Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 15

Keeping in view the difficulties being faced in building physical infrastructure in Naxal-affected areas and insurgency-hit North-Eastern states, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is considering raising an engineering unit in the CRPF on the lines of the Army.To check incidents like the killing of 25 CRPF personnel deployed to protect road construction workers in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh in April, “we have proposed to raise an engineering unit within the force, which is engaged in anti-Left Wing Extremists and anti-insurgency operations”, a senior official said.“Naxal and insurgency-hit areas have long turned into a perpetual war zones. Heavy deployment of forces is a testimony to this. Lack of infrastructure in such areas does not only breed violent struggle, it also makes things difficult for the security forces and the civil administration,” he said. Fund worth crores have been sanctioned to improve infrastructure, but “so far we have failed to get the desired results”.

ITBP’s power vehicles

• For the first time in its over 50-year history, the ITBP is raising and deploying a mechanised column of power vehicles and machines to speedily mobilise troops along the Sino-India border in case of Chinese military transgressions
• An official said the column of the force will comprise over 250 SUVs, all-terrain vehicles, snow scooters and excavators PTI

Photo for representational purpose only.

New Delhi, October 13

Close on the heels of the Dokalam standoff, organisational changes are likely in some of the key Army formations — besides steps to boost infrastructure — along the nearly 4,000-km-long Sino-India border.

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The decisions were taken at the Army commanders’ conference, which extensively deliberated over the Dokalam stand off with China, and analysed possible security challenges on the northern border, official sources said.

In his address at the week-long conference that began here on Monday, Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat asked the commanders to be prepared for all eventualities at “all times”, while Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised the need to guard against “inimical forces”.

Director General Staff Duties Lt. Gen. Vijay Singh, briefing on the outcome of the conclave that was also attended by top defence ministry officials, said it was decided that there would be considerable “heft” towards road construction activities in the northern sector.

He said the issue of organisational changes of some of the formations for capability enhancement was examined, adding it was decided to grant additional funds to Border Roads Organisation, a defence ministry entity, for development of roads and other infrastructure.

Official sources said capacity enhancement along the Sino-India border was an area of focus, and the conclave decided to boost infrastructure along the entire stretch with China including around areas of dispute.

In her address, Sitharaman lauded the Army for its swift and effective response in dealing with “external and internal threats”, seen as a reference to the Army stopping the construction of a road in Dokalam by China and its anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

The conclave discussed issues relating to military operations and evolving security dynamics in the region on Friday.

While talking about security challenges, the Army Chief highlighted the need for prioritising to procurement of arms and ammunitions, in an apparent indication of unhappiness over delay in buying critical weapons for the force.

“Our approach to procurement process needs to be balanced with focus at the right places,” Gen Rawat was quoted as saying by Singh.

On her part, Sitharaman said focus would be to ensure capability enhancement and capacity building of the Army in a time-bound manner. She also emphasised the need for jointness and integration of all the services in effectively dealing with emerging challenges.

While Gen Rawat asserted that there would be no compromise with respect to issues relating to welfare of the armymen, Sitharaman said keeping up the morale of the armed forces personnel would remain priority.

On boosting infrastructure along the borders, Singh said: “Four passes to Niti, Lipulekh, Thangla 1 and Tsangchokla have been decided to be connected by 2020 on priority”. All these passes are along the Sino-India border in central sector.

He said a roadmap for intra sector connectivity within central sector and inter-sector connectivity with neigbhouring areas have been discussed.

The commanders also deliberated on the cadre review of Junior Commissioned Officers and other ranks (OR), which now stands approved, and implementation of the Shekatkar committee recommendation on carrying out reforms in the force.

The issue of employment of women officers in areas of specialisation that require continuity also figured.

Singh said implementation of cadre review of JCOs and 0R resulting in 1.45.5137 additional promotional vacancies will be given the highest priority.

In the next two days, the commanders will discuss a number of issues relating human resources, which include promotion of eligible officers to the rank of Lieutenant General.

He said the Army has decided to modernise all military stations on par with the government’s smart city project and initially, 58 stations have been identified for the project. The army has over 2,000 military stations across the country.

During interactions with top officials of the defence ministry, the commanders discussed issues like expediting acquisition projects, providing liberalised family pension to those other than battle causalities and matters relating to defence land, said Singh.

Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra stressed on the need for a time bound action plan to resolve the issues.

He said the conference decided to seek necessary sanction from the government to allow the Army to carry out procurement under the existing system till March 31, 2018, when the Government eMarket system is likely to stabilise. PTI

MEET HALFWAY: The road ahead is through cooperation rather than compromise.

