Protesters carry placards of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa, during a protest against the attack on the Pathankot air base, in Mumbai on January 4, 2016. AFP file
Muzaffarabad, February 4
A Pakistani firebrand cleric has praised the Pathankot air base attack in India last month that threatened to scupper peace efforts between the nuclear rivals.Hafiz Saeed, alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) group, encouraged further violence following the air base assault in Pathankot that left seven Indian soldiers dead.Addressing a rally of around 1,000 people in the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region yesterday, Saeed said: “800,000 Indian troops are committing genocide on Kashmiris. Don’t they have a right to carry out Pathankot style attacks for their defence?”Saeed, who remains a free man, also lauded Kashmiri militant leader Sayed Salahuddin, who heads the United Jihad Council (UJC) that has claimed responsibility for the attack.“You have only seen one attack on Pathankot. Matters could easily escalate.”Crowds at the rally shouted slogans including “The war will continue until the liberation of Kashmir” and “We are ready for jihad”.Indian officials believe another group — the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — was behind the siege.Saeed’s freedom and his frequent calls for jihad against India irk New Delhi, which considers JuD — a UN designated “terror organisation” — to be no more than a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead. — AFP
Jay Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali: Indian Army Gorkha jawan’s ‘khukri dance’ – Must Watch
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, once said, “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha.”
His statement has withstood the test of time. The Gorkha regiment continues to be one of the most decorated of Indian Army units.
The Gorkhas may have made a name for themselves as fearless warriors but there’s one weapon in their armoury that’s as famous – if not more – than the soldiers who carry it.
‘s the Khukri. And, the Gorkhas evolved its handling into an art, even better, into a dance form.
Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, February 1
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has directed all wings of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) by February 15 on the steps or initiatives taken by them on the recommendations of a committee of experts constituted to help improve service conditions of armed forces personnel.The directions were issued a few days ago, sources in the MoD said. The 5-member committee had presented its report to Parrikar on November 24 last.The 509-page report contains as many as 75 recommendations that touch upon various aspects of pension and service matters, discipline and vigilance, promotion issues, military justice reform, issues concerning civil employees and areas of potential disputes and litigation.The committee was constituted on the directions of the defence minister and was claimed to be the first ever exercise aimed at strengthening institutional mechanisms related to grievance redressal. It explores upon administrative, legal, psychological and even social aspects of military life.Prominent among the committee’s recommendations is greater personal interaction and opportunity of hearing in the system of formal complaints and petitions so as to give a better role to human interaction rather than the one-way noting sheet method and to assist in providing outlet and catharsis to individuals related to their grievances.An innovative aspect propagated greater constructive usage of social media, including initiation of blogs by senior commanders, to promote an interactive process with the rank and file. A face-to-face ‘collegiate’ system of decision-making in various aspects rather than the file circulation method as been suggested along with more transparency in matters related to promotions and confidential reports.Recommendations on military justice reform include steps that can be taken without any legislative change such as introduction of permanent infrastructure for Courts Martial at specified stations to reduce ad hocism and reduction of command influence.
ATHANKOT: A large number of ex-servicemen held a rally in favour of One Rank One Pension (OROP) at RB City near Pathankot on Sunday.
Led by Maj Gen Satvir Singh (retd), the rally was attended by ex-servicemen from Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Punjab. Singh, in his address, said the Union government did not do justice to the demands of the security personnel. He said that a case in this regard would be filed in the Supreme Court shortly. He claimed that on February 21 a mega rally would be organised in Varanasi.
Ex-servicemen want pension details out
Our Correspondent,Sundernagar, January 31
The Himachal Pradesh Honorary Commissioned Officers Welfare Association has urged the Central government to immediately issue the table on revised pension so that ex-servicemen can benefit from the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme.Jagdish Chand, president of the association, said the demand was accepted after 40 years and a notification was issued by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, November 7 last year. “Detailed instructions related to the implementation of One Rank-One Pension along with the table on revised pension for each rank and category were to be issued by the Pension Disbursing Agencies,” he said.He said even after three months, the Central government had not issued the table, delaying the release of arrears. The association has urged the Centre to issue the table and other guidelines to the authorities at the earliest.
Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service,Pathankot, January 4
Shed a Tear: The father of the late Lt Col Niranjan EK with his granddaughter in Bengaluru. The cremation takes place in Kerala today. PTI
As operations to clear the Pathankot Air Force Station of terrorists continued for the third day, security forces came up with what could be construed as a definitive figure to end the confusion: the fifth terrorist had been killed today. They, however, chose to maintain silence on the possible presence of more terrorists inside, saying combing operations were underway.
