The Indian Army climbers were amongst the initial lot of mountaineers to successfully climb Everest after a hiatus of two years as the peak was closed due to the devastation caused by the earthquake in Nepal last year

The 30 member Indian Army’s Everest Massif Expedition 2016 was flagged off by Lieutenant General MMS Rai, Vice Chief of the Army Staff on March 30.

Indian Army mountaineers led by Lieutenant Colonel Ranveer Jamwal and a team of six army mountaineers successfully summitted Mount Everest (8848M) at dawn on May 19.

Concurrently, the Lhotse Summit Team under Major Nooruddin Ahmed is attempting to summit Mount Lhotse (fourth highest peak in the world at 8501M).

The Indian Army climbers were amongst the initial lot of mountaineers to successfully climb Everest after a hiatus of two years as the peak was closed due to the devastation caused by the earthquake in Nepal last yearThe 30 member Indian Army’s Everest Massif Expedition 2016 was flagged off by Lieutenant General MMS Rai, Vice Chief of the Army Staff on March 30. Five members of the team will also be participating in the tough and intensive ‘Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon’ on May 29, considered to be one of the toughest trail marathons in the world. (ANI) –

Arun Joshi
Sainik Colony, the yet-to-come-up enclave for ex-servicemen who are state subjects, is being seen as a challenge to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. It has triggered rumours of facilitating non-local settlers, with the aim of outnumbering Kashmiri Muslims.

Protests against the proposed Sainik Colony for state subjects in Bandipora, north Kashmir. It is being seen as a ruse to alter the state’s demographic composition. Tribune Photo: Amin War

