Was speaking to reporters

New Delhi, September 30All attempts are being made to secure the release of the Indian soldier who inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.Singh said the government had taken note of the reports which stated that an Indian soldier is in Pakistan’s captivity.“All attempts are being made to secure his release,” he told reporters here.The Home Minister said New Delhi would take up the matter with Islamabad for his early release.Indian Army sources had said on Thursday that “one soldier from 37 RR with a weapon has inadvertently crossed over to the other side of the Line of Control. Pakistan has been informed by the DGMO on the hotline”.Sources had said that his crossing-over was not related to the surgical strikes.“Such inadvertent crossing-over by Army and civilians are not unusual on either side. They are returned through existing mechanisms,” they had said.

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The Indian Army on Thursday had rejected as “false and baseless” reports in a section of Pakistani media that eight Indian soldiers were killed and one captured by Pakistani military in retaliatory fire.Indian Army sources said, “As regards (to the) report of killing of eight Indian Army personnel reported in sections of Pakistani media, the report is completely false and baseless.”The Army’s reaction had came after Pakistan’s Dawn News reported that Pakistani military had claimed that it had killed eight Indian soldiers and captured one while retaliating to India’s firing at the first line of defence at the Line of Control (LoC) at Tatta Pani.India had carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting “significant casualties” on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK. PTI

MY posting to Leh had the major advantage that the family was only an hour away at Chandigarh, but it had certain disadvantages, one being the headache of looking after the stream of VIP visitors from Udhampur-Srinagar and Delhi in summer. In true fauji style, I had evolved an SOP to look after the guests. My 2IC or a suitable LO (Liaison Officer), generally a JCO, would receive the guests at the airport and bring them to the guestroom, where all necessary arrangements would be made for their comfortable stay. The guests would then receive a folder containing medical instructions along with other necessary information. When I met them in the evening, I would pull out the laminated page and request them to go through it. This drill was working fine till a Major-General from the Army HQ landed with his wife and children.When I informed him in the evening that acclimatisation for at least 24 hours was a must, he gave me an ‘I know it all’ smile and disarmed me of  my logic that they should relax for some time. He informed me that he had been a Military Attaché for four years at a place with much lower temperatures and as such had experienced even worse climatic conditions. He had a packed schedule and was keen to see all he could in Leh, visit a unit in the forward area, pedal-boat in Pangong Tso and fly back to Delhi on the fourth day as he had an important assignment awaiting him. I was told to get everything organised in a manner that would not disturb his schedule. I was expected to accompany him and his wife in the staff car, followed by a back-up Jonga in which his children and supporting staff were to travel. While having dinner, I once again pleaded with him to change the itinerary, this time receiving the full support of his wife and children, but the stubborn General did not budge.As planned, we commenced the journey at 9 am sharp. The General was very cheerful and delighted to see the snow-capped peaks. He interacted with me enthusiastically till we reached the outskirts of Karu, barely a 45-minute drive, when he started feeling giddy and asked the driver to stop. I loosened his belt and sewadars rushed water, tea, coffee, etc., to the car from the Jonga. After waiting for half-an-hour in the wilderness, we started the return journey as his condition worsened. I decided to take him straight to the Military Hospital. Soon, the Commandant of the hospital also arrived and after some discussion with doctors informed me that the General had to stay under observation for two days. I also learnt, for the first time, that whenever any officer of the rank of Major-General and above got admitted to hospital, certain information was required to be sent to the HQ. His wife stayed with him in the hospital while his children had some fun going to the market and a nearby monastery. On the fourth day, the family took a flight back to Delhi. In a few days, I received a demi-official letter from him, thanking me profusely for all that I had done for him. I made it a point to share this story with new guests and never had any problem thereafter.

The order will be applicable to personnel of BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.

New Delhi, September 27

Jawans and officers of Central paramilitary forces like BSF, CRPF and ITBP will soon be accorded the status of “battle casualty” on the lines of armed forces that will allow their families to avail special concessionary benefits for education and livelihood.Officials said the Union Home Ministry has “in principle agreed” to grant sanction after the country’s largest border guarding force BSF made a proposal in this regard sometime back, which was taken up during a review meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh today.They said the battle casualty status will allow the family members of the personnel killed in the line of duty to avail special benefits like obtaining educational benefits/loans for children of the slain soldier, getting jobs in state government and private sector and while applying for licence for running public service utilities like a fuel pump or a gas agency.”The final modalities are being worked out and an order will be soon issued by the Home Ministry. This will be applicable for the jawans and officers of forces like BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB and NDRF,” a senior official said.The facilities that can be provided under the battle casualty status by the Centre and various state governments are being worked out, they said.Also, they said, the Ministry will consider enhancing the risk and hardship allowance given to the about eight lakh men and women of these forces tasked to render a variety of internal security tasks within the country and at the international borders.During the meeting, the BSF also put forth its request to the Ministry to make its air wing a “self regulatory establishment” on the lines of the Coast Guard, the maritime security force under the Ministry of Defence.”The proposal essentially flags that the BSF air wing used for transport of Central Armed Police Forces and VVIPs should be given more assets and authority to operate in a more organised fashion. It is desired that the BSF air wing gets more independence in undertaking operational sorties. Comments have been sought in this regard from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Defence and also Coast Guard,” they said.The BSF, during the meeting, also informed the Home Minister that the special tech-based border security and fencing gadgets project will soon be implemented on a pilot basis along both the western (Pakistan) and eastern (Bangladesh) frontiers.BSF Director General K K Sharma also mentioned the issue of upgradation of their border outposts and troop locations along the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh frontiers during the meeting, they said. — PTI

The PM will hold the meeting on Thursday.