Earlier during the day, there were reports of six terrorists having been killed, with the last one blowing himself up, but the commanders on the ground did not officially mention any additional number other than five.“We have eliminated the fifth terrorist today and the combing and search operations are still continuing,” Maj Gen Dushyant Singh, Inspector General (Operations) of the National Security Guard (NSG), announced at the airbase this evening as an IAF C-130 Super Hercules special missions aircraft circled overhead and intermittent gunshots could be heard nearby.Gunshots indicated the possible presence of more terrorists inside or a cautionary measure being undertaken by combat elements when faced with a doubtful situation.The operations are being conducted by the NSG with support from the Army, which is contributing a “major combat element” along with medical and administrative support.The IAF has also deployed its assets, including Mi-35 helicopter gunships, Mi-17 and Dhruv helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and its Garud special forces.“Given the magnitude of the airbase, the search operations will continue till we can declare the station fully safe,” Maj Gen Dushyant Singh said, adding that all assets at the station, including personnel and families, were secure and safe. The air base is huge, spread over 75 acres with a residential area, a school and other amenities, besides technical facilities. Senior officers said the Army was on a general alert since January 1 following inputs of a terror strike. The area around the air base remains cordoned off and access roads have been barricaded with armed Air Force guards along with the police manning the check-points. Life beyond the vicinity of the air base appeared to continue as routine, with bustling markets and jostling traffic.There have been no reports of any further casualties among NSG and armed forces personnel present at the airbase. Seven persons, including a Lieutenant Colonel have been killed in the operations, besides about 20 being injured.Ravi Dhaliwal adds: The Army and Air Force were said to be under pressure from New Delhi to tear down the residential building where two terrorists had taken position after four co-attackers had been shot dead. The two, it is learnt, had entered the building last evening.The Army, anticipating their move, had got the premises vacated. The building is adjacent to the Technical Area and has been partially damaged. It was during the blast that one of the ultras was killed while the remaining one managed to escape. A hunt is on to nab or kill him.Experts also examined the drain from where the terrorists are believed to have entered the Air Force complex. The drain flows from outside the high-walled station, near the Akalgarh Gurdwara, to inside the base away from the Technical Area. That is the reason why the terrorists kept firing from the outskirts and failed to enter the space where high-tech air equipment, including a squadron of fighter planes and helicopters, has been parked.Meanwhile, Punjab Police have formed a special team to trace the route taken by the terrorists to reach the outskirts of the air base. Some officers opine that the armed men trudged their way in from Paharipur village, near the border, in this district. However, another section says the terrorists might have come in from either Bamyal or from the border near Dinanagar. The police team is working in tandem with the BSF officials.
NSG commando’s last rites in Kerala today
Shubhadeep Choudhury,Tribune News Service,Bengaluru, January 4
Lt Col Niranjan’s father EK Sivaranjam (C) consoles his daughter-in-law Radhika in Bengaluru. pti
Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah today announced Rs30 lakh as compensation to the family of Lt Col Niranjan EK who died fighting terrorists at Pathankot.Siddaramaiah said, “Karnataka had given Rs30 lakh as compensation to the family of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a martyr in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. We will give the same compensation to Niranjan’s family.”Kumar’s body was brought to the HAL Airport at Bengaluru today and kept at the mortuary at Command Hospital. The body was brought to his residence around 7 am where family members burst into tears after they saw the mortal remains. Niranjan’s mother is no more. His family comprised his wife and a young child, father, elder brother, sister and stepmother and a stepbrother. His brother E Sharath is an IAF pilot. Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Sadananda Gowda, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Union minister Veerappa Moily paid tributes to the martyr.The body was then flown by a Mi-17 helicopter to Niranjan’s native village Palakkad in Kerala where the cremation would take place tomorrow.
Kangra family says 3-day wait for body added to their agony
Lalit Mohan,Tribune News Service,Dharamsala/Chamba, January 4
The grieving family members of Sanjeevan Rana. photo: Kamaljeet
The family of Sanjeevan Singh Rana, killed on Saturday in the Pathankot terrorist attack, had to wait for three days to receive his body. The “long delay”, they said, had compounded their miseries.This, rued the relatives of Sanjeevan, who belonged to Shahpur’s Siyunh village in Kangra district, could have been avoided by the state government had it made “some efforts”.Onkar Thakur, a relative, alleged while the Punjab and Haryana governments made special arrangements for bringing home the bodies of their victims, no such effort was visible on the part of the Himachal government.“Let aside the Chief Minister or other higher-rung bureaucrats, not even a lower-rank official from Himachal reached Pathankot to get the body. This is painful disregard for the martyrdom of the soldiers from Himachal by the state government,” said Onkar.Sanjeevan is survived by his wife Pinki Devi, two daughters—Komal, a Class XII student, and Shivani, who is pursuing BCA—and a son, Shubham, who is doing B. Pharma. Serving in the Army has been a tradition with the family as Sanjeevan’s father Rattan Singh Rana is also an ex-serviceman. Rattan Singh, a septuagenarian, said India should toughen its stance towards Pakistan. “Why is Indian government not doing anything when terrorists trained in Pakistan are repeatedly attacking India? We should strike back in the same coin,” he said.Among others who attended Sanjeevan’s cremation were Cabinet Ministers GS Bali and Dhani Ram Shandil, Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation vice-chairman Kewal Singh Pathania, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son and state Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, state Congress committee secretary Raghubir Singh Bali, BJP legislator Sarween Chaudhary and Kangra Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan.