AN angry discourse in Kashmir over the proposed setting up of a “Sainik Colony”, a residential enclave, for the  ex-servicemen   of Jammu and Kashmir who are permanent residents is singeing the atmosphere at the start of the summer season. Whatever way this issue may be looked at, the core question is being deflected: Whether the  state subject ex-servicemen have a right to own a house or piece of land in the place where they were born and brought up? There is no law in the state constitution — Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution — that bars any state subject from  having a house  or calling for a colony after retirement from the Army.  Separatists are playing an emotional card.It is part of the separatists’ agenda to project Kashmir as a land of troubles, where normalcy would remain a chimera unless  the K-issue is resolved on their terms. The deemed mainstream is faithfully obliging them to seek relevance  by reading from their script against the non-locals,  who are nowhere on the horizon in this issue. Kashmiris  get emotionally involved  with intensity when they  suspect that some wrong is being done to them even when it is not perceptible. And if the issue is taken  off  the radar, they feel that their narrative and protests have been able  to defeat the design  and claim  a victory  of sorts. Delhi, as always, is living in denial mode, overlooking the gravity of the situation. If 2010, when massive street protests and killings left Kashmir blood-soaked, is the reference year for peddlers of this “locals-versus-non-locals rhetoric”, then  difficult days are ahead. Kashmiri Muslims have a perennial sense of  victimhood — partly genuine and partly infused by the fear-instilling narrative of their leadership. Here is where the strategy of tapping  this emotive reservoir works .  The core idea is to take the populace further from the idea of India, which itself is fragmented the way it has been perceived in Kashmir  over the decades. The denial of justice in the absence of accountability and transparency for the wrongs committed in  the past have made them suspicious and contemptuous of each and every move. The proposed colony fits into this framework.An emotionally surcharged atmosphere keeps the conflict rolling. That is what the vested interests are seeking to achieve by attempting to provoke the street protests  against the colony,  which the state government has said, will not get any land. The doubters have not heeded the assurances given by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti that “no land will be given for the colony, though the state subject ex-servicemen had sought it.” Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah insists, “the colony is being set up  and it is  a ruse to settle non-locals.” He has accused the Chief Minister of telling lies. Mehbooba’s  retort is: “The proposal was mooted in 2012 when Omar was the Chief Minister.” The verbal duel is  continuing. This squabble is a delight for separatists who see “India conspiring against Kashmiri Muslims” in everything. There  was no need for  the mainstream to be apologetic, because the proposed colony is only for those holding  a Permanent Resident Certificate. The PRC or the state subject is a document given to those whose forefathers were born in the state and  automatically entitled to citizenship rights. That includes the right to buy immovable assets in this state.  This is hereditary. No outsider can become a state subject even if one has lived in the state for decades.   The two “mainstream” parties — the PDP and the National Conference  fear that they would get washed away once the floodgates of the reservoirs of emotions are opened into streets of Kashmir. Omar has seen that in 2010, when he was the Chief Minister. More than 120 youth were killed and he has not been able to overcome the impact of that year. Mehbooba Mufti doesn’t want a repeat.A toxic narrative of India seeking to “change the demographic composition,” is a favourite with the separatists and some of their self-appointed cheerleaders. Generating hatred against India is in the core. The “mainstream”, out of sympathy with the issue or due to the compulsion of surviving against these odds, willingly surrenders its stated positions in an attempt to be seen as part of the excessively  Kashmir-centric and religious narrative. The monster of unemployment has  driven  thousands of  Kashmiri youth to seek enrolment in the Army. Once that happens, they and their families become the targets of  militants. A number of ex-servicemen have been killed over the years.  Most of the ex-servicemen live in villages and don’t have individual security for their homes. That is why they wanted to have a residential enclave that would offer them a sense of security.  Shockingly, the yet-to-come-up colony is seen as a  challenge to the special status of  Jammu and Kashmir. It has triggered rumours of non-local settlers outnumbering Kashmiri Muslims in their own land.  Examples of Israeli settlements in Gaza and West Bank of Palestinian territories are cited to reinforce the fear-mongering discourse. Since 1990, the term “non-local” has assumed a different definition. It is evident from the mounting opposition to return of Kashmiri Pandit migrants (original natives of the Valley) and settling them in proposed safe zones. The migrants are being told repeatedly, “You are welcome (to the Valley) only if you return to your neighbhourhood (from where they were uprooted in 1989-1990 when radicalism surged in Kashmir)”. It is a sugar-coated warning on the “welcome” signboard.Muslims losing their majority is a time-tested theory which the separatists leadership applies, mostly at the onset of summer to  summon  youth to protest in streets — disrupting studies, destroying the income  of the daily earners, scaring away tourists  and injecting political instability. All these serve the vested interests and show the Indian nation in a poor light. Right-wing demagogues from the cow belt, having no idea about the sensitivities  of Kashmir, jump in. They speak in the language  that gives Kashmir a reason to resist the flamboyant “Indian-ness”. Mehbooba and others are  also unhappy. She had recently made it clear that any challenge or perceived challenge to the special status of the state, results in difficulties and peace, that is more important than anything else, is threatened.  This kind of more-patriotic-than-thou utterances causes trepidation  in Kashmir.  Such rabble-rousers help the secessionists to gain credence. Conciliation, not confrontation, works in sensitive areas. Nowhere in the proposal is there a mention of non-state subject, but the opponents  point out that there also is no mention that the colony would be exclusively for the state subject ex-servicemen.  As of now, the proposed colony seems out of question. So, where do  the ex-servicemen go? Should they shift to places outside the Valley or the state? The agenda of weeding out the state subject ex-servicemen from Kashmir would then have been accomplished. This also serves to dampen the sprits of all those who stand or intend to stand in queues to be recruited in the Army.  Unemployment will rise and that is a recipe for more trouble and the idea of India is under threat of being consumed. 

ajoshi57@gmail.com

GUWAHATI: The Army jawans of an infantry battalion deployed in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday roughed up a captain after one of their colleagues died during a “routine training activity”, apparently upset over the jawan being asked to march despite complaining of chest pain.

Army officials in Guwahati denied there was anything even approximating “mutiny” in the unit, as some initial reports suggested.Sources said four to five jawans turned emotional after the death of the jawan following chest pain, and got agitated when they were being consoled by their battalion adjutant, the captain, leading to a scuffle. No one was injured.Defence spokesman Lt Col Suneet Newton confirmed the death during routine training. He said it occurred in the northeast region, but declined to confirm that the infantry unit was deployed in Arunachal. “This is not a case of mutiny,” he told TOI.

