The Armed Forces chiefs leave after the meeting. ANI

New Delhi, September 24Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met the Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs of Staff to discuss the prevailing security condition.Apart from Chief of Army Staff General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshall Arup Raha, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was also present for the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here.

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Besides discussing the prevailing security situation, discussion was also held on India’s response to the Uri attack, for which New Delhi has held Islamabad responsible.Later in the day, the Prime Minister will fly to Kerala, where he will address party office-bearers in Kozhikode and is expected to break his silence on the government’s response to the terror attack on the Army base.Immediately after the Uri attack, the Prime Minister had vowed in a strongly worded tweet that he would not let the perpetrators go “unpunished”.Earlier, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had asserted that the Prime Minister’s promise to punish those behind the Uri terror attack would not remain just words.Last Sunday, a militant attack on an army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, had claimed the lives of 18 soldiers.The armed militants lobbed grenades into their tents and barracks, while the soldiers were sleeping. The ensuing fire led to a large number of casualties. Twenty-eight injured soldiers are being treated at a military hospital. ANI

Chandigarh: A Jaguar fighter aircraft caught fire during takeoff roll at the Ambala Air Force Station late Tuesday evening. The pilot, a Squadron Leader,  was able to exit the aircraft while it was still on the ground.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)While the Air Force has ordered a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the incident, it is suspected that a technical snag may have led to the fire. “It could be an electrical short-circuit or ingestion of a foreign body into the engine,” an IAF officer said. Sources said the aircraft belonged to No.14 Squadron. TNS

Major General DN Singh, Chief of Staff, Chetak Corps, interacts with participants before flagging off the expedition in Bathinda on Saturday. Tribune photo: Pawan sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 8

Major General DN Singh, Chief of Staff, Chetak Corps, flagged off a bicycle expedition-cum-camel safari of ‘Team AREN’, the Chetak Signallers, here today.This expedition comprising one officer, two junior commissioned officers and 12 jawans will cover 712 km, traversing through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, and culminating in Bathinda on October 22.Steering through the sand dunes of the desert, the team will also reach out to the veterans, to know their problems, to brief them about latest schemes.They will also meet school and college students to spread the message of national integrity and educate the youth about opportunities available for joining the Indian Army.The team will also spread awareness various initiatives of the Government of India viz Digital India, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.An Army official claimed that the bicycle expedition with camel safari would provide an opportunity to the team members to exploit the arid desert, interact with the local population and reach out to the youth.It is an initiative of Sapta Shakti Command at Jaipur to reach out to veterans of the Indian Army.A number of similar rallies are being organised to spread awareness.

Sulekha Giri, wife of deceased Col Anil Giri (inset) grieves beside his coffin at Hamirpur. Tribune photo

Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, September 6

Col Anil Kumar Giri, who reportedly died of cardiac arrest during an Army operation in the Bhaderwah mountain ranges of Jammu and Kashmir was cremated with full state honours at Swahal, his native village today.From the Army Signals Corps, Giri was posted at the Corps Battle School (CBS). On Sunday, he complained chest pain. He could not be airlifted immediately as the helicopter reached late due to bad weather.At the wreath-laying ceremony, all officers paid tributes to him.He was decorated with the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). A tough and fearless soldier, he had many successful operations to his credit.He is survived by wife Sulekha and two sons Tushar (21) and Pranav (16).

Leaders offer condolences

Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, MP Anurag Thakur, Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Vice-Chairman Kuldeep Singh Pathania, KCCB Director Anil Verma, former CPS Anita Verma, Former Industries Minister Ranjit Singh Verma and many others offered condolences to the bereaved family.Dhumal said it was a huge loss for the country. He said the district was proud to have such brave men.

Terror worst human rights violation,’ India replies to Sharif diatribe

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: India has called Pakistan a “terrorist state” that hosts “the Ivy League of terrorism” while responding to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s speech at the UN general assembly that raked up the Kashmir issue and sought a fact-finding mission into alleged brutalities.

The response marked the latest round in a war of words that has escalated after Sunday’s terror attack on an army camp in Uri that killed 18 soldiers. India also said the onus is now on Pakistan to act against terrorist groups engaging in cross-border attacks while threatening to withdraw or downgrade the most-favoured nation status granted in 1996.

During his nearly 20-minute speech on Wednesday, Sharif described the unrest in Kashmir as an “indigenous uprising” and an “intifada” (uprising) and accused India of “brutal suppression” and “gross and systematic violations of human rights”. He also referred to militant commander Burhan Wani, whose killing sparked the unrest, as a “young leader murdered by Indian forces”.