Govt to give Rs 20 lakh
The Himachal Pradesh government said it would provide Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the two martyrs killed in the Pathankot terror attack
State Minister GS Bali said the government earlier used to give Rs 5 lakh to the families of martyrs, but Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday increased the amount to Rs 20 lakh
Bali said the family members of both the victims would also be entitled to free travel in the state transport buses
Heart-rending scenes mark final journey
Suman Bhatnagar,Ambala, January 4
Army personnel carry the coffin of Havildar Jagdish Chand, who was killed in the Pathankot terrorist attack, for the cremation at his native village in Chamba on Monday. PTI
Chamba man wanted to enter new house
Lalit Mohan,Tribune News Service,Dharamsala/Chamba, Jan 4
Jagdish Chand’s family at Basa village in Chamba was on fast since they received the news of his martyrdom.Jagdish had recently built a new house at his native village and was planning to shift there. There is no road link to his village and one has to walk 2 km on foot. His relatives said the destiny did not allow Jagdish to spend time in his new house.Jagdish Chand had retired from the Army in 2009 after serving in the 7 Dogra Regiment for 26 years. A year later, he joined the Defence Security Corps (DSC). He was transferred to Pathankot from Leh on November 23. He visited his village on December 31 and assured the villagers that he would return for the panchayat elections on January 10.The villagers said Jagdish was off duty and was working in a mess when terrorists attacked the Pathankot airbase. Unarmed, Jagdish snatched a rifle from the terrorist and killed him. However, he could not survive attack from other terrorists.Jagdish is the third martyr from Basa village with a population of 250. The other two martyrs were Suja Ram of 15 Dogra who was killed while serving the IPKF in Sri Lanka and Khemraj, who was killed in the Kargil war. Jagdish Chand is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
The wailing family of Commando Gursewak Singh in Ambala. PTI
The mortal remains of Garud Commando Corporal Gursewak Singh (26), who was killed in the Pathankot terror attack on Saturday, were consigned to flames with full state honours at his native village Garnala today.Gursewak is survived by his wife Jaspreet, who he had married one-and-a-half months ago, parents and an elder brother. The family was inconsolable as an Air Force vehicle brought the body, wrapped in the Tricolur, to the village.Around 300 Air Force personnel escorted the funeral procession. Emotions ran high as the commando’s elder brother Hardeep Singh lit the pyre amid the raising of patriotic slogans.Besides the Air Force and Army contingents, hundreds of people from various walks of life attended the cremation. Prominent among them were Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij, Finance Minister Abhimanyu and Minister of State for Mines Nayab Singh Saini, MLA Aseem Goel, INLD state president Ashok Arora, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, All-India Anti-Terrorist Front president MS Bitta, Anti-Terrorist Front India chief Viresh Shandily, former state minister Nirmal Singh and senior officers of the district administration.Amid heart-rending scenes, Gursewak’s mother Amrik Kaur and father Sucha Singh said their son had made them proud.Sucha Singh, an exserviceman, said, “My son has laid down his life for the country.” He said his elder son Hardeep Singh too was in the Army and he wished that his grandson should also join the armed forces to keep the family tradition alive.
Daughter lends shoulder to Punjab shooter’s body
Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 4
Poignant scenes were witnessed at the crematorium of Jhanda Gujran, the native village of Capt (Hon) Fateh Singh who was killed by the militants in Pathankot on Saturday. The soldier’s body was brought to his village yesterday and was cremated with full military honours today in the presence of Brig RK Tiwari. A guard of honour was given by the Sikh Regiment.Fateh Singh’s daughter Madhu Radha Katal, an English teacher at a college in Mhow (MP) who had come to the air force base on a vacation, lent her shoulder to her father’s body at the crematorium.Fateh Singh, a former international-level shooter who has bagged 64 medals of various hues in national and international events, retired from the Army before joining the Air Force. He is survived by his wife Shobha Thakur, daughter Madhu and two sons, Gurdeep Rana and Nitin Thakur. The eldest son, Gurdeep Rana, is working with the 15th Dogra Regiment, the same regiment from which his late father retired.An inconsolable Madhu said she heard a loud noise, following which power supply to their quarter at the air base was disconnected. “I was afraid and crawled under a bed. Minutes later, somebody told me that Papa was admitted to the Military Hospital, and that his condition was critical. My mother consoled me and my other family members. My father used to consider me as his third son,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
DOUBLE CLICK THE IMAGE FILE ABOVE TO READ ENLARGED VIEW SEPARATE IN NEW WINDOW
Ajay Banerjee,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 28
The Ministry of Defence has ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against two serving Major Generals of the Indian Army for allegedly having disproportionate assets.Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today ordered the probe against Maj Gen Ashok Kumar and Maj Gen Surinder Singh Lamba.General Lamba was posted as Additional Director General in the Ordnance Directorate at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.General Kumar is posted to the Bengal area. He was earlier posted as officiating GOC of the headquarters, Bengal Area at Kolkatta.When files for their routine promotions were taken up some two weeks ago, Parrikar had told the appointments committee of the Cabinet that the CBI has to clear them of the charges.
UT air force base vulnerable; shares wall with illegal shanties
The air force transport base shares its boundary wall with a illegal building in Behlana. From the roof of this building, anybody can sneak into the transport base and shockingly such a major illegal entry point to the base is still unplugged, two days after the Pathankot attacks.
Air force officials have approached us and the administration will hold a demolition drive around the boundary walls of defence installations and facilities. Ajit Bala Joshi, UT deputy commissioner
CHANDIGARH: Even as the Pathankot airbase attack has come as a major warning signal to the country’s defence establishment, an HT reality check has revealed that the city’s Air Force Transport Base and the newly operational airport in Mohali remain vulnerable to security breach. The danger for both vital installations comes from tall buildings, constructed illegally, in nearby villages that share boundary wall with the facilities.
KARUN SHARMA/ HTA high rise building next to the wall of the technical airport at Behlana in Chandigarh.The air force transport base shares its boundary wall with a illegal building in Behlana. From the roof of this building, anybody can sneak into the transport base and shockingly such a major illegal entry point to the base is still unplugged, two days after the Pathankot attacks.
Residents claim that with most buildings on rent, it would be difficult to trace miscreants in case of any attempted attack at the transport base.
BUILDINGS TALLER THAN AIRPORT BOUNDARY WALL
At the new airport in SAS Nagar, mushrooming illegal shanties and buildings at Jagatpur village are a major security threat. Some buildings in the village are even taller than the airport boundary wall and one is just a step away from gaining unauthorised access to the facility.
“It is ridiculously easy for someone to rent or build a shack there and just keep a watch on the security system at the airport. The consequences can be harrowing,” said a source in the police department. Intelligence officials claim that as per the guidelines issued by the supreme court, no structure could be constructed within 100m of the boundary wall of a defence establishment or an airport, the UT administration as well as the SAS Nagar mandarins had failed to implement the law. When HT brought the issue to light and contacted officials in administration as well as the air force, the attempt seemed to be to pass the nuck. Officials in the administration said that it was the duty of the air force officers to pursue the matter. A senior air force officer, however, claimed that it was the duty of the local administration to remove illegal structures.
OFFICIAL VERSION
Chandigarh deputy commissioner Ajit Bala Joshi said, “Air force officials have approached us and the administration will hold a demolition drive around the boundary walls of the defence installations.”
Zirakpur municipal council executive officer Parminder Singh Saroi said, “We have already demolished a godown. One of the structures we demolished was again erected and we have received an email to raze it again. I will take police along and demolish structures within 100m of the airport boundary wall.”
In the high-voltage cat and mouse game between terrorists and security forces, why is the jihadi usually ahead? HT examines the gaps and deficiencies in India’s counter-terror mechanism
THE MEN AND MACHINES THAT LIE AT THE HEART OF THE ANTI-TERROR MECHANISM CLEARLY NEED URGENT TRAINING AND UPGRADE
From page 01 Lieutenant Colonel EK Niranjan, who was killed in a recent terror strike at Punjab’s Pathankot airbase, was an old hand in the bomb disposal squad of the National Security Guard (NSG), the country’s elite commando force.
He knew the standard operating procedures and followed them meticulously — a check for booby traps by rotating a body 360 degrees from a distance using ropes to ensure there’s no hand grenade. He’d also gone through the drill to check for trip wires that could detonate an improvised explosive device (IED).
It was only after the standard checks and a mandatory wait of two to three minutes that Niranjan had approached the bodies of four terrorists killed during an encounter. He was trained to look for live bombs and neutralise them but still paid with his life.
Had it not been for the bureaucratic red tape that dogs the procurement of essential equipment for the elite commandos, Niranjan would have had jammers to ensure a remote-controlled IED was not set off. He would also have been wearing an advanced 9B bomb suit that the NSG sought from the home ministry soon after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. The force is still waiting for these life-protecting suits.