IS China an adversary or an enemy like Pakistan? This is a pertinent question. It has been raised by a distinguished former Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao. Writing in the context of the Doklam crisis, she has argued in the news portal The Wire that India should treat China as an adversary — with whom a compromise can be achieved through pragmatic diplomacy — rather than an enemy which should be destroyed.On the face of it, her argument appears impeccable. However, from the military viewpoint, India has itself to blame for making China an enemy from an adversary, when it signed the 1993 Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement (BPTA). Under the BPTA, India, on Chinese suggestion, agreed to formally address the disputed border as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The argument was that by calling the border LAC — which by definition is a military line — both sides could resolve the issue in an incremental fashion, sector by sector, instead of as a single political deal for the whole border, which was not making any headway. The Chinese explained that each sector, once mutually agreed upon, could be secured under ‘equal and mutual security’ clause; once done, troops from that sector could be withdrawn. Rao takes credit for inserting this clause with her Chinese counterpart, adopting it from the model of the Sino-Soviet treaty.This argument made political sense to the then Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao, who favoured the Nehruvian thinking that only small changes could be made to the de-facto border handed over by British-India. Any major adjustments or swapping of territory for border resolution were not acceptable.What was not understood by the Prime Minister and his diplomatic advisers was this: a military line, by definition, has to be held by military force since it can be altered tactically by the side with better border management backed by superior war-waging capabilities. If this logic is understood, it becomes clear why Chinese border transgressions started only after 1993 (except the 1986 Somdorong Chu crisis) and increased rapidly commensurate with its improved border management (roads and airlift ability) and war-waging capabilities relative to India.While good border management is meant for exercising military coercion, better war-waging capabilities ensure that it is successful. If this is not so, the country doing military coercion has a heavy penalty to pay.For example, India attempted military coercion against Pakistan with the 2001-2002 Operation Parakram, when the two armies stood face-to-face ready for war for 10 months. India, however, blinked first; its military coercion failed because its war-waging capabilities were assessed as not being credible by Pakistan. Consequently, Pakistan’s proxy war increased, starting 2003, when foreign mercenaries found their way into the Kashmir valley.Coming back to China and the Doklam crisis, given its better infrastructure and war-waging capabilities, China has adopted an offensive border management posture. India, on the other hand, has a defensive border management posture where it can, at best, defend itself over a limited time and space (territory). I had argued in my 2001 book, The Defence Makeover: Ten Myths That Shape India, that China with its fast improving border management is an immediate military threat facing India, and not a long-term challenge as was believed by most until recently.Worse, the recent Doklam crisis, which Indian analysts read as a victory, has already imposed a big price on the Indian Army. Unlike Chinese forces, the Indian Army has been compelled to strengthen its border management locally by moving a large number of troops forward to hold vulnerable areas (and they are aplenty) along the 3,488-km military line. These troops, acclimatised for altitudes above 10,000 ft to 18,000 ft, will now stay there round the year. Given the poor infrastructure and inclement weather at high altitudes, providing snow and wind-proof tents, clothing, food, oil (to keep troops warm), ammunition (without proper storage), and casualty evacuation will now be a big burden on the already-scarce resources of the Indian Army Aviation and the Air Force. And what about the morale of troops who would find no enemy but empty spaces opposite them? Moreover, no one knows how long the Army will be required to hold this re-enforced defensive posture. Given all this, was it sensible for India to have flexed its muscles in Doklam and score a pyrrhic victory when there was an opportunity for negotiations with China?Then, there is that simply unfortunate clause — the ‘equal and mutual security’ in the 1993 treaty. Until 2005, China was assessed capable of inducting 30 divisions (each with 10,000 troops) into Tibet over three to four months. Today, it can do it in 72 hours. Since India cannot match this, how will the concept of ‘equal and mutual security’ hold? Moreover, the 1996 bilateral agreement lays down the numbers of heavy equipment (artillery, tanks, missiles) and troops that each side can bring close to the LAC under the ‘equal and mutual security’ clause. This has injected legal restrictions on India.Against this backdrop, it is difficult to visualise China as an adversary which regularly nibbles at India’s territory. Instead of give-and-take (this is what compromise is about), China claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh and has disowned border with India in Ladakh. While China, with its military shenanigans is an enemy, the question is: can India retrieve the situation?The way forward is through cooperation rather than compromise with Beijing. China, which is embarked on an ambitious geopolitical endeavour through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), appears amenable to mutually exploring options to assuage India’s sovereignty concerns about it. There is a possibility of the two sides developing mutual trust by synchronising BRI and India’s ‘Act East’ policy.The writer is the Editor, Force news magazine

Lt Gen GS Dhillon, Chief of Staff, Western Command, felicitates a student from Nagaland at Chandimandir on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, October 10

