he Indian Army officer who participated in the 2016 surgical strike inside Pakistan territory said that the troops carried leopard’s urine to scare the dogs during the operations.

n operational strategy, while crossing villages en route, the Indian Army soldiers would spray leopard urine outside the villages. He added that the strategy worked well and the dogs left the teams ‘alone’. The teams thus achieved the much-needed stealth in the risky operation 15 km inside Pakistani territory.View image on Twitter

ANI

 ✔@ANI

 There was a possibility of dogs in villages barking at us on the route. I knew they are scared of leopards. We carried leopard urine with us & that worked & dogs didn’t dare to come forward: Lt General RR Nimbhorkar, Former Nagrota (J&K) Corps Commander on Surgical Strike (11.09)

 Nimbhorkar further added that the Indian Army had studied the pattern of the terrorists operating out of launchpads and zeroed down upon 3:30 am as the appropriate time to carry out the strikes on the terror bases. ‘Three pads’ were destroyed and ’29 terrorists’ were killed in the operation that was lauded by the political leadership.

Something quite fascinating has just happened at Chebarkul, a Russian town located 1,800 kilometres east of Moscow. A not-too-reported event has generated different types of emotions among people in India who are aware of the happenings there. It was a joint training event of the armed forces of the eight full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), organised for the first time after the induction of both India and Pakistan into the grouping’s membership.

It was in Qingdao, China that the Chinese- and Russian-sponsored regional cooperation body, which now includes member countries from both Central and South Asia, saw the political and diplomatic optics being fully played out with the new expanded membership. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were earlier associate members but became full members last year after which the expanded summit took place at Qingdao in June this year, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chebarkul event saw the Indian and Pakistan armies coming together to train along with other member armies, for international security related contingencies, to include counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and disaster management. Before describing what international military cooperation training exercises are all about it may be appropriate to consider why the Chebarkul event was considered awkward by many in India, including a couple of television channels.

After Modi’s serious effort to break the ice with Pakistan through his surprise and unscheduled visit to Lahore on 25 December, 2015, the years 2016 and 2017 saw just the opposite of what India had intended. The Pathankot terror attack was followed by the Uri attack in Sep 2016 and the Nagrota attack in November of the same year. India put on hold an attempted process to find an elusive peace with Pakistan, immediately after Pathankot and subsequent events cemented its resolve that peace talks and sponsored terror could not go on hand-in-hand — an opinion, supported by a very large segment, developed in India as the response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of terror on Indian soil, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rationally, this opinion frowns on attempts by private bodies, peace groups (often called peaceniks), media houses and other advocates of unconditional talks with Pakistan; the argument of the latter elements is that without engagement and talks none of the differences between India and Pakistan can be ever resolved. The first opinion remains fixed on the resolve that no talks are possible unless there is demonstrated intent by Pakistan on a series of demands including the prosecution of those involved with the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008. This point-of-view also promotes the belief that any private initiatives involving people-to-people contact or other means of engagement only demonstrate Indian weakness to pressurise Pakistan since the latter continuously attempts to legitimise the proxy war it has chosen to wage against India since 1989.

Now this is where the perceptional paradox arises with context to the event at Chebarkul.

On one hand, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan and the spontaneous hug with the Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, during the inauguration of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been hugely criticised by some who advocate a no-engagement policy. A significant section of the media took Sidhu to the cleaners. Just when the idea was getting well embedded that India would not compromise on the strong messaging it intended to continue sending to Pakistan and the international community about no possibility of talks or engagement of any kind, there are suddenly many images of the Indian and Pakistan armies coming together at Chebarkul.

A recording of a friendly volleyball game between the two contingents has been made available for viewing on social media.

While the Indian Army unit won all three games in that match, the atmosphere shows friendly cheering and most interestingly many Pakistan Army officers coming over to the Indian team and warmly complimenting its members. There has been feeble protest against the Indian Army’s involvement in joint training with the Pakistan Army and the government has expressed nothing to say that such events won’t take place again.