The Pathankot attack is a painful reminder of everything that is wrong with India’s anti- terror response despite two detailed security reviews. One was done after the short but sharp war in 1999 over the icy peaks in Kargil where the army woke up only after Pakistani soldiers had entrenched themselves well within Indian territory and the second after multiple attacks in the heart of Mumbai.
In the high-voltage game of cat and mouse between terrorists and the security establishment, why does the jehadi usually win? Why does India still have chinks in its armour despite being repeatedly hit? Are we really prepared for another strike which can come — in the air or on land — sooner rather than later?
Pathankot prized open all the warts: the suicide squad crossed the international boundary without being intercepted by the Border Security Force. The attackers then managed to hijack an SP’s car and scale the high-security airbase and kill members of the Defence Security Corps despite an alert from the police officer. The 80-hour operation pointed not only to a botch-up by the stakeholders including Punjab Police, the air force, army and NSG but also to critical deficiencies.
The men and machines that lie at the heart of the anti-terror mechanism clearly need urgent training and upgrade, as HT found after critically examining three major terror strikes:
The hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 at the break of this millennium, the 2002 Akshardham temple siege in Gujarat and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. BULLETS THAT DON’T PIERCE In 2007, seven years after the IC 814 hijack, the NSG conducted tests on a simulator flight at its Manesar headquarters on the outskirts of Delhi.
The first test to take out a terror suspect in the cockpit failed. The 7.62mm calibre sniper bullet could only pierce the cockpit glass to be stopped dead due to its thickness.
The NSG asked for higher calibre sniper rifles manufactured by US-based Barret.
Two years later, eight such guns were bought but the anti-air hijacking unit got only one. The remaining seven were distributed to other units.
Aircraft intervention vehicles, which can approach a plane with hydraulic ladders at a high speed, are crucial during a hijack, but the NSG has only one and that too bought on a trial basis.
To access the exits of an aircraft, the NSG practices with hydraulic ladders mounted on gypsy platforms. These ladders weigh approximately 1,000 kg each and invariably topple when mounted on gypsy platforms, say insiders. An open platform also leaves the commandos exposed to firing.
After the hijacking in 1999 when 155 passengers were released only after Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar and two other militants were set free, the government decided to deploy sky marshals equipped with Glock pistols. But only 15% of flights have these marshals and trials in 2007 showed that the 9mm bullets used in the Glocks could endanger both the plane and passengers.
The NSG wanted to place orders for specialised ammunition that suit inside-the-aircraft conditions while airborne. The tendering process for special grade ammunition has, however, still not begun. DOORS THAT WON’T OPEN The elite commandos of the NSG — crucial to the operations in Mumbai and Pathankot — can only be as good their tools. So, what slowed down the force at Mumbai’s iconic Taj hotel during the 26/11 terror strike?
HT put this question to NSG officials and they all pointed to the fact that they had to go from room to room with a master key. It became apparent that the force sorely needed hydraulic door busters in its inventory. Under the special powers of the NSG’s director general, five units were bought a year later, in 2009, but procurements were stalled because the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and NSG could not reach an agreement on whether the device should have a rotating handle or a pumping lever, sources revealed.
During the excruciating 80-hour battle in Mumbai, the NSG moved cautiously, guarding the corner walls. A specialised weapon called “corner shot” that allows an area to be scanned without exposing a commando would have helped. A 2009 MHA report marked “secret” agreed that corner shots “will negate unnecessary loss of life”. Thirteen corner shots were to be bought and distributed to the NSG’s regional hubs too, but so far only one has been procured, again under the DG’s special powers.
Once the corner is turned and the commandos come within close range of terrorists, under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGL) act as force multipliers. Inexplicably, launchers have been bought but the elite force is yet to place orders for grenades.
LESSONS NOT LEARNT
In September 2002, the NSG reached the Akshardham temple attack site in Gujarat at 10pm but had to wait till the next morning to gun down Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) terrorists Murtuza Hafiz Yasin and Ashraf Ali Mohammed Farooq after cornering them in the outer section of the complex.
The elite force did not have guns equipped with night vision rifle scopes or binoculars. Thirteen years later — and this speaks of criminal neglect — the NSG had to halt operations in Pathankot for the same reason.
NSG officials say apathy towards their needs is evident from the number of letters written in the last two years to expedite sanctions to repair a total containment vessel (TCV) that has not been functional at one of its crucial hubs.
A TCV is a vehicle that ensures an IED or bomb is detonated in the safe confines of its walls and prevents any human casualty that can otherwise result from the shrapnel of an IED or bomb. Another reminder of why Niranjan need not have died.
UNIFIED COMMAND
Clear command and control are crucial during an ongoing terror attack and so is early intelligence. In Pathankot, concrete intelligence provided by SP Salwinder Singh was not acted on in quick time and confusion prevailed over how many terrorists had entered the base and also over who was controlling the operation. National security adviser Ajit Doval sent the NSG to Pathankot but on the ground, senior officers of the IAF, army and NSG were initially unclear on who was in charge.