As part of a national integration tour, a group of 20 students and two teachers from Peren district of Nagaland visited Chandigarh and the Chandimandir Military Station today. The contingent was flagged off from Jalukie in the far east on October 5.The aim of the tour is to provide students from Nagaland exposure to the varied cultures and development in other parts of the country as well as an opportunity to interact with dignitaries and the local populace.At Chandimandir, they were provided an insight into the activities of the Army. Lt Gen GS Dhillon, Chief of Staff, Western Command, interacted and felicitated the students and they shared their experience with Army officers here. In Chandigarh, they visited places of tourist interest. — TNS

Col Manveer Bains

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10

Initially accused of murder in an incident of road rage, Col Manveer Bains has not been charged with murder in the chargesheet filed by the police. It includes Section 304 (II) of the IPC, which is culpable homicide not amounting to murder.Praveen Yadav, a Sector 37 resident, had died on the spot after a spat with Colonel Bains last month. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for October 13.The nearly 500-page chargesheet was filed in the court by the police today. It includes a list of 27 witnesses. The FIR registered by the police included Section 302 of the IPC (murder) after kin of the deceased claimed that he was “beaten to death” by the Colonel in a fit of rage. However, the medical report from the GMCH, Sector 32, said Yadav’s death had occurred due to a heart attack and there were no injury marks on his body.Revision petition for B class facilities in jail rejectedColonel Bains has been denied bail by the court and has been in custody for over five weeks. He had submitted an application for better facilities in jail, which was rejected by the court. He later submitted a revision petition against the order, which was also rejected by the court today.The Colonel was denied bail by the court and the order had observed that Colonel Bains had committed a serious offence. It also said that “he (Bains) knew of the consequences of his actions” as Colonel Bains slapped Yadav, who was brought dead, thus indicating that he died on the spot.The 48-year-old Mohali resident was held on September 2 and booked for murder.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif. File photo

Washington, October 5

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif today warned India against carrying out surgical strike or targeting its nuclear installations, saying if that happens nobody should expect restraint from his country.Referring to the statement of India’s Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa that the Indian armed forces are ready for a full spectrum operation, Asif said Pakistan wants to live in peace and harmony with its neighbours.But if India carries out any surgical strike in Pakistan or strikes at its nuclear installations “nobody should expect restraint from us”, he warned.Speaking at the US Institute of Peace, a Washington-based think-tank, Asif said the “relationship with India is at a lowest ebb at the moment”.Responding to a question on India, he said, “sadly India did not respond” to Pakistani efforts to improve relationship.”What is going on in Kashmir is the biggest roadblock to normalisation to talks,” Asif said.The Pakistani Foreign Minister asked the US not to treat his country as a “whipping boy” and said Washington has already lost the war in Afghanistan and is only trying to salvage the situation in the war-torn nation.Asif, who is here as part of efforts to rebuild bilateral ties frayed after President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of sheltering terror groups, said his meetings with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor H R McMaster were good. “Was not bad,” Asif quipped, giving a sense of his talks with top leadership of the Trump administration, which has been seeking accountability from Islamabad in the war against terrorism including continued presence of terror safe havens in Pakistan.Asif in a way acknowledged that the madrasas were training ground for terrorists.”These madrasas were nurseries for American jihad in Afghanistan. People who took those decisions will burn to hell. We are actually living in hell because of that decision,” he said, adding that Pakistan is paying the price of such a decision.”The meeting went well with Tillerson and McMaster (meeting) was good. (It) was not bad,” Asif said, noting that the two countries need to pursue contacts with each other.He favoured adopting an approach of talks and exchange of views more vigorously.The US, he said, is focusing solely on safe haven allegations or blaming Pakistan for what they have not achieved in Afghanistan.”There are many more dimension of what is going on in Afghanistan,” he said.”A corrupt government in Kabul, increasing narcotics trade, the Afghan Army selling arms to the Taliban, losing terrorist and bringing Daesh (ISIS) to Afghanistan,” he said.”Let’s see this conflict in its entirety, in totality. Do not treat Pakistan like a whipping boy. That’s not acceptable.We want to cooperate with the US. We are the direct beneficiary of peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said.Standing by his remarks on some of the terrorist groups and terrorist leaders at the Asia Society in New York last week, Asif said they are a liability.”We will find ways and means to wrapping up this business. This is a liability. (but) this cannot be wrapped up overnight,” he said.Responding to a question, Asif said there are problems in US-Pakistan ties.”We do have problems with the US. We have deficit of trust. We are trying to mend those deficits,” he said.Pakistan, he said, sees more role for Russia and China in the region.Relationship with Russia has improved in recent years.”We need and have proposed any peace solution in Afghanistan should be backed by regional powers which includes the Russian federation,” he said in response to a question.”Madrassas, whether we accept or agree with them or not, are the biggest NGO in Pakistan…There are over 20,000 madrasas. Out of these huge number, a very low number of them are infected. Possibly they number around 300-400. The government is managing these madrasas,” he said. — PTI