An injured being taken to a hospital on Sunday. PTI

New Delhi, April 10

The Indian armed forces today pitched in with helicopters, aircraft, ships and medical teams to ensure quick treatment of those injured in the devastating fire which broke out in a temple in Kerala.Following a request from the state government, Indian Air Force sent six helicopters, two AN32 transport aircraft and two business jets to Kerala, a spokesperson said.While Army medical personnel were rushed to Kollam from Trivandrum, the military hospital in the latter city also swung into action, army sources said.The Navy has dispatched six aircraft — two Dornier fixed-wing aircraft, two ALH helicopters and two Chetak helicopters — to the site of the tragedy, a navy spokesperson said.Two ALH with a nine-member medical team as well as three doctors, paramedics, supplies and equipment were rushed at 1130hrs to Kollam.While the helicopters landed at the Ashramam Ground, Kollam, at 1200hrs, one Dornier aircraft from Kochi has been positioned at Trivandrum since noon. The rest of aircraft are on standby at Kochi.The INS Sunayna, Kabra and Kalpeni set sail immediately from Kochi with 200kg of medical supplies and a medical team to provide succour at the site of the tragedy. — PTI

Author-activist Naela Quadri Baloch. — ANI

New Delhi, April 9

India, despite its strategic interests, has not been forthcoming in support to the Balochistan freedom movement, says a prominent author-activist from the restive western Pakistani province, rebutting Islamabad’s allegations that New Delhi was instigating separatist trouble there.

Naela Quadri Baloch, 50, also refuted Pakistan’s fresh claims that it had arrested from Balochistan an alleged Indian spy, Kulbushan Jadhav.

“These are all lies. Had India helped us, we could have made a breakthrough and gained our independence. Where are the Indians? We don’t see them. They don’t come to us,” Quadri told IANS in an interview on the margins of a talk on Balochistan hosted by Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF) here.

Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested last month. Pakistani envoy in India Abdul Basit claimed that Jadhav’s alleged confession recorded in a video “irrefutably corroborates what Pakistan has been saying all along” that India was stirring unrest and destablising his country.

Quadri categorically denied India’s involvement. She said Balochis, in fact, want India to get involved and support their fight against the “brutal and barbaric” Pakistani rule in Balochistan.

“India has to take a stand, not only against gross human rights violations in the neighbourhood but also because its strategic interests are involved,” said Quadri, the leader of the Balochistan Independence Movement.

Balochistan is a vast territory, the size of France, rich in gas, gold and copper reserves. It is also home to massive untapped sources of oil and uranium. Angry over Pakistan’s exploitation of the resources and alleged repressive rule, Balochis have so far launched five armed insurgencies since the territory was annexed by Islamabad in 1948.

There are about seven armed groups currently fighting the Pakistan Army in the region that gets little attention in the country’s mainstream media.

Quadri said Pakistan was only interested in Balochistan’s resources, and added that Islamabad has involved China and gifted it a share of the resources only to contain India.

She said China’s development of the Gwadar port, in the Arabian Sea bordering Balochistan, should be a cause of worry for India. China has also signed an agreement with Pakistan that grants rights to more than 2,000 acres of land in Balochistan for a Chinese company.

“China wants to control the Indian Ocean. Tell me how do you think India will be safe, and trade peacefully in the face of Chinese naval presence on the sea route,” Quadri said, adding, “Isn’t this enough for India to help us drag the army out of Balochistan?”

Asked what precisely she wanted from India, the activist said she was looking for “every possible support”.

“Be it diplomatic, financial or armed. We need it badly. Every kind of support,” said the Harvard graduate, who was once allegedly injured on the head during a clash with the Army. The injury claimed the vision of her right eye.

She said if India could do it in Bangladesh “why not Balochistan”.

“India is not what it was in 1971 (when Bangladesh was liberated). You had a strong headed and brave leader in Indira Gandhi. She was determined and had a tough foreign policy to deal with Pakistan. Unfortunately, the case is different now.” She hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would come off “as strong as Gandhi” to help Balochistan win its “freedom”.

“Modi has a popular mandate and I am sure Indian people would support the Balochistan initiative,” said Quadri, an activist since her early childhood.

She accused Pakistan of genocide in Balochistan —  a region crisscrossed by the borders of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. “They have killed some 2,00,000 Balochis in the last decade.

“They are using all the eight UN indicators of genocide including dehumanization, polarization, extermination and denial,” Quadri asserted. — IANS

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

Prime Minister Narendra Modi came in for sharp personal criticism from the Opposition today after reports that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which recently visited India has ruled out Pakistan’s hand in the Pathankot terror attack, terming it a “drama staged to malign Pakistan”.While the Congress described the development as a national embarrassment and demanded an apology from the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said the invitation to JIT was a “stab in the back of Bharat Mata”.The Government played down the development, saying it was along the expected lines. “This kind of a statement was expected from Pakistan. The JIT has made this comment to turn the opinion of Pakistan people against India. The statement comes even when Pakistan terrorists aided and abetted the Pathankot attack. India and Pakistan’s relations can be improved only through dialogue at various levels and it can take years,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.The Congress said reports on the JIT exonerating Pakistan yet again exposed the double-faced Pakistan policy of PM Modi and revealed that the PM’s “56 inch chest and anti-Pakistan rhetoric had not paid off”.“A diplomatic crime has been committed. This has caused a national embarrassment,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said.AAP demanded an apology from Modi, arguing that inviting JIT while knowing well of Pakistan’s role amounted to giving a clean chit.

Govt forms panel to fix border gaps

• New Delhi: The Government has constituted a high-level committee to suggest ways to further fortify security along the border with Pakistan and address gaps and vulnerability in fencing.Former Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta would be heading the committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.The committee has been asked to study gaps in fencing and all other vulnerabilities along the border and suggest a comprehensive approach to fix these permanently. The report has to be given in three months.The move has particularly come after terror strikes in Gurdaspur and Pathankot within six months by Pakistani terrorists. TNS

Dehradun, April 4

Ex-servicemen have opposed the state government’s decision to impose 7 per cent excise duty on liquor in CSD canteens. They want the state government to roll back its decision which has made liquor costlier by 30 per cent in comparison with the adjoining states.Brig KG Behl (retd), patron of the Indian Ex-servicemen League, in a statement issued here, said it was unfortunate that instead of reducing the excise duty, an increase of 7 per cent had been announced.“The rate is hiked in such a way that rates of liquor go up in CSD canteens. Earlier, the rates of different varieties of liquor were displayed in the canteen bills after adding excise duty. But nowadays the CSD cost of liquor is shown intact and the excise duty reflects separately as tax to keep purchasers under the impression that liquor is being sold on a par with the adjoining states,” he said.He requested the Governor to look into the issue seriously and reduce the excise duty in CSD canteens in the state.—TNS

Lt Gen KJ Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command, presents the brigade’s plaque to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar in Fatehgarh Sahib on Monday. A Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 4Lt Gen KJ Singh, GOC-in-C Western Command, inaugurated the armed forces preparatory academy at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College here today.Lauding the SGPC for starting such an academy, Lt Gen Singh announced that the Western Command and 38 Armed core Patiala would have their respective trophies in Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Armed Forces Preparatory Academy.He urged the students to get inspired from the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh as he was the role model of sacrifice, sense of humility and character building. He added that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur on whose name this academy had been named was a General who could inspire a lot of people.Lt Gen Singh said earlier there were 4,000 officers in the Army out of 24,000 in the country. He rued that at present there were only 1,000 officers in the Army while the total number of officers had gone up to 38,000. He said two academies — Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Mai Bhago Academies — have been started by the state government.The institute, which is expected to function as a counterpart to the existing Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Men in Mohali, envisages a two-year programme, wherein besides pursuing academics, students would be equipped with skills required to become officers in the Army, Navy and the Air Force.For the inaugural batch, the academy has shortlisted 60 students from nearly 572 who had applied for admission.SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal and college Principal Maj Gen Dr GS Lamba (retd) addressed the gathering.

Bhopal: Legislators in Madhya Pradesh are set to become richer with the BJP-led state government approving a hike in their salary and allowances. The decision was taken on Wednesday at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The government raised the salary and perks of members of the MP Assembly after six years. The Bill to this effect is expected to be tabled on Thursday. The salaries and allowances of MLAs will go up to Rs 1.1 lakh from the present Rs 71,000. The CM and the Speaker’s salary will increase to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1.43 lakh and to Rs 1.85 lakh from Rs 1.2 lakh, respectively. PTI

Members of the Ex-Central Paramilitary Forces’ Welfare Association protest in Jammu on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Amarjeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 15

Staging a vociferous protest here, the Ex-Central Paramilitary Forces’ Welfare Association today reiterated its demand of “one rank, one pension” on a par with Defence personnel.Led by acting president SS Manhas, protesters that included retired personnel from the BSF and CRPF, Veer Naris and their dependents demanded that they being retired personnel from Central paramilitary forces be given their due share.Manhas alleged that due to utter neglect by successive regimes at the Centre and state, the retired personnel from Central paramilitary forces were compelled to live a “beggar’s” life.“A delegation will soon approach the IG, BSF, Jammu Frontier, and DIG, CRPF, Group Centre, Ban Talab, to submit them memorandums of demands marked to the Governor,” said Manhas, adding that the protest was held today to express solidarity with the retired personnel protesting at New Delhi for their rights and due share.General secretary of the association Darshan Kumar said besides “one rank, one pension” on the lines of Defence personnel, retired personnel of paramilitary forces demand revision of pension of pre-2006 retirees and widows’ pension on a par with the Zila Sainik Welfare Board, CSD facilities instead of CPC canteen, medical allowance of Rs 2,000 per month instead of Rs 500 as CGHS, medical facilities on a par with ECHS and allotment of land for setting up a residential colony for retired personnel.

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, March 26

Three persons, two of them Army men, were wounded in a grenade attack by militants in Bijbehara town of Anantnag district, 40 km south of Srinagar, today.The soldiers are being treated at the Army’s 92-Base Hospital in the Badamibagh cantonment of Srinagar, while the civilian has been admitted to the SK Institute of Medical Sciences in the Soura area of the summer capital.As per police reports, the attack was carried out at about 2:20 pm on Saturday afternoon near the local police station along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.“The Army men on duty were targeted in this area, which generally remains very busy,” a senior police official from the area said. He said all the three injured had splinter injuries. The injured were immediately taken to the nearby Sub-District Hospital, Bijbehara, from where they were shifted to the respective hospitals.“The civilian is stable, I am told. One of the Army men, however, was in a critical condition,” Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Naheed, told The Tribune.The Army men, surprised by the attack, opened fire as per the eyewitnesses. The militants, however, fled the scene and did not retaliate.The injured civilian has been identified as Farooq Ahmad of Dupathyar village in the Bijbehara area. The identity of the Army men, however, remains to be ascertained as an Army spokesperson refrained from giving out any details. He also did not comment on the condition of the injured.Meanwhile, militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. The outfit spokesperson Burhan-ud-din talked to a local news agency to claim the responsibility for the attack.