This very lack of coordination between agencies was highlighted soon after the 26/11 attack. As a corrective measure, a joint operations centre (JoC) was set up at INS Angre in Mumbai to ensure that all agencies were connected real time to handle a situation.
Pathankot, however, showed that despite an attack in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district only six months ago, little thought had been put towards plugging the holes.
Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists are believed to have crossed the international border through the same sector from where the Gurdaspur attackers had infiltrated into India.
This is probably where mock drills at the highest level could come in handy. In 2010, when the MHA put the drill in place, senior officers including secretaries and joint secretaries struggled to find the designated room in Rashtrapati Bhavan where the cabinet secretary’s office is located. Simultaneously, a team of Delhi Police commandos was seated inside the vehicle in 75 seconds — as per the drill — but was unable to move since the driver was having tea.
After the Indian Airlines hijacking and the 26/11 attacks, Pathankot is another sad and costly reminder of just how unprepared India is despite terrorism emerging as the number one enemy.
24/09/2002 AKSHARDHAM SIEGE
WHAT HAPPENED
Two terrorists went on a rampage after trying to enter the main complex, killing 33 and injuring 80 people. Siege ended after both the attackers were neutralised.
WHAT WENT WRONG
NSG officials did not have guns equipped with night vision rifle scopes or binoculars. The elite commandos had to wait until the next morning to kill the two terrorists.
26/11/2008 MUMBAI ATTACK
WHAT HAPPENED
In November, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) attacked multiple targets including Taj and Trident Hotels, killing 166. The operation to silence the terrorists lasted 80 hours.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Mumbai Police and central agencies caught by surprise. Navy Seals sent in to grapple with terrorists who came by sea. Lack of equipment slowed down the NSG.
24/12/1999 IC 814 HIJACK
WHAT HAPPENED
Air India flight from Kathmandu to Delhi hijacked and taken to Kandahar, heart of Taliban territory. Three dreaded terrorists swapped in exchange for 155 passengers.
WHAT WENT WRONG
The plane was allowed to leave Amritsar. The NSG reached only after the hijacked plane had taken off. Masood Azhar formed the Jaish-e-Mohammad after being freed.
THE AFTERMATH
Force revamp after terror hit Mumbai in 2008
INCEPTION
Mumbai raised Force 1 after the 80-hour operation. Mumbai Police had a Quick Reaction Team but it could not be mobilised due to a lack of weapons and personnel.
UNFINISHED INVENTORY
What the NSG wants and what it actually got
Security agencies get caught up in a tussle among themselves
TURF WARS AND RED TAPE
Multi Agency Centre (MAC) functions under Intelligence Bureau (IB). More often, other agencies such as R&AW, Military Intelligence, etc, are reluctant to share information with IB. State police departments don’t share full interrogation reports on time. Lacks personnel strength in analysing intelligence inputs State police forces reluctant to let central agencies into their probes. Most recent example is that of Punjab police denying IB permission to question SP Salwinder Singh, whose car was hijacked by militants. IB finally questioned him at NIA office in Delhi NSG’s weapons and equipment division and operations branch manned by Army officers, who make requests for weapon upgradation with an IPS officer heading provisioning. Army officers often question the technical competence of civilian officers. NSG forwards requests to police modernisation division in home ministry (MHA) headed by IAS and other services. In absence of technical managers, MHA often delays NSG’s requisition files.
Five Pak terrorists gunned down | Two Defence Security Corps men, IAF commando killed, says Punjab DGP
Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Pathankot, January 2
An Indian Air Force helicopter flies over an Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2, 2016. — AFPArmy personnel stand alert near the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot on January 2, 2016 during an attack on the base by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad militants. — AFP
Security personnel stand guard next to a barricade outside the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on Saturday. REUTERS
Dressed in army fatigues, a group of five terrorists, suspected to belong to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), entered the Pathankot Air Force base in the wee hours today and engaged security forces in a fierce gunbattle lasting several hours, before four of them were killed in the morning. The fifth terrorist could be neutralised at only around 7 pm, almost 15 hours after they struck. Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said two Defence Security Corps (DSC) men and an Air Force commando also died in the attack. DSC personnel are retired Armymen who are reemployed to undertake guard duties at static establishments. Earlier reports had put the number of DSC casualties at five. Arora said the terrorists belonged to JeM. The attack took place hours after the Pathankot police and the Army launched a massive combing operation in the area falling between Chakki river and the rear gate of the air base.Yesterday, a Gurdaspur-based SP-rank officer had claimed that five terrorists had kidnapped him at 3 am on January 1, before freeing him and his two acquaintances just outside the rear gate of the Air Force station an hour later. All security agencies had been put on high alert and the elite National Security Guards too had been rushed to Pathankot last night. The security agencies had been working on the theory that the five “Urdu-speaking fidayeen” could be targeting the strategic defence installations in this border city. Search operations were launched for these five suspects by 5 pm yesterday and by 8 pm, the entire city had virtually shut down. The terrorists are believed to have entered the air base from the rear gate and their target was said to be the hangars where combat aircraft, including a MiG-21 squadron and an MI-35 attack helicopter unit, are located. As the ultras snooped their way into the station around 3 am, the Air Force claimed they were detected by aerial surveillance platforms. By 5 am, nearly 300 Armymen were deployed along with Armoured Personal Carriers (APC). The IAF also used choppers for surveillance and engaged the terrorists with aerial firing. An IAF statement said they were contained immediately, preventing them from reaching the technical area. This is the second major attack in a city bordering Pakistan. In July, three Lashkar-e-Toiba ultras had executed a terror strike in Dinanagar, killing seven people, including an SP-rank officer. Dinanagar is 20 km away from Pathankot. Senior police officers said the target was to destroy military installations in and around Pathankot. “That is why they did not take the SP hostage as it would have created a furore. They had bigger plans,” an officer said.