At this juncture it’s good to revert to the Chebarkul event and guess what else would have happened there. Among many other activities, a simple tactical setting would have been projected and battle procedures and drills would have been discussed in order to work out how to respond to these situations while identifying what aspects of interoperability were necessary to refine them. The Indian and Pakistani contingents would be much at home with each other with commonality of language, terminologies and even formats for orders and briefings. Visits to each other’s camps and social events involving international cooking would surely have been scheduled.

It may be worthwhile to recall that Indian and Pakistani peacekeeping contingents have often served together on a single UN mission: Somalia, Congo and Sudan were three of these where officers from the two armies have exercised operational command or some control over each other’s contingents. All this without a blemish. In fact, the relief of the Pakistani armour squadron from airport security duties by a half squadron of just-arrived Indian tanks in Somalia in October 1993, saved the day for the US Embassy in Mogadishu. Pakistani tanks could then immediately move to secure the embassy that was under serious threat.

There are professional international responsibilities of the Indian Army that call for social inter-mixing, joint training and operations with the Pakistan Army. It is not known to many that Indian officers attend training courses abroad alongside Pakistani officers and have the best of relationships extending to their families. They work together as part of UN Military Observer teams, on staffs of missions and at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in the UN headquarters New York. India’s officers and soldiers know exactly how to conduct themselves with military efficiency and correctness; the dignity of the Indian Army being the issue highest in their priority.

The SCO event at Chebarkul is nothing unusual. In a resetting world there will be many such events and India will appear churlish if it is to refuse attendance by its army representatives in order to score political brownie points that may not translate to the diplomatic sphere.

It’s best for the nation to continue abiding by the policy the government is following: To separate the political aspects of the relationship with Pakistan from other multilateral interests and commitments. Even the media would be well-advised to look beyond the horizon and see the larger gains from international military engagements that could only incidentally involve the Pakistan Army too. Perhaps the much in-demand strategy within India, of engaging with the actual rulers of Pakistan’s destiny (its army), could well have had its beginning there, at Chebarkul in the bleak Russian landscape. The town is known more for one of the largest meteorite strikes in recent history. One just wonders whether that was a good omen.

The author is a retired lieutenant-general and former general officer commanding 15 and 21 Corps

Jaipur, August 30

A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the alleged custodial death of a 60-year-old former serviceman in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district last week, an official said on Thursday.

Naik (retd) Prahlad Singh was detained at Kumher police station for allegedly creating nuisance in a drunken state. Singh apparently hanged himself from one of the bars using a blanket provided in cells, District Inspector General Malini Agarwal had said.

However, the Army’s administrative commandant in Bharatpur had written to the district collector on Monday, alleging that Singh died due to severe beating and third-degree torture.

Denying that the judicial enquiry was ordered after Army intervention, District Collector Sandesh Nayak told PTI such inquiry was a protocol and the same was followed immediately after Singh’s death.

Army sources said today that they had received the copy of the Monday’s order from the district administration.

Refusing to comment on the issue, Station House Officer Brijesh Meena said he was posted at the Kumher police station a day after the incident and would not like to comment as a judicial inquiry was pending.

Singh’s family members had also lodged a complaint with the police, stating that it was not a case of suicide. — PTI