India hit back in a right-ofreply statement, delivered by Eenam Gambhir, first secretary in India’s permanent mission to the UN, who started by saying: “The worst violation of human rights is terrorism. When practiced as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime.

“What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan’s long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region.”

Recalling the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, she said, “The land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centres of ancient times, is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism.” She added Pakistan is a “terrorist state” that channels billions of dollars to training and backing terror groups used as “militant proxies against it neighbours”.

Minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar referred to Sharif ’s description of Wani and told reporters, “We heard the glorification of a terrorist. Wani is a declared commander of Hizbul (Mujahideen), widely acknowledged as a terror group. It is shocking that a leader of a nation can glorify a self-advertised terrorist at such a forum. This is self-incrimination by the Pakistan PM.”

Pakistan has been linked to some of the worst terrorists attacks, and attempts, in the US in recent years — the Times Square bombing attempt in 2010, the San Bernardino shootings in 2015, in which 14 people died, and one over the past weekend. Ahmad Khan Rahami, the New York-New Jersey bombings suspect, spent a lot of time in Pakistan, where he married a local woman.

Jalandhar, September 12

While applauding the three service chiefs for declining the recommendations of the 7th pay commission, the Ex- Servicemen Movement (Jantar Mantra), Punjab, today said the entire community of the ex-servicemen has supported their claim to be at par with their civilian counterparts.“The government is playing with the security of nation by demoralising the Army and its serving soldiers. The government should rectify its mistakes soon,” said Lt Col babir Singh,  Punjab. —TNS

There has been no explanation from the White House so far.

Washington, October 5

More than 50,000 new signatures have been added to the final count of the White House petition seeking to designate Pakistan “a state sponsor of terrorism”, making it the most popular US petition so far.

The petition, “We the people ask the administration to declare Pakistan, State Sponsor of Terrorism (HR 6069)”, was archived by the White House on Monday with 613,830 signatures.

By Tuesday afternoon, the number of signatures on the petition had increased to 6,65,769, a jump of 51,939 signs.

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This is believed to be the most popular White House petition so far as the highest number of signatures received by any White House petition so far had not crossed 3,50,000.

There has been no explanation from the White House so far.

However, it is possible that these signatures, which were signed before the petition was closed by the White House, were added to the final tally after being duly verified.

In that case, the chances of a fraud being committed appear unlikely.

Another possibility could be that the petition was flooded with signatures. And since the petition had already reached the mandatory threshold of 1,00,000 to earn a response from the Obama administration, a decision could have been taken to archive it stop accepting any new signature.

The White House is expected to have an official response to the petition within stipulated 60 days.

Meanwhile, the White House is still looking for signatures that did not meet the criteria for the petition which was created on September 21 by someone who identified himself with initials R G, after Congress man Ted Poe and Dana Rohrabacher introduced a Bill in the US House of Representative, seeking to designate Pakistan as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”.

It met the threshold of 1,00,000 signatures in less than a week. With various groups both inside and outside the US actively campaigning on the social media for people to support the petition, the signature count increased at a fast pace, sometimes more than 1,00,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.

In the process, it became the first-ever petition to cross half-a-million mark. A day after it was closed for signature, the final count as of now stands at 6,65,769 signatures.

While there is no official ranking of popular petitions, the one seeking “charges against the 47 US Senators in violation of the Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement” in April 2015 appears to be the second most popular petition with 3,20,000 signatures.

According to a website – WHpetitions.info – that keeps track of unanswered petitions, so far 323 White House petitions have met their signature thresholds.

The White House has responded to 318 of them (98 per cent) with an average response time of 117 days. Average waiting time so far for five unanswered petitions is 36 days. This does not include the latest petition.

Baloch-Americans have also launched their own petition on “Free Balochistan from Pakistan’s illegal occupation”. — PTI

Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba

New Delhi, August 29

Leak of information related to Scorpene submarine is being viewed “very seriously”, but it is “not a matter of much worry”, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Monday in his first comment after over 22,000 pages of data detailing the vessel’s capabilities became public.

“Any leak of information is viewed very seriously. We have viewed the leak of Scorpene data very seriously, and we have asked (French firm) DCNS to launch an urgent investigation into this,” the Navy Chief said here.

He noted that the Defence Ministry has set up a high-level committee to investigate the matter.

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“Based on the report of the committee, we will see what mitigation measures need to be taken,” he said.