Combing of area to continue today
Combing and sanitising operation in the Pathankot Air Force station is to continue on Sunday as well
The five terrorists could have used multiple entry points. One was shot dead as he was scaling the 10-metre-high outer wall of the IAF station
The area where the terrorists were stopped and engaged in gunbattle houses the administrative complex, canteen, residential quarters, officers’ mess and airmen mess
Salwinder Singh, SP (Headquarters) in Gurdaspur till recently, who claimed to have been kidnapped by fiveterrorists on January 1, is being questioned by various security and Intelligence agencies
NSG led from front, cops formed outside cordon
In Saturday’s operation, Punjab Police formed the outer cordon, while the NSG commandos took charge. Punjab Police were controlling the surging crowds at the main gate while the NSG collaborated with the Army to execute the counter-attack.
Punjab Police had come under fire during the Dinanagar attack for not letting the Army take charge of that operation. Only senior Punjab Police officers were allowed to go inside the encounter site on Saturday. The DGP, Suresh Arora, arrived around 10.30 am.
Two attack helicopters and an NSG plane kept hovering over the station through the day.
Umar Mansoor, Peshawar school plotter, strikes again
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Geedar group commander who claimed the deadly attack on Bacha Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda Wednesday is Umar Mansoor, the de facto operational head of TTP in KP.Journalist Hasan Abdullah tells Dawn.com Mansoor is the faction’s commander specifically in Charsadda, Darra Adam Khel, Noshera and surrounding areas. “He had been very close to Hakimullah Mehsud’s inner circle and was also close to Umar Khalid Khorasani at one time,” says Abdullah.He adds while he is said to have shifted to Afghanistan after Pakistan’s military operation in 2014, Mansoor is reported to have crossed into Pakistan at several points.A Reuters profile titled ‘Pakistan’s most hated man: volleyball player, child killer’ described Mansoor as a 37-year-old father of three and volleyball enthusiast who is nicknamed “Slim”.His real name is Umar Mansoor and is also claimed by TTP to be the mastermind of 2014’s massacre of 134 children and nine staff at a military-run school in Peshawar – the deadliest militant attack in Pakistan’s history.A video posted on a Taliban wesbite after the Army Public School attack showed a man with a chest-length beard, who sought to justify the December 16 attack. The caption identified him as Umar Mansoor. The Taliban said the APS attack, in which gunmen wearing suicide-bomb vests executed children, was retaliation for a military offensive carried out by the Pakistani army. Six Pakistani Taliban interviewed by Reuters confirmed the mastermind was Mansoor. Four of them said he is close to Mullah Fazlullah, the embattled leader of the TTP who ordered assassins to kill schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai. Mansoor got a high school education in the capital, Islamabad, two Taliban members said, and later studied in a madrassah. Mansoor has two brothers and spent some time working in the city of Karachi as a labourer before joining the Taliban soon after it was formed, in late 2007, said one commander.His nickname is “naray,” a word in the Pashto language meaning “slim”, and he is the father of two daughters and a son, said another commanders. The Taliban video describes him as the “amir”, or leader, of Peshawar and nearby Darra Adam Khel. Mansoor deeply opposes talks with the government, the commanders said.“He was very strict from the start when he joined,” a commander said. “He left many commanders behind if they had a soft corner (of their heart) for the government.”— By arrangement with the Dawn
Pak’s ‘most hated’ man
Umar Mansoor, who claimed the deadly attack on Bacha Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda, is the de facto operational head of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in KP province
A Reuters profile titled ‘Pakistan’s most hated man: volleyball player, child killer’ described Mansoor as a 37-year-old father of three and volleyball enthusiast who is nicknamed “Slim”
He is claimed by TTP to be the mastermind of 2014’s massacre of 134 children and nine staff at a military-run school in Peshawar – the deadliest militant attack in Pakistan’s history
‘Hero teacher’ goes down fighting militants
Peshawar, January 20
A rescuer helps a teacher on crutches walk out of Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on Wednesday. ReutersAssistant professor Syed Hamid HussainSurvivors react outside Bacha Khan University. REUTERS