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review India’s unilateral granting of the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status to Pakistan under the WTO rules.                    A meeting to this effect will be held on Thursday and will be attended by top officials of the government, including Commerce and External Affairs, top sources in the government said.                        The review comes amid a clamour to take action against the country in the backdrop of the September 18 Uri attack.

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India granted the MFN status to Pakistan in 1996. Pakistan has not given a similar status to India.The MFN status to Pakustan was accorded in 1996 under WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).According to Assocham, out of India’s total merchandise trade of $641 billion in 2015-16, Pakistan accounted for a meagre $2.67 billion.India’s exports to the neighbouring country worked out to $2.17 billion, or 0.83 per cent, of the total Indian outward shipments while imports were less than $500 million, or 0.13 per cent, of the total inward shipments.”In all, trade with Pakistan was equivalent to 0.41 per cent of India’s global merchandise commerce,” Assocham secretary general DS Rawat said in the statement.“The MFN status, or no MFN, has not made much of a difference on the bilateral trade,” he said.“While India has granted Pakistan the MFN status, Islamabad had not responded. But even with the MFN status, Pakistan’s exports to India remained less than half a billion dollars,” he added.The major items of Indian export to Pakistan include organic chemicals, vegetables, cotton, plastics and processed food waste, like fodder.Items of Indian imports from Pakistan include cottons, fruits and nuts, mineral fuels, wax, sulphur, lime, cement and hides.”Going forward, as things stand today, it is almost no movement seen in the immediate future. Even the symbolic presence of Pakistan exhibitors at the annual India International Trade Fair (IITF) in November in New Delhi is not expected whether or not formal ties are snapped or not, given the present state of affairs,” Rawat said.Assocham said “India Inc. is fully behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi for steering India’s interest in the best possible directions”.”India’s strategic decisions are fully the domain of the government, which enjoys the full backing of the nation,” Rawat added.At another review meeting here on Monday, Prime Minister Modi directed that the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan be revisited.”Blood and water cannot flow together,” Modi said at the meeting to review the Indus Water Treaty signed by India and Pakistan in 1960.It was decided that the meetings of Indus water commissioners, that are held to resolve disputes, will now be held “only in an atmosphere free of terror”. — With agencies

MY first visit to Uri town, the latest target of a terror attack, was some 13 years ago. I was visiting the Valley as a journalist and not a tourist. The situation was such that from Jammu to Srinagar, there was fear of a terror strike. Only two dhabas were open. At one of the dhabas, a group of soldiers nearly took away our taxi, saying they were in hot chase of militants. The taxi driver pleaded against it. Fortunately, I had an Army letter authorising my visit to the forward areas. It saved the driver for that day.The Brigadier at Uri was warm and welcoming. He had deputed a young Captain to look after me. “Be safe, no adventurism,”  the Brigadier cautioned me in a chilling voice and a smile that gave me goose bumps. We drove in a Jonga on the zigzag road that climbed one hill and came down the other. The Jhelum, the de facto border between India and Pakistan, criss-crossed the Valley, flowing beautifully in the deep gorge. We passed tiny hamlets and apple and apricot orchards.The destination was an advanced military camp near a village called Sultan Dhakki, a few hundred metres short of the LoC. I was thrilled to inhale the aroma of roasted meat that wafted from somewhere in the vicinity. The Captain pointed down the hill towards two large vessels, where food was being cooked by soldiers in the open in the village common ground. That would be our dinner. I was delighted. But still worried about the night stay in bunkers. I needn’t have. After a few turns, we stood in front of an opening in a rocky hill. It was a khul ja sim sim experience. I could have fathomed that the Army had burrowed into the hills and created an accommodation, no less than a five-star stay.After bathing, we sat outside for a cup of tea and snacks. The spot was at a safe angle from the enemy behind the hills. “You will see Diwali at night as  rockets will fly,” chuckled the officer. His soldiers grinned.As we talked, the conversation veered around on how soldiers kept their mind off death and bullets. “I play chess,” the Captain said. “Voila! I too,”  I exclaimed. Soon, two armies were set in black and white on the chessboard. It took me no more than 10 moves to grab the rook and the queen. The officer was visibly hurt. He was losing in front of his jawans, who sat around us in a semicircle. He lost the second too, after much struggle. One last game, he said, ordering meat for both of us in a tone that expressed his anger. He won the third.Back in the lodge, he sipped beer and remarked: “I was flustered. It was not about losing or winning. It was about you killing my army while it had not moved from its squares. No jawan would like an officer, or for that matter a government, that lets this happen to them.”

