial flights was inaugurated in November 2006 by Praful Patel, the then minister for civil aviation. However, no civilian domestic flights operate from this airport.The air base saw action during the Indo-Pak wars. It was the target of Pakistani special forces during the 1965 War though no real damage was done. An air strike was launched on it by Pakistan in 1971 in which part of the runway was damaged.It has also seen mobilisation during other operations such as Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil conflict and Parakram in 2002 after the terrorist attack on Parliament in December 2001 as well as training exercises.

New Delhi, January 2Former International rifle shooter Subedar Major Fateh Singh (retd), who won a gold and silver at Commonwealth Shooting Championship in the capital back in 1995, was martyred while fighting terrorist in Pathankot.He was 51 years old and was part of the Defence Security Core (DSC). He was posted with the Dogra regiment.Parent body of shooting the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) condoled the death of the former international player who lost his life while fighting for his motherland.NRAI president Raninder Singh said: “The country has lost its beloved son and a sharp shooter. May the Almighty grant peace to the great soldier.“The shooting fraternity prays for the departed soul and hope the Almighty gives strength to the family of this great soldier to bear with their irreparable loss,” he added.After retirement, he joined the Defence Security Corps (India) as subedar and was initially posted at Army War College, Mhow.He was posted in Pathankot about two years ago. He had won gold in the Big Bore Rifle Three Position and silver in Big Bore Rifle Prone Position at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in 1995.”He was a thorough gentlemen and great athlete. He worked as an active member of Indian shooting team. It is a very sad day for us. He sacrificed his life for the country. I condole his death,” the NRAI president said.”He was a fantastic shooter. He won gold in Big Bore Rifle Three Position and silver in Big Bore Rifle Prone Postion at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships. He used to represent the Army,” NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia said.CK Chaudhury, a pistol shooter at the Army Marksmenship Unit in Mhow, said: “Fateh Singh was an inspiration to all of us. He was like my guru and guardian when we were together a part of the shooting team at the Army Marksmenship Unit in Mhow.” — Agencies

Terrorists may have sneaked in through Bamiyal

New Delhi, January 2

The four heavily armed Pakistani terrorists, who carried out the suicide attack on the IAF base, are believed to have infiltrated into India during the intervening night of December 30-31 from a spot near Bamiyal village in Pathankot, located close to the international border.The terrorists, official sources said, crossed over near Shakargarh in Pakistan to Bamiyal village and later changed into Army fatigues before kidnapping Salwinder Singh, a Superintendent of Police-rank officer, who was shunted out from Gurdaspur to take charge as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, at Kolian village.There were three occupants in the vehicle when it was hijacked by four militants that included Singh’s jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and the driver.While the terrorists slit the throat of other two, the police officer, who is facing charges of alleged breach of discipline, was released later and the vehicle was abandoned at Tajpur village, 2 km from the IAF’s Pathankot airbase.One of the militants is alleged to have used the phone of the jeweller, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital, to make a call to Bhawalpur in Pakistan which was intercepted by intelligence agencies.After the daylong operation today, all five terrorists, suspected to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit, were eliminated by the joint team of police, army and NSG.The area from where the terrorists crossed over has thick foliage of elephant grass which provides an automatic cover for them, they said.A tributary of the Beas enters into Pakistan from this village and this route is quite famous for drug smugglers to enter India. — PTI

Porous’ border

• The four armed Pakistani terrorists who struck the IAF base are believed to have infiltrated into India on the intervening night of December 30-31 from a spot near Bamiyal village in Pathankot
• The terrorists, official sources say, crossed over near Shakargarh in Pakistan to Bamiyal village and later changed into Army fatigues before kidnapping an SP-rank officer at Kolian village

Major Terrorist attacks in Punjab over the last 15 years

March 1, 2001: A 135-yard underground tunnel detected by security personnel across the India-Pakistan border in Gurdaspur district. The tunnel was suspected to have dug by terroristsJanuary 1, 2002: Three Army personnel killed and five others injured when unidentified terrorists attacks them at a firing range in Damtal, close to Punjab’s border HimachalJanuary 31, 2002: Two persons killed and at least 12 injured after an explosion ripped a bus belonging to the Punjab Roadways at Patrana in Hoshiarpur districtMarch 31, 2002: Two people killed and 28 others injured in a bomb blast on Ferozepur-Dhanbad Express train at Daroha, 20 km from Ludhiana. The bomb was allegedly planted by terroristsApril 28, 2006: At least eight persons wounded in a bomb blast on a bus carrying 45 passengers at Jalandhar bus terminus. No one took the responsibility for the blastOctober 14, 2007: Seven persons, including a 10-year old child, killed and 40 injured in a bomb blast at Shringar cinema hall in Ludhiana. The hall was full on the festive occasion of IdJuly 27, 2015: Seven persons, including a Superintendent of Police, killed when three terrorists carry out a strike on a police station in Gurdaspur district. All three militants also killedJanuary 2, 2016: Five terrorists and three security personnel killed when militants in Army fatigues storm an Indian Air Force base during early hours in Pathankot district.  — PTI

Send your daughters to fight for India, appeals Indian Army Chief

New Delhi: Stressing on the need to empower girls, Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag on Saturday said that he wants maximum girls to join armed forces.

Give your daughters the best education and opportunities that are at par with boys to prepare them as future soldiers of the country,” Suhag was quoted as saying by Time of India during his first visit to his native village Bishan in Haryana’s Jhajjar district after assuming the office of Indian Army chief.

Well received by his fellow villagers, Suhag also sought blessings from his clan deity. He was accompanied by his wife and children.

Suhag said that if he could become army chief after studying under the trees in Bishan, then they could achieve anything in life. Suhag said that he wants to see more defence officers from the village on General rank. He also announced to institute two scholarships of Rs 2,100 each which would be given to the meritorious students of the school every year. The scholarship would continue till his lifetime, TOI report stated.