The incident is being investigated by Army authorities as is the practice in all cases of death during training exercises, he added.

Sadiq Khan win affirms liberalism will die hard in the city

Man of the moment: The multi-faith electorate of London has reposed faith in Sadiq.

IN 2006, I was fortunate to meet Ken Livingstone, Lord Mayor of London, in an interaction during the visit of the Royal College of Defence Studies delegation to the London town hall. I had the honour to raise a question to him which alluded to the fact that with all the financial and cultural activities associated with the ‘alternative’ cities of the world, such as Singapore, Dubai and Hongkong, didn’t he, as Mayor, feel that London’s days were numbered? He didn’t mull even a second as he responded: “But, sir, surely you do forget one thing; London is London.” That, just about sums up what London is all about. You do not have to retrace steps to the story of Puss in Boots to recall the once-poverty-stricken Dick Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, for whom the church bells had predicted his achievement many years before he became one. The same city of London has now gone and elected a new Mayor for itself to replace the iconic Boris Johnson who may well be heading towards the prime ministership, should Cameron lose the Brexit vote. The new incumbent is a British Muslim, son of a former Pakistani citizen who drove buses for a living in London. He is Sadiq Khan, a 45-year-old resident of Tooting and the Labour Party candidate for this election. In my short time at London, I loved visiting Tooting for its South Asian restaurants and stores to supplement the tastes of my kitchen. Once in a while, there were shootouts and gang wars between rival Pakistani gangs around Tooting and there seemed nothing liberal about that suburb which could fit it into the mould of London. Yet a resident from there has won the election to head one of the most liberal cities of the world.Given the Islamophobia doing the rounds, would one have expected a Muslim to be elected the Mayor of a metropolis which itself has suffered the effects of Islamic Terrorism (July 7, 2005)? Given the Trumpism effect all over America and the Paris attacks followed by Brussels, would it be even conceivable that a Western capital city would opt for a Muslim as its Mayor? It is easy to brush it off with an assumption by most people that faith is not considered when it comes to elections; only the true worth is seen. This is utopianism because the context of the times always dictates political trends and the mayorship of that great city is surely as political as can be. Indian-American friends from all over the US are all quietly communicating their concern about the way Trumpism is taking over the thinking of their neighborhoods and their work places. Hillary is surely not going to find it easy, they say. If you have lived in the UK for even a short time and interacted with a cross-section of society, you would have realised how different that society is. With all that is happening, in terms of the effect of the Middle East on Europe, we all imagined and believed in the end of liberalism as an ideology. The UK proves that liberalism is yet alive and kicking; if anything, London’s mayoral election confirms it. Khan took 57 per cent of the vote. The latest census showed that 12.4 per cent of Londoners are Muslim, 48.4 per cent Christian, 1.8 per cent Jewish, 5 per cent Hindu, 1 per cent Sikh and 20.7 per cent profess no faith. This means that a vast majority of non-Muslims voted Khan.British society is the most self-critical, but has a sense of high self-esteem and great respect for freedom and liberty. It takes much to put down that belief. A couple of ragtag jihadi organisations cannot put down that spirit. It is also true that the UK has not suffered the true effects of migration in the way that Europe has. The true worth, some say, will be reflected when London’s famed Waterloo, Paddington  and Victoria stations will be teeming with migrants, whose credentials will always be suspect. In saying this, I think the true understanding of the UK’s multi-ethnic culture is lost. I always perceive the British as over-liberal in their belief. Sometimes, one tends to believe that much of this comes from the satisfaction of once having ruled the world and resigned themselves to the dilution of power, without remorse. Amidst all this, comes the rise of a liberal Muslim who expresses his love for the city and vows to make London safe and happy. It is also the ‘island effect’ at work, where the UK perceives itself as different to Europe and can shut out the insecurity brought on by Islamophobia prevailing around most of the West and continue to believe in liberalism. This is best exemplified by Merkel’s extreme liberal values finding her popularity take a dip; the electorate in Germany is quite different to that of the UK. The UK media, too, displays a quiet maturity, many times choosing to ignore obvious attempts at instigation by radicals. Ignoring them and making them less relevant has been the UK’s way of promoting its own value system which has helped nurture a man like Sadiq Khan, in whom the multi-ethnic and multi-faith electorate of London has reposed faith. Which way the ideological cookie crumbles in the West will be dictated in the near future when the UK goes to the Brexit polls and the US decides whether it is Trumpism or Hillaryism which prevails. Till then, it is good to remember that London is London. 