In a heroic act, a Pakistani chemistry professor in his 30s today lost his life while trying to protect his students using his licensed pistol against armed Taliban militants who stormed the university. Assistant professor Syed Hamid Hussain, 34, fought back against the terrorists as he warned students not to leave the building of the Bacha Khan university in Charsadda, some 50 km southwest of Peshawar.Students spoke of the hero teacher, who flashed his pistol but was gunned down by the militants besides 24 others, media reports said. Geology student Zahoor Ahmed said his chemistry lecturer had warned him not to leave the building after the first shots were fired. “He was holding a pistol in his hand,” he said. “Then I saw a bullet hit him. I saw two militants were firing. I ran inside and then managed to flee by jumping over the back wall.” Another student told television reporters he was in class when he heard gunshots.“We saw three terrorists shouting slogans and rushing towards the stairs of our department,” he said as he described seeing the chemistry professor holding a pistol and firing at the attackers. “Then we saw him fall down and as the terrorists entered the (registrar) office we ran away,” said the student.A traumatised sutdent said they saw several young men wielding AK-47 guns storming the university housing where many students were sleeping. They came from behind and there was a big commotion. We were told by teachers to leave immediately. Some people hid in bathroomsPresident Mamnoon Hussain confirmed Hamid was among the deceased and condoled his death.Netizens took to social networking sites like Twitter to hail the lecturer as a “martyr”. “Martyr of #education: Prof Hamid who was killed by terrorists in #BachaKhanUniversity #Pakistan,” tweeted journalist and academic Raza Ahmad Rumi.The official Facebook page of the university also said Hamid was among those killed. Teachers in northwest Pakistan were given permission to carry firearms in the classroom after the Peshawar school carnage of December 2014 in which Taliban militants killed over 150 people, mostly children. — PTI
Hailed as martyr
Assistant professor Syed Hamid Hussain, 34, at Bacha Khan university in Charsadda fought back against the terrorists as he warned students not to leave the building after hearing the shots
Students said the hero teacher flashed his pistol but was gunned down by the militants. Netizens took to social networking sites like Twitter to hail the lecturer as a “martyr”
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‘Four shot anyone, everyone they came across’
Peshawar, January 20
Victims’ relatives wait anxiously outside a hospital where injured were taken after the terror attack. AP/PTIRescuers shift an injured to a hospital following an attack by gunmen in Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, about 50 km from Peshawar, on Wednesday. AFP
Ayat Ibrahim was entering the South Block of the Bacha Khan University on Wednesday morning when she heard the first of the gunshots and huge blasts. Initially, the student, in her late 20s, had no idea that the university, named after the iconic Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, was under terrorist attack. It took only a few seconds for Ibrahim to realise the horrific truth.“I saw people screaming and running here and there, and people sprawled on the ground,” the traumatized student told IANS in a telephonic interview from Peshawar.Authorities would later blame the carnage that left 20 people, including students, dead on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is at war with the Pakistani state. The TTP too claimed responsibility. “I couldn’t understand what was going on… And I could not see my friend who I had come to see,” she said. The attackers, four in all, opened indiscriminate fire at anyone and everyone they came across. They also hurled grenades, killing or wounding those trying to escape the bloodbath.There were some 3,000 students and staff in the university at the time of the attack besides about 600 guests. They had gathered in the campus for a poetry recital to commemorate the anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan.Ibrahim was stunned but did what many other students did at the spur of the moment – she ran towards the university buses parked in the vicinity. As the buses began to fill up, the drivers drove away the vehicles out of the campus at top speed, saving numerous lives.Ibrahim told IANS that she had no idea how many people had been killed. But she guessed it would be a large number.Soldiers rushed to the university and engaged the terrorists, triggering gun battles that lasted over five hours.They managed to kill all four attackers. But by then, the university — set up in July 2012 — was badly battered with 20 students, academics and other employees dead and dozens wounded. — IANS
University bus drivers saved many
There were nearly 3,000 students and staff in Bacha Khan University at the time of the terror attack,besides about 600 guests. They had gathered onthe campus for a poetry recital to commemoratethe anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan,popularly known as Bacha Khan
Ayat Ibrahim, a student, said she was stunned by the attack but did what many other students did at thespur of the moment — she ran towards the universitybuses parked in the vicinity. As the buses began tofill up, the drivers drove away out of the campus attop speed, saving numerous lives
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