Asked how serious a concern the leak was, the Navy Chief said, “This is not a matter of much worry. The committee is analysing and they will see what data has been compromised and what mitigation steps have to be taken.”

The high-level committee is expected to submit a detailed report to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar by September 20.

Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with French company DCNS have been leaked. — PTI

STRATEGIC EDGE: India must formulate a concrete counter-terrorism policy.

AS someone who has tried to secure Jammu and Kashmir while serving in India’s internal security apparatus and handled the affairs of the State from Delhi for almost a decade, I was shocked and pained to learn from the electronic media that a fidayeen attack on our Army post in Uri before the crack of dawn had killed 18 of our jawans. More shocking because the incident has come so soon after a similar attack on a sensitive Air Force base in Pathankot, and after a pinpointed intelligence input that a group of seven armed terrorists had infiltrated from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and were hiding to launch an attack on a military base in Uri. Reactions to the attack on our Army post aired in the electronic media were to say the least, disappointing. Political leaders in one voice were blaming Pakistan, dubbing it a “terrorist state”, an act of “cowardice”, etc. and assuring us that “the culprits shall not be allowed to go unpunished”. Leaders of a few opposition parties began fishing in troubled waters and blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the attack! Not very convincing.That Pakistan’s ISI will stop arming, training and infiltrating jihadi terrorists into our country is wishful thinking. That is not happening. The Pakistan army, which wields real power in its country, has a vested interest in keeping Kashmir on the boil. If peace returns to Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan army runs the risk of being ordered back to the barracks and lose all the perks it is enjoying at present. So let us be realistic in our objectives, and find solutions to our security needs ourselves.Speculations are rife today in the print and electronic media about retaliatory action to send out a clear message to Pakistan that enough is enough. We will not take this anymore. It brings along a feeling of déjà vu — similar meetings at the highest levels in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office were held after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, and no workable retaliatory action against Pakistan could be arrived at then, or is likely to emerge now.I have another question for our political leadership, when are we going to stop blaming our neighbour and exercise our right to defend our sovereignty with all our might? I am not suggesting a military attack against Pakistan. Knowing that the nuclear button across the border is in the hands of Pakistan army generals with fanatical and insane Islamic fanatics breathing down their necks, and not the democratically elected leaders — as is in India — could well cause a major catastrophe. But why not bleed them, the way that they are bleeding us? There are masters of the game — past and present — in our security establishment who know what needs to be done in this situation and how. Let the political leadership at the highest level give them the go-ahead without making public announcements. There is no time to lose. The time to act on this strategy has come. It is now.Another worrisome issue thrown up by the Uri attack is lack of adequate fortification of a sensitive defence post. A combination of high-technology barriers manned by a trained and alert manpower should have prevented the two-point intrusions by a heavily armed terrorist group at the border; and inside the Army camp for sure. The Uri Army base is a very commanding high-ground strategic location, with a bird’s-eye view of the contiguous Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This strategic advantage to us came via the Simla Agreement after the India-Pakistan war of 1965. It was my favourite border post to visit while serving in the Kashmir Valley way back, because of the scenic drive in a Jonga along the winding hill road with the Jhelum flowing on one side and a wooden piped canal on the other — an engineering marvel built long ago in the times of Maharaja Hari Singh. My visits to Uri after meetings with the Army and other agencies’ representatives and our own Post I/C were always very satisfying. Appealing to the international community to declare Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, as we are doing now, is also not going to help, as each country is riddled by its own set of problems, and may not have the time to take into account our problem. We can, at best, expect condemnations and moral support from the comity of nations, but little beyond that. Let us face the fact that we are one of the most highly threatened countries in terms of jihadi terrorism, and perhaps the least prepped or willing to learn from past attacks. It is time to change that truth.— The writer is a former Secretary (Internal Security), MHA

The dropped fuel tank

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 29
A minor fire broke out on the runway of the Indian Naval Station, Dega, Visakhapatnam, on Monday when a fuel drop tank of a MIG-29K fighter jet got jettisoned accidentally.
The MIG was taking off on a routine training sortie.The ground support staff quickly doused the fire. No one was injured and no major damage was suffered by the aircraft or the runway.

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The incident is being investigated.After a fuel tank got detached while taking off on the runway, the pilot was told to jettison the second fuel tank at sea. Due to malfunctioning of the system, this did not happen and when the aircraft was coming back for landing, the second fuel tank jettisoned on its own. It fell in the parking lot of the local CISF base.