IN an interview with The Tribune’s Smita Sharma, Pakistan former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri recalls Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s impact on ties. Excerpts:Your view on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s contribution to India-Pakistan ties?I knew Vajpayee not just as Foreign Minister, but also as Member of Parliament. When he visited Lahore on his bus yatra, I was present at the government house where he made a very moving speech. He came across as a man of peace. He made an interesting remark which left a positive impact on those of us present. When I was Foreign Minister, SAARC, as usual, was hostage to India-Pak relations. The summit was held in January 2004 and we were not sure if any substantive talks between the two countries would take place. We thought there would only be a courtesy call. It was decided that Vajpayee and Musharraf should meet and modalities were settled one day earlier by two Foreign Ministers Yashwant Sinha and me. Next day, the meeting took place at the President’s House. We were very happy that President Musharraf and PM Vajpayee arrived at a solution in the January 6 joint declaration. That set into motion possibly the most successful peace process since 1947 although it did not substantially materialise during Vajpayee’s time. What do you see as the India-Pak future given non-state actors to wheels within wheels remain?War is not possible. We have been near nine war situations. The two countries realise that whether it is nuclear, conventional or sub-conventional level, they have reached almost parity. Not an inch of territory can pass from one to another… everything has been tried. When you talk about non-state actors, Pakistan complains about Indian activities in Balochistan that was mentioned in Sharmal Sheikh declaration. PM Manmohan Singh faced flak for it in India. This was akin to what Nawaz Sharif faced because of lack of Kashmir in the Ufa declaration. You cannot duck anymore… we have to face facts about what India alleges and you cannot just live with the situation in Kashmir.Can PMs Imran Khan and Narendra Modi make a difference? Is the Pakistan army on board?The beginnings have not been bad. Imran Khan has a good reputation as a popular figure in India also. The fact that PM Modi rang him was well received in Pakistan. The cricket bat sent through the High Commissioner sends a message. It will be unfortunate if we have to wait till 2019 Indian elections to find solutions. Solution on Kashmir framework would be impossible without Pakistan army and ISI supporting it. Pakistan military is not averse to peace but wants a just, negotiated settlement on honourable terms.Will SAARC summit be revived?I believe strongly in regional cooperation. Now we are ready to meet each other in SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) but not in SAARC which is our home ground. We don’t want to kill SAARC which has a lot of hidden advantages.

War is not possible. We have been near nine war situations. The two countries realise that whether it is nuclear, conventional or sub-conventional level, they have reached almost parity. Not an inch of territory can pass from one to another.Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Pakistan Former foreign minister

300 Army personnel move SC against prosecution – Today’s Paper – The Hindu

300 Army personnel move SC against prosecution – Today’s Paper – The Hindu

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 7

Four soldiers, including a gallantry award winning Major, were killed in a fierce encounter with infiltrators close to the Line of Control in Gurez sector of north Kashmir’s Bandipore district on Tuesday. Two unidentified militants were also killed.This is the first major infiltration bid and encounter along the LoC in Kashmir after the conclusion of parliamentary elections in Pakistan and comes just days ahead of Imran Khan being sworn in as Prime Minister.While the massive counter-infiltration operation is still under way at Bakhtoor, Gurez, 170 km from Srinagar, the Army suspects more militants may be hiding in the area. It has pressed into service a team of specialised forces to search for militants in the dense forest area. The Lashkar-e-Toiba claimed its men were involved.The slain soldiers were identified as Major Kaustubh Prakash Kumar Rane, 29, of Thane, Maharashtra; Grenadier Vikramjeet Singh, 25, of Ambala, Haryana; Rifleman Mandeep Singh Rawat, 26, of Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, and Rifleman Hameer Singh, 28, of Dunda, Uttarakhand.Major Rane, who was attached with 36 RR, was recently promoted and awarded the Sena Medal in May 2017 for his role in the same sector.Vikramjeet Singh, a resident of Ambala’s Tepla village, had tied the knot a few months ago. The gunfight began around 1 am when an Army patrol noticed the movement of at least eight heavily-armed militants and challenged them near Army’s Panth post at Bakhtoor.“They fired at the soldiers and in the intense gunfight, a Major and three soldiers of 36 RR were killed,” a source said, adding that two militants were also shot dead in the gunfight.Sources said at least four militants managed to return to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. “However, we suspect two militants are still hiding in the area and the operation is under way,” the source said.Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said the infiltration bid was foiled in Gurez by the Army. Gurez is among the toughest routes to sneak into the Valley along the 350-km-long LoC in the region. In the past, militants have waded through the Kishanganga river to infiltrate into Gurez.In May, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330-MW Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project in Gurez. Pakistan had objected to the project.

133 crossover bids

• 133 infiltration bids up to June this year, 69 successful
• Six militants killed in Gurez sector in three different operations last year
• Three militants killed in lastoperation in Gurez on July 27