Nawaz Sharif addresses UN General Assembly. REUTERS

TNS & Agencies

New Delhi/United Nations, September 21Raking up Kashmir at the UN, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today glorified slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a “young leader” even as he expressed readiness for a “serious and sustained dialogue” with India for peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, especially Jammu and Kashmir.Sharif devoted much of his 20-minute speech at the UN General Assembly session to Kashmir and the situation in the Valley and said Pakistan “fully supports the demand of the Kashmiri people for self-determination”.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)He demanded an “independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings” and a UN fact-finding mission to Kashmir “so that the guiltyare punished”. Insisting that peace between Pakistan and India could not be achieved without solving the Kashmir dispute, he alleged human rights violations in the Valley. India blames Pakistan for engineering and fuelling the unrest in Kashmir.Talking about Kashmir, Sharif referred to Wani, who was killed in an encounter with the security forces on July 8, as a “young leader” and said he had “emerged as a symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement.” 

Nawazspeak at UNGA: Ready to discuss all issues

• Ready for a serious and sustained dialogue with India for peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, especially J&K
• There should be an independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings (in Jammu and Kashmir) and the guilty should be punished
• Pakistan cannot ignore India’s unprecedented arms build-up and will take whatever measures are necessary to maintain deterrence

There are several sentry posts apart from a gate but the terrorists sneaked in undetected after cutting the fence… They came in army uniforms, their hair was cut short like army officers and none of them was sporting a beard. They did not look like a suicide squad… AN OFFICIAL

NEW DELHI: The four militants who carried out the audacious Uri strike that left 18 soldiers dead wore fatigues, entered the army base by cutting the fence and knew their way around the military complex, sources said.

Initial investigations reveal that the four fidayeen, or suicide attackers, reached the administrative base of the army camp, which is barely six kilometers from the line of control in northern Kashmir, by breaking through the fence.

“There are several sentry posts apart from a gate but the terrorists sneaked in undetected after cutting the fence,’’ an official who visited Uri with the army chief on Sunday told HT.

The four were dressed for the raid. “They came in army uniforms, their hair was cut short like army officers and none of them was sporting a beard. They did not look like a suicide squad…,’’ the official said.

The men, suspected to be members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, seemed to know the camp layout.

Once inside, they moved towards the cook house and an adjoining shelter.

Armed with under-barrel grenade launchers, they fired grenades and rained bullets simultaneously, setting on fire the diesel barrels lying in the complex.

The flames soon engulfed the tents in which soldiers were still asleep. As soldiers trapped in burning tents screamed for help, three militant stayed close to each other, wreaking death. “Three terrorists were killed within 12 minutes of the first bullet being fired,” an army officer said. But, 17 soldiers, too, had died in those 12 minutes.

Quick reaction teams were called in to save the soldiers lodged in the administrative area, where troops don’t carry battle gear.

The fourth militant who broke from the group was killed barely 40 metres away from the officers’ enclave. During the mopping operation, it was found that the four men had shaved their chests – a hallmark of suicide attackers who purify themselves before certain death.

At a meeting in Srinagar, defence minister Manohar Parrikar wanted some answers — how the militants entered India and then sneaked into a highsecurity army camp.

The army investigating the “double breach”, he was told. It is not clear when the group crossed over into India. The undetected fence cut is a serious lapse. “It is a matter of inquiry. We are looking at the lapses and are tightening up security,” Lt Gen Satish Dua, Corps Commander, 15 Corps, said when asked about the breach.

AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH: An alert has been sounded in Punjab’s border districts of Amritsar, Pathankot and Gurdaspur following the terror strike on an army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 17 jawans on Sunday.

HT PHOTOThe Border Security Force is keeping a close eye on any movement from across the fence after the terrorist attack on an army base at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tight vigil is being maintained near key installations, including the Pathankot Air Force base that had come under attack by militants earlier this year and near Indo-Pak border areas, police said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has heightened security along the Indo-Pak border and at Attari checkpost, where thousands of tourists come every day to witness the retreat ceremony.

A BSF official told HT: “Troops have been alerted and vigil along the border has been heightened. More troops are being sent to the sensitive areas along the border in the Amritsar sector.” The vigil along the riverine border belt in the Ajnala sector has also been beefed up.

“An alert has been sounded in border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur in light of the terror attack in Uri,” Pathankot senior superintendent of police Rakesh Kaushal said. Police patrolling has been strengthened near sensitive areas in and around the city and vehicles coming from and going towards Jammu are being thoroughly checked, police said.

“We have also increased the number of police checkpoints in and outer parts of the city,” he said.

Earlier this year, terrorists who had sneaked in from across the border had attacked the Pathankot airbase on the intervening night of January 1-2 while Dinanagar in Gurdaspur was targeted on July 27 last year.

The Pathankot attack had claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed.

Three heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues had stormed a police station in Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district last year killing seven persons, including a superintendent of police, before they were gunned down during a day-long operation.