Current Events :
Activists carry placards of the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, during a protest against the attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot, in Mumbai on January 4, 2016. — AFP
Beijing, April 1
China on Friday defended its decision to once again block India’s bid at the UN to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief and mastermind of the Pathankot terror attack Masood Azhar, saying that it acts on such issues based on facts and rules in an “objective and just manner”.
Asked about China’s reported last minute move putting a technical hold on India’s submission, which Indian officials say was armed with strong evidence of the JeM’s terror activities and its role in the Pathankot attack, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said here that China “supports UN playing a central and coordinating role in international cooperation against terrorism”.
“We always deal with the listing issue (banning militant groups and their leaders) under the UN Security Council Committee established under resolution 1267 based on facts and relevant rules of procedures in an objective and just manner,” he said.
“The Chinese side has always been in communication with relevant parties on the listing issue,” he said, hinting that China is also in touch with India on the issue.
This is not the first time China has blocked India’s bid to get Pakistan-based militant groups and leaders proscribed by the UN.
The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India’s efforts for a ban on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack also did not fructify as China, one of the five permanent members of the UN group with veto powers, didn’t allow the ban apparently at the behest of Pakistan again.
Last July, China had similarly halted India’s move in the UN to take action against Pakistan for its release of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, saying that its stand was “based on facts and in the spirit of objectiveness and fairness” with Beijing again claiming at the time that it was in touch with New Delhi.
Stating that China is opposed to all forms of terrorism, Hong said “China has also taken active part in international counter-terrorism corporation”.
To another question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington yesterday that the world community should “drop the notion that terrorism is someone else’s problem and that ‘his’ terrorist is not ‘my’ terrorist,” Hong said “China opposes double standards on the issue of terrorism”.
“We believe that all parties should enhance communication in a bid to forge counter-terrorism synergy to work together with entire international community, including India, to jointly fight against the threat of terrorism and safeguard peace and stability of the region and beyond,” he said. — PTI
For Captain Pawan Kumar, a Jat and a JNU degree holder, all that mattered was love for the country and not calls of “azadi” on the campus or reservation demand by his community members in Haryana.
Three army commandos, including two Captains, and a militant were killed on Sunday in a gunfight with a group of terrorists holed up inside a government building on the outskirts of Srinagar, raising the toll to seven in the encounter that began on Saturday afternoon.
The Army lost Captain Pawan Kumar, Captain Tushar Mahajan and jawan Om Prakash, all of the elite Para commando units, in the gunbattle on Sunday. The army succeeded in eliminating one of the terrorists by Sunday evening, an official said.
Captain Pawan Kumar, who hailed from Haryana’s Jind, sustained grievous injuries in militant firing as security forces tried to make their way into the building in the wee hours today, an army official said. He succumbed to injuries later.
Captain Tushar Mahajan from Udhampur was also injured in the encounter and succumbed to injuries later at hospital.
As the security forces exchanged heavy gunfire with the holed up militants, another soldier from the Para unit, Om Prakash, was injured and taken to 92 Base Hospital of the Army at Badamibagh Cantonment where he succumbed.
“Kisiko reservation chahiye to kisiko azadi bhai. Humein kuchh nahin chahiye bhai. Bas apni razai. (Some want reservation and some independence, I don’t want anything, brother, I want only my quilt),” said the 23-year-old captain of the Special Forces, who laid down his life while leading his team against terrorists in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir in his last Facebook post on Saturday.
The young para commando had been in the Army for only three years after graduating from the National Defence Academy. Under a tie-up NDA has with JNU, he had a degree from the prestigious university in Delhi.
The 10 Para Special Forces officer was leading his men from the front in a complicated operation in a 7-storey building in Pampore where at least three terrorists had holed up.
The army described him as an “inspiring leader”, who in spite of being injured in an earlier anti-terrorist operation, went on to volunteer for more operations.
The young officer belonged to Haryana which is witnessing large-scale violence over the demand by Jats for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
His Facebook account gives one a glimpse into his life. He has posted pictures of him with motorbikes and jeeps. One of his profile pictures he posted last year was of his dog Tyson, a young Rottweiler.
Army operations
The terrorists had been holed up in the building since Saturday afternoon after they attacked a CRPF convoy, killing two jawans and a civilian and injuring nine other jawans.
The multi-storied building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) building in Pampore caught fire on Sunday afternoon as the encounter between army and the heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be 3-4 in number, continued till late on Sunday.
Through the day, the terrorists kept on firing and throwing grenades on the security forces who had surrounded the building and made attempts to storm it.
Nearly 100 civilians — staff and students of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) — were evacuated to safety by the security forces from the building, a police official said.
He said the operation might be prolonged as militants seem to be heavily armed.
The open structure of the building where the militants are hiding also poses a difficulty to the security forces in advancing towards it, he added.
– See more at: http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/no-quota-no-azaadi-all-i-want-my-razai-army-captain-killed-srinagar-39314?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=inshorts_full_article&utm_campaign=inshorts_full_article#sthash.n5rC12wL.dpuf
No one across the world can match our brave soldiers provided they are trained and equipped well. GENERAL VK SINGH, former army chief
From page 1 CHANDIGARH: Former Army Chief and Union minister of state of external affairs (independent charge) General VK Singh, during a seminar on ‘1962 War: An Appraisal’, organised by the department of defence and national security studies at Panjab University on Saturday, said the political establishment and the higher military leadership failed the soldiers during the 1962 India-China War.
KARUN SHARMA/HTStudents during a seminar on ‘1962 War: An Appraisal’ at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Saturday.Singh added, “It was a war in which the soldiers performed very well. What failed us because of the political establishment and the higher military leadership… why we failed is something that we need to analyse.”
“No one across the world can match our brave soldiers provided they are trained and equipped well. We created a myth about 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide Chinese man, who could have been defeated anytime. I believe the people who do not learn from the history suffer subsequently,” he added.
During the event, a book, ‘1962 The War That Wasn’t’, written by Shiv Kunal Verma, filmmaker and military historian, was also released. Describing the book as very refreshing, Singh said, “A myth was spread after the independence that the military was keen to get into the power. It was one of the reasons the military was kept out of the loop of decision making, which diminished the trust that should have existed between the political leaders and the military establishment.”
Meanwhile, Shiv Kunal Verma said while signing the Panchsheel Agreement, India made concessions to China, which was against the advice given by the military leadership. He added, “The then PM Jawaharlal Nehru committed a biggest blunder by handing over the North East Frontier Area to the Indian Army, which triggered a chain reaction.”
PU vice-chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover called upon the department of defence and national security studies to reach out to the military leadership and veterans and create a think tank, which can work on the defencerelated problems pertaining to the country.
Meanwhile, the 1962 War veteran Major General Rajender Nath, who was Second Lieutenant during the 1962 War, Brigadier Amarjit Singh Behl, war veteran, and Brigadier DK Khullar also shared their memories.
Bhubaneswar has topped the list of first 20 cities that will be developed as Smart Cities, followed by Pune and Jaipur. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday unveiled the list of first 20 cities.
He said that the smart cities will demonstrate how integrated planning and smart technologies can deliver better quality of life.
There were 97 cities in the Smart City Challenge, of which 20 winners were selected.
Naidu congratulated 11 States and the Union Territory of Delhi who have made it to the top 20 smart cities list. He added a total investment of Rs 50,802 cr has been proposed in the selected smart cities and towns during the five year period.
The smart cities were chosen based on a challenge that required cities to come up with integrated plans, proposals, so that there is maximum analysis and planning.
Below are the top 20 smart cities winners
1.Bhubaneswar (Odisha)
2. Pune (Maharashtra)
3. Jaipur (Rajasthan)
4. Surat (Gujarat)
5. Kochi (kerala)
6. Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
7. Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)
8.Visakhapatnam (AndhraPreadesh)
9. Solapur (Maharashtra)
10 Davanagere (Karnataka)
11. Indore ( Madhya Pradesh)
12. NDMC (Delhi)
13. Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
14. Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh)
15. Belagavi (Karnataka)
16. Udaipur (Rajasthan)
17. Guwahati (Assam)
18. Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
19. Ludhiana (Punjab)
20. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)
Seoul, March 23
North Korea threatened a “miserable end” for South Korea’s president and her American allies today, in its latest colourfully worded attack.
Pyongyang declared it would wage a “retaliatory battle of justice” against Park Geun-Hye, with its artillery units standing ready to turn her office into a “sea of flames and ashes”.
“What the DPRK warns is not hot air. It will be clearly proved by the miserable end the US and the Park group will meet while going reckless,” said the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), using the formal name for North Korea.
The latest volley comes as Seoul and ally Washington stage their annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military drills, which this year are the largest ever, in the wake of a recent North Korean nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
The massive drills — which include air strike exercises targeting key facilities in the North — are a “thrice-cursed provocation” against Pyongyang’s leadership, the CPRK said, according to the KCNA news agency.
In recent weeks, Pyongyang has maintained a daily barrage of nuclear strike threats against both Seoul and Washington over the drills it sees as a provocative rehearsal for invasion.
Tensions have been running high since the North carried out an atomic test in January, followed by a long-range rocket launch that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test.
The UN Security Council responded by slapping its toughest-ever sanctions on the North for violating UN sanctions that ban the isolated state from conducting any ballistic missile test.
In an apparent show of anger, the North has launched a series of short-range and medium-range missiles into the sea off its east coast since last week.
Cross-border ties are at their lowest in years, with the conservative Park maintaining her hardline stance towards the impoverished but nuclear-armed North.
She warned last week Pyongyang was moving on a path of “self-destruction” as leader Kim Jong-Un ordered a nuclear warhead test, in a move that further raised tension. — AFP
CRPF PERSONNEL, WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO REACH ROHTAK, FOUND THE TIGRI BORDER BLOCKED IN THE WEE HOURS OF SATURDAY
ROHTAK/CHANDIGARH: The Army, requisitioned by the BJP government in Haryana following arson and violence in Rohtak, could not gain access to the district on Friday night as all roads leading to Rohtak were blockaded by Jat protesters.
RAVI CHOUDHARY & MANOJ DHAKA/HTJat community members holding a protest, seeking reservations in jobs and educational institutions, in Bahadurgarh; (right) army, BSF and police personnel taking out a flag march in Rohtak on Saturday.The troops landed only in the morning when air force helicopters were pressed into service to drop about 250 personnel at the Rohtak police lines. More Army reinforcements were airlifted and sent by the evening. In fact, it became apparent on Friday night that Army columns, which moved from Hisar and Jaipur, would find it impossible to get access to the trouble-torn Rohtak district. Chief secretary DS Dhesi also spoke to the Army authorities on this.
However, the problem did not end there. In the absence of Army vehicles, the mobility of troops was also affected. “The local administration did not have enough vehicles to carry the Army personnel. This hampered their movement, reducing their effect,” said a government official at Chandigarh.
The troops did conduct a flag march, but were forced to retreat when they were outnumbered by Jat protesters. As soon as the Army flag march started, thousands of protesters from nearby villages converged on Rohtak city in a display of show of strength and to counter the troops.
The paramilitary reinforcements rushed in by the ministry of home affairs, too, found themselves stuck. More than eight companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which were supposed to reach Rohtak and surrounding districts, found the Tigri border blocked in the wee hours of Saturday and have been stationed here since then.
“It is all uncertain right now. We do not know for how long we will remain here. Everything is shut here. Not even tea is available,” said CRPF inspector RN Singh, who came from Aligarh.
Residential colonies and urban villages on NH 10 connecting Delhi and Rohtak via Bahadurgarh appeared fortified due to the presence of CRPF jawans.
“We have to reach Jhajjar but we have been told that protesters have dug up roads with JCB machines,” said Rahul Kumar, CRPF constable from Jaipur. “The internet does not work here. We have to make phone calls to people outside Haryana to get updates on the reservation issue,” he added.
Bahadurgarh resident Ram Kumar Yadav said: “I have seen protests before. But this is unprecedented.” Dropped by Army helicopters, the troops’ movement has been hampered due to inadequate transport support
ENTRE HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE A CHOPPER TO HARYANA FOR MONITORING MEASURES TO CONTOL THE GROUND SITUATION, SAYS OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Saturday sought additional companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and more columns of army to be deployed in Haryana by Sunday morning to control the ongoing agitation in the state.
An official spokesman said that the requisition for additional force was made by the Crisis Management Group of Haryana comprising chief secretary, additional chief secretary, home, and director general of police, who held a meeting with Union cabinet secretary, chief of army staff, chief of air force and director, IB through videoconferencing on Saturday.
154 CASES REGISTERED
The spokesman said that 154 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered and miscreants were being identified against whom stern action would be taken.
He said four persons lost their lives in Jhajjar district when armed forces opened fire to quell arson and firing and one in Kaithal district. He said that five persons were injured in Rohtak district on Saturday. Besides, 10 persons, including some police personnel, were injured in Jhajjar district.
He said the army and police personnel had been deployed in adequate number in Rohtak to control the situation.
As many as 15 companies of India Reserve Battalion and Haryana Armed Police, three companies of paramilitary forces and two columns of the army had already been deployed.
He said that the central government had also agreed to provide a chopper to Haryana for monitoring the measures to control the agitation and also spray tear gas to disperse mob, especially at blockade sites.
He said Bhiwani remained peaceful whereas in Hisar district, two persons were injured in a village near Hansi as a result of a clash between two groups. They were now out of danger.
He claimed that nine districts have remained peaceful on Saturday. These were Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Sirsa, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Faridabad and Palwal.
We met party president and home minister and informed them about the situation in Haryana. The agitation is getting out of the control of agitators into the hands of those wanting to divide society.
BIRENDER SINGH, Union rural development minister and Jat leader
NEW DELHI: The Centre is bracing for the worst in Haryana amid reports of ‘extreme brutality’ committed against non-Jats in the state, senior government officials said here.
“There are reports that some extreme violence has taken place in Rohtak. It was a free-for-all kind of situation in Haryana – particularly in Rohtak and Jhajjar. There is an urgent need to bring the situation under control,” said an official, refusing to specify about the incidents of extreme violence.
In an effort to manage the crisis, senior Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj and Manohar Parrikar sat with national security adviser Ajit Doval, home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, army chief Dalbir Singh and Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma and reviewed the situation.
A senior IPS officer of Haryana cadre posted in Delhi said reports of full-scale violence and arson that has taken place in Rohtak and adjoining areas are yet to emerge from curfew-clamped districts.
The BJP is already facing problems in Gujarat with Patidars led by Hardik Patel asking for castebased reservation.
Besides, any acceptance or non-acceptance of the demand will affect the Jat population in neighbouring states, particularly in western UP, sources said.
The Centre on Saturday airlifted more security personnel to Rohtak in particular.
Cabinet secretary PK Sinha also reviewed the situation with the chief secretary and police chief of state through video conferencing and asked them to maintain law and order.
“The home minister is in regular touch with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar,” an aide to the minister said.
Rajnath Singh also met senior Jat leaders from western UP and Haryana late in the evening to listen to their demands.
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 21
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to the Central Government after the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) rejected the bail plea of a soldier who was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment by a court martial for his alleged role in the office-jawan clash at Nyoma in 2012.The notice has focused attention on provisions of the AFT Act and some recent judgments on it thereof, which have restricted the remedial measures available to armed forces personnel to appeal against orders passed by the AFT. A larger Bench of the Supreme Court is adjudicating on the issue and the matter is pending for settlement.Though the petitioner’s appeal was pending before the Armed Forces Tribunal, he was denied bail despite being in detention for more than three-and-a-half years. He has contended that the AFT Act specifically bars an appeal against interlocutory or interim orders passed by the Tribunal, even to the Supreme Court and bail being an interlocutory order, there is no option but to approach the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution.Though the High Courts were granting relief till March 2015 to soldiers and ex-servicemen aggrieved by the AFT’s orders, this stopped after an SC order, which stated that since an appeal was provided to the Supreme Court under the AFT Act, final orders of the Tribunal should only be challenged before the apex court only.The situation caused a problem as it rendered litigants remediless because there was a statutory bar under Section 31 of the AFT Act in approaching the Supreme Court except in matters involving a ‘point of law of general public importance’.While civilians had a 3-tier appeal mechanism comprising the lower courts, high courts and the SC, the Armed Forces Tribunal became the first and last court for the defence community.It has been averred in the bail petition that since the Armed Forces Tribunal Act provides no scope of appeal for interim and interlocutory orders passed by the AFT and that even the Union of India has been approaching the High Courts against such orders.
MOHAMMAD WAS AWARDED 10-YEAR JAIL BY A COURT MARTIAL FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN SLOGANEERING DURING THE LEH CLASH INCIDENT OF MAY 2012
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued a notice to the Centre after the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) rejected the bail plea of a soldier, Naseer Mohammad. Mohammad was awarded 10-year jail by a court martial for his alleged involvement in sloganeering during the Nyoma (Leh) officer-jawan clash incident of May 2012.
He was denied bail by the tribunal despite being in detention for more than three and-ahalf years.
The AFT Act specifically bars an appeal against interlocutory or interim orders passed by the tribunal, and the bail being an interlocutory order, there was no option but to approach the high court, the petitioner had argued in his appeal. The bench of justice Mahesh Grover and justice Lisa Gill has issued notice to the Centre for May 19 seeking its response.
The decision to keep Defence Forces out of the list of authorised agencies is significant as questions were raised on the now-defunct Army’s Technical Support Division (TSD).
The TSD, which was set up during the tenure of the controversial former Army chief (now Union Minister) General VK Singh, was accused of carrying out unauthorised operations. The jammers or interceptors imported by the TSD for evaluation purpose could not be accounted for after the government decided to close the unit.
“Jammers can be procured only by states’ police department and jail authorities, and central government security agencies like RAW and IB,” the new policy issued by Cabinet Secretariat said.
There was no mention of Defence Forces being allowed to procure in the new guidelines.
It modifies last year guidelines on procurement and use of jammers which had “Defence Forces” among other authorised agencies that can buy jammers.
The new norms also restricts exam conducting bodies like Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from procuring jammers but allows it to deploy “low powered jammers to prevent cheating during examinations”.
In case of movement of VVIPs guarded by Special Protection Group (SPG), all type of jammers procured by government agencies should be deployed in the vicinity, it said.
The new policy also bars import of jammers without getting a license from Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
“Private sector organisation and/or private individuals cannot procure or use jammers in India. These norms take into account the need to guard against random proliferation of jammers as well as to ensure that jammers installed do not unduly interfere with the existing mobile phone networks,” the guidelines said.
Prior permission of Secretary (Security) in Cabinet Secretariat must be obtained before procurement of jammers, it said.
The permission for procurement of jammer is granted in consultation with SPG and IB who maintain a database of available jammers, the policy says.
The statutory examination conducting bodies are allowed to deploy low powered jammers to prevent cheating during examinations. The same would, however, not be through procurement or ownership of the equipment, it said.
They would be given permission only to take it on lease basis and would therefore have to pay only for using jammers on the specific date of examination, as per the guidelines.
The examination body may consider deployment of jammers in sensitive examination centres based on past experience and other inputs rather than deployment in all centres across the country, it says.
Jammer models manufactured by M/s ECIL and M/s BEL, which are evaluated by concerned security agencies, can be procured.
However, central or state PSUs, wanting to manufacture jammers, can apply to the Secretariat giving details of the model, the source of technology and other relevant information, the norms read.
For seeking prior permission for installation of jammers in jails, the total number of jammers required for installation in prisons need to be assessed by jail authorities in consultation with the local office of the Wireless Adviser, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India before the proposal is submitted for seeking approval of Cabinet Secretariat.
“Inviting open tender from unauthorised manufacturers is a violation of the policy of Government of India in matters of procurement of jammers,” the policy reads.
Islamabad/New Delhi, Feb 19
India today said it was “disappointed” at the omission of JeM chief Masood Azhar from an FIR lodged by Pakistan authorities in connection with the Pathankot airbase attack. India has accused the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief of masterminding the attack.The FIR was registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) centre in Gujranwala, Punjab province, on Thursday against “unknown persons” after weeks of investigations into the assault that had led to the postponement of India-Pak Foreign Secretary talks.“It is a small step in the right direction. But it is disappointing that neither the name of Jaish nor Masood Azhar was incorporated in the FIR,” a senior government official said.“We fail to understand why Jaish and its chief’s names were not included in the FIR despite India giving adequate evidence about their involvement,” the official said.A CTD official said the FIR was required to start police and judicial proceedings on the basis of evidence collected in connection with the attack for which India has blamed Pakistan-based terror group JeM.India had identified Azhar as the mastermind of the attack, and blamed his brother Rauf besides five others for carrying out the attack.The FIR was lodged under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act. The FIR mentioned the telephone numbers contacted by the militants during the attack.The FIR was reportedly registered on the recommendations of a six-member special investigation team (SIT) probing the attack. The team had recommended to the federal government to lodge an FIR on the basis of information provided to National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua by his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.According to a document, the team held three meetings in which the information provided by the Indian side was evaluated and it partially confirmed the Indian version of the incident.Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif had formed the six-member team headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab’s CTD Rai Tahir to probe India’s assertion that JeM was behind the attack.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah today said India would be asked for more information. Sanaullah said in Lahore that the FIR showed Pakistan’s “commitment” against militancy. “We will seek more information from India,” he said.Sanaullah said anyone, including Azhar, found guilty of involvement in the attack would be prosecuted. “No one becomes guilty by naming him. I don’t want to name anyone at this stage. Let the probe be over and if Azhar is found involved, action will be taken,” Sanaullah said. — Agencies
Modi, Nawaz likely to meet in US next month
Islamabad, February 19Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi may meet next month in the US on the sidelines of a nuclear summit being hosted by President Barack Obama, a media report said today.The two have accepted Obama’s invitation to attend the nuclear summit in Washington from March 31 and April 1, Dawn newspaper said. “The chances are strong, very strong,” said a senior official who did not want to be identified.“But you know the history of India-Pakistan talks. You cannot be certain about an event until it has happened,” the official added.This is the first time that both leaders will attend the nuclear security summit, which Obama initiated in 2010.The summit, aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear arms, brings leaders from across the world to discuss various proposals for attaining this goal. The first summit was held in Washington on April 12-13, 2010. Since this is Obama’s final year in office, the administration is pushing hard for achieving some concrete results during the fourth summit. — PTI