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd)

The writer is associated with Vivekanand International Foundation and Delhi Policy Group

If you thought looking hot in uniform was only a male fantasy, wait till you meet the women brigade who is ready to sweat it out to wear one—be it the olive green, white or sky blue

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Girls being trained for the defence forces at Chandigarh-based SSB Training Institute

Manika Ahuja

The clarion call of the Indian Army—‘Do you have it in you, now has a fair share of women voice answering it, “Yes, we do.” And indeed they do. Now, with another wing of defence forces, the Indian Navy according permanent commission to women officers, following the lead of Air Force and Indian Army, is it not a sign that the tough guys have recognised at long last that women do have what it takes to serve the defence forces?And mind you, women are not asking for any concession when it comes to testing their physical strength. Sub Lieutenant in the Indian Navy, Nikita Kashyap, says female officers are as robust and sturdy as their male counterparts. “The level of training is equally rigorous for both, male and female officers.” The news of women being granted the permanent commission has re-awakened an interest among the fairer sex to serve selflessly in the Indian defence forces. She warmly embraces to the move as, “We are being given the glorious opportunity to serve our motherland for a longer period of time. Nothing could be more delightful than this!”And it was about time! Assistant director, Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, Sukhpreet Thind, hails the change as a much-needed one. She observes that Chennai girl, Divya Ajith, who made history by becoming the first lady cadet to bag the sword of honour from the Officers Training Academy, proved that girls and boys are equally capable.Daughter of an Army man, Neha Sharma, has aspired to join the forces, ever since sense dawned upon her. “My father derived a distinct contentment by serving the nation. I want to take forward the legacy,” she shares. This move has enthused even those who are from non-defence background. “Many of my peers have started preparing after they heard of the new openings and permanent commission status grant for women.”Administrative officer-cum-office manager with Olive Greens SSB training institute, Honorary Lieutenant Vijay Kumar, informs that viz a viz male cadets, “the ratio of girl clearing the defence forces exams is much higher.” According to him, the move to grant permanent commission to women will provide “surety to the female aspirants who were previously inducted only in the short service commission (SSC) for a period of ten to fourteen years.”Ritu Rani has been training for defence forces for the last two years now. Having cleared her written exams for the Air Force and CDS, Rani, who is now gearing up for her SSB round, shares that the permanent commission grant concurs with the concept of women empowerment. “We women will now be able to serve out motherland for an extended period and will also be entitled to other benefits like pension.” Apoorva Trivedi, who is enrolled for the defence preparation at a Chandigarh-based training centre, shares similar sentiments.Monika Negi, student of Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, who has recently cleared AFCAT written exam and is gearing up for her five-day SSB training advises every girl to “grab this wonderful opportunity and try cracking the prestigious defence forces with greater level of seriousness.” She suggests that the minimum qualification for women aspirants to be eligible for joining the defence forces should be brought down. “Boys are allowed to enter after class 12. Also, girls should be deemed eligible for the NDA exam,” she observes.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 3

Former IAF chief SP Tyagi was grilled by the CBI for the second day today in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal.Tyagi arrived at the CBI headquarters at 11 am. After Tyagi admitted that he met an official of VVIP chopper manufacturing company Finmeccanica in India, the CBI called Gautam Khetan, former legal adviser to a Chandigarh-based IT firm, for questioning.Tyagi has accepted that he met officials of the Finmeccanica, including its chief operating officer George Zapa, in India in 2005. He also admitted to running four companies (Vanshi, Anuras, Shavan and Meghanshu) in Noida. The companies are registered in the name of Tyagi and his wife, sources say.