In 2000, armyman Gurcharan Singh came close to becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. The leaders of sport in the Army decided that it was time to do something — Mission Olympics was launched in 2001. Three years later, Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore climbed the podium at Athens, having won a silver in shooting.

Rohit Mahajan
Sports editor

A little woman, who usually does her best work in a shiny leotard, her face dazzling with bright makeup, has become an inspiration to several personnel of the Indian Army.

The little woman is Dipa Karmakar, who missed an Olympics medal in gymnastics by a hair’s breadth, and the men she’s inspiring are gymnasts on the rolls of the Indian Army. Two weeks ago, at the Inter-Services Gymnastic Championship, a senior officer said: “Dipa’s excellent performance at the Olympics has given a great confidence to budding players, which is a very positive thing for us.”

The soldier-sportsmen

From a professional point of view, the interest of the Indian Army has been most significant and natural in sports such as shooting, mountaineering and sailing, and the reasons are obvious. The Army operates its Marksmanship Unit in Mhow and High Altitude Warfare School, Gulmarg. Famous alumni from these institutions are Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Vijay Kumar and Jitu Rai, and Narendra ‘Bull’ Kumar, who is credited with securing Siachen for India. The first Indians to climb Mount Everest were all armymen, and the first among them was Avtar Singh Cheema. As for sailing, the sport has been primarily propped up by the Indian Army, with sailors getting training at the Army Rowing Node in the College of Military Engineering, Pune.

The Army’s engagement with sport, however, goes much beyond warfare-oriented sports. From Dhyan Chand to Milkha Singh to Jinson Johnson and Neeraj Chopra, tens of sportspersons have a very strong bond that’s impossible to break — the one created by the Army. At this year’s Asian Games, 11 out of the 69 medals were won by men affiliated with the Indian Army, including gold by athlete Neeraj Chopra and boxer Amit Panghal.

Modern sports were introduced to India by the British, and the Indian Army in British India played a leading role in sport — the Army Sports Control Board (ASCB) was set up in March 1919, on the lines of the British body with the same name.

In 1945, the ASCB was merged with all sports organisations of the three Services, and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) came into being. The SSCB focuses on 18 sports in inter-services events, which have contributed international medallists such as shooter Vijay Kumar, boxers Suranjoy Singh, Dingko Singh and Kaur Singh, race-walker Chand Ram, and hockey stars such as Manohar Topno, Ignace Tirkey and Sylvanus Dung Dung, among others.

The Pune-based Army Sports Institute trains national and international level archers, athletes, boxers, divers, fencers, weightlifters and wrestlers. Nine sportspersons who train there had qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, including three marathoners.

Also in Pune, several sportspersons train at the Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT), which initially focussed only on athletics and boxing but now also includes sports such as basketball, volleyball and karate. A gymnastics node was established in 2004 there, and in recent times, as this sport became more popular in India (courtesy Dipa Karmakar), armymen in greater numbers are taking to gymnastics. The AIPT’s focus is also on training instructors who can then go on to impart training and coaching at various units of the Army.

Mission Olympics

Starting in 1984, India had come back empty-handed from three consecutive Olympic Games. At the next two Olympics, India won a bronze medal —Leander Paes in 1996, Karnam Malleswari in 2000. In 2000, an Army boxer, Gurcharan Singh, came close to becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal — some say he had won his quarterfinal bout, some said he lost in the final seconds of the fight.

The leaders of sport at the Indian Army decided that it was time to do something — programme Mission Olympics was launched in 2001, the idea, obviously, being to win medals at the Olympic Games. Three years later, an armyman, Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, climbed the podium at Athens, having won a silver medal in shooting. Eight years later, in London, Havildar Vijay Kumar emulated him, winning a silver in shooting.

The Indian Army’s athletes could not get a medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, but it has long-term plans and hopes.

Felicitating the Army athletes who won medals at this year’s Asian Games, Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, said: “The Asian Games was just a trailer and you will get to watch the full movie during the Olympics. That’s our endeavour for Mission Olympics.”

That might seem very optimistic, but the Army is serious about nurturing and producing international medallists — it provides equipment, support staff, coaching, accommodation and proper diet to its athletes. In other words, everything is taken care of, and then there’s job security as well. Another factor, which the Army’s athletes swear by, is discipline.

Subedar Rajiv Arokia won two silver medals at the Asian Games. Coming from a modest background, he says he could not have imagined being able to afford each aspect of his life and training, if he were not in the Army. “If I was a civilian, I would have to worry for everything: food, water, stay. But not in the Army. For any problem, the army is there to solve it,” Rajiv Arokia said after his return from the Bangkok-Palembang Asian Games.

India’s brightest prospect for an Olympics medal in athletics, Neeraj Chopra, got a sense of self-reliance after joining the Army. “My father is a farmer, mother a housewife and I live in a joint family… For me, it is a sort of a relief because now I am able to help my family financially, besides continuing with my training,” Chopra said after joining the Army as a JCO last year.

Since then, he’s won two gold in multi-sport events this year, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Chopra is likely to win unprecedented success for India in international sport, and even the Olympic Games — with a bit of help from Indian Army.

rohitmahajan@tribunemail.com

Pakistan in collaboration with China will manufacture eight submarines for its maritime force. “The production will start in one to one-and-a-half-year time,” said Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Project Director Commodore M Jahanzeb Ahsan at the IDEAS 2018, a four-day long event held at the Karachi Expo Centre.

“Half of the eight submarines of advanced version will be developed in China while the other half in Pakistan,” said Commodore Ahsan.

Pakistan and China developed understanding for the manufacturing of the submarines sometime in 2011, he said.

The top three countries with the highest number of submarines in the world are; North Korea with 86, China 73 and US 66, according to www.globalfirepower.com.

Pakistan has developed indigenous drone technology – BURRAQ Surveillance UAV – which was unveiled for exports at IDEAS 2018.

The drone was launched for export purposes after Pakistan’s armed forces successfully used it in different operations during the last three years.

“All the parts, including autopilot system, navigation and communication systems and camera, in the drone are developed indigenously, except for the engine which was not developed here due to the cost factor,” Global Industrial and Defence Solutions Pakistan Director Sales and Marketing Asad Kamal told.

Some Middle Eastern countries have shown interest to acquire the drone. “We are in talks for the potential export,” he said.

Itanagar, November 30

In a humanitarian gesture, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig BD Mishra (retd) took a woman, who was in urgent need of medical attention, in his helicopter from Tawang to a hospital here, Raj Bhawan sources said.

When the chopper developed a snag after refuelling at Tezpur, the governor requisitioned an Indian Air Force helicopter and let the woman and her husband leave first for the Arunachal Pradesh capital. He returned later in another chopper.

Not stopping at that, Mishra also arranged for an ambulance with a lady gynaecologist at the Raj Bhawan helipad at Itanagar to take the pregnant patient to hospital without losing time, sources said on Thursday.

At the Heema Hospital here, the patient underwent a successful emergency caesarean delivery.

The distance between Tawang and Itanagar is over 200 kilometres by road in the hilly terrain and it takes around 15 hours. But by air, it is around two hours.

The chain of events started at an official programme in Tawang on Wednesday after the Governor overheard a conversation between Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the local MLA.

The MLA was informing Khandu that a patient was in a critical condition, but there was no helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang for the next three days, sources said.

Mishra offered to take the patient and her husband with him to Itanagar in his helicopter and the two officers, who had travelled with him, would stay back at Tawang to accommodate the couple.

The helicopter had to land at Tezpur in Assam for refuelling, but after that, the pilot noticed a technical snag in the chopper and the flight had to be aborted.

Concerned over the condition of the patient, the Governor made a requisition bid to the Air Officer Commanding of the Air Force Station, Tezpur, for another helicopter. The patient and her husband were taken to Itanagar, sources said.

He followed them in another chopper later.

After coming to know about the woman’s successful surgery, Mishra conveyed his best wishes to her and her baby, they added. PTI

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, November 27

Surpassing last year’s militant death toll of 209, the security force have killed 223 ultras in 2018 even as there is still one month to go for this year.

Last year, the security forces had launched an ‘Operation All-out’ to flush out the militants who had managed to strengthen their base following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. The incident had triggered a nearly five-month-long unrest in 2016.

The high toll of militants this year — highest since 2010 — was despite the fact that the security forces had halted anti-militancy operations during Ramzan.

This year the security forces targeted the leadership of the militants, and in the process have killed many big names such as Jaish-e-Mohammad commanders Mufti Waqas who the police claimed was the mastermind of the Sunjawan attack near Jammu, Mufti Yasir, Usman Hyder (nephew of Masood Azhar), scholar-turned-Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Manan Wani, Altaf Dar, Saddam Paddar, Sheikh Tauseef, Sameer Tiger, Umar Majeed, Abbas Bhat, Azad Baba, Mehraj Bangroo, Shakoor Dar, Eisa Fazili and Shakir Hassan Dar.

“Big names have been targeted this year,” a senior police officer said. “There are a few top names left in the militant ranks.”

According to officials, of the 223 militants killed, 130 were locals.

The successful operations that led to the high number of killings indicate that the militants are facing the heat. However, this year the youth continue to join militant ranks.

“The militants have been on the backfoot due to intense anti-militancy operations and we see that they have not been able to carry out any sensational attack on forces,” the officer added. In 2017, militant group Jaish had carried out at least three deadly fidayeen attacks in Kashmir that left many security men dead.

The militancy-infested districts of south Kashmir saw 131 militant killings. Shopian district recorded 44 militant killings — the highest — among four districts of south Kashmir.

In north Kashmir, 45 militants have been killed in the hinterland and 47 were eliminated along the Line of Control (LoC).

According to figures, the Hizbul Mujahideen — the indigenous militant group — has lost 60 militants, followed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba whose 59 militants were killed this year. The Jaish-e-Mohammad has lost 32 militants in Kashmir this year out of whom 10 were locals.

At least 16 militants of other groups, Al-Badr, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen and radical groups Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, and the Islamic State of J&K were also killed this year.

The Indian Army now has ‘options’ to tackle a major terror attack like Mumbai 26/11, says General Rawat.

General Rawat stressed that the Army is capable and ready to take action against any provocation. (Photo: Indian Army)

HIGHLIGHTS

• General Rawat said situation where Army is unprepared to respond to attack will not arise
• Said Kashmiris will soon shun Pakistani militants from region
• Also warned of a potential attack on Army cantonments in Punjab

Ten years after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Army chief General Bipin Rawat, speaking to India Today Magazine, assesses the changing nature of Pakistan’s proxy war, the possibility of the threat spreading to Punjab and how the Indian Army’s response to such atrocity need not only be ‘Surgical Strikes II’.

Q. On Monday, it will be the tenth anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. I believe the Army then was asked for options and it said that it was not prepared. If there is another attack like Mumbai today, what will be the Indian Army’s response?

BR: We’ve come a long way from those days. You saw the attacks in Uri, prior to this you saw the attacks in Manipur, we respondedwhen we responded in Uri, it was messagingit could have been more. So, it was just signalling and, therefore, the Indian Army today is much more prepared to take action based on the directions given by the government.

Photo: PTI

I’m not trying to say that we are war-mongering, but if we are told to take some action, we are capable and ready for it. So, there is never going to be a situation where you will not have options to tackle something like a big terrorist attack.

Q. What are the kinds of options you have as a response to a major attack like this?

BR: We have options. We have numerous options. Everybody is talking ‘Surgical Strike 2’, but you don’t have to use the same formula time and again, because an action taken once puts the adversary on the alert because he knows what’s going to happen.

When we responded in Uri, it was messagingit could have been more.

– General Bipin Rawat

So you have to look at options, look at the way forward and the action will depend on the kind of acts that are perpetrated by the adversary. And finally, if you feel now that water is flowing over the brim and the political hierarchy feels it is now time to take action and we are tasked for taking any action, we will do so.

Q. How has the nature of the proxy war that you are fighting with Pakistan changed in the last couple of years? Do you detect a change at all or is it more of the same?

BR: Yes, there is a change. From across the borders now Pakistan is trying to give this (proxy war) an indigenous flavour. Our political hierarchy and diplomats have done a great job with the international community in isolating Pakistan.

READ| Pakistan wants to keep its pot boiling by terrorising Kashmir: Army chief Bipin Rawat

Pakistan has now been identified as a nation which is sponsoring terror not just in India but in many other parts of the region and the world. They’ve been nailed.

They’ve now realised they are on the radar of the international community, they are trying to give the uprising in the Valley an indigenous flavour.

Photo: Reuters

They’re getting their terrorist conglomerate to recruit local youth. But I don’t think they can befool us and the international community. Everybody understands that terrorism (in the Valley) is being sponsored from across the borders.

Q. In that sense, how is your messaging to GHQ Rawalpindi — which is pushing this proxy war — changed?

BR: The messaging is very clear. It has been going on from 1989 — 30 years — and it can continue for another 30. But that is not the way forward. We’ve gone with this proxy war for 30 years, don’t test our patiencesomeday the government will decide that enough is enough and that we’ve crossed the brim. The message to Pakistan is this: The losers from this proxy war have been Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. And within Kashmir, it’s only the Valley which has been affected.

The only people who have suffered are Pakistan. See where they stand today — they stand isolated, their forex reserves are down, development is not taking place.

The losers from this proxy war have been Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.

– General Rawat

A similar thing has happened in the Kashmir Valley. People are saying there are no jobs, no investments coming in. How will investment happen in a climate of violence? It’s important for people to understand that if you want jobs, please do not resort to violence. Both we (the Army) and the government have been asking the people to support Panchayati Raj and participate in local self-governance.

Q. Are you referring to the recent beheading incident in the Valley?

BR: Everything that has happened in the last year-and-a-half. They [terrorists] have burnt homesof panchayat members and school buildings. They’ve targeted policemen. Now, they are targeting the unemployed, alleging that they are police informers.

READ| Value life and don’t join militants, says Rawat

Locals now feel [terrorists] aren’t acting in the best interests of the people of Kashmir. What we are seeing are acts of frustration in the final stages of an insurgency. It will lead to an uprising from the people who will then shun militants.

Q. Something like what happened in Punjab in the early 1990s?

BR: Perpetrating these kinds of barbaric acts is something which the Islamic State (IS) was doing in Syria and Iraqthis is not what Kashmiris stand for. This is not Kashmiriyat, this is not Kashmiri Sufism, and this is not Islamiyat.

I think at our leadership level, between the Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping, politically, they have been able to resolve issues.

– General Rawat

Q. When will the situation be ripe for the political process to begin? Can it ever take place in this kind of a violent situation?

BR: The first stage has begun with the panchayat elections. Let’s see how successful they are. People of Kashmir need to take a cue from the Maoist-affected areas, where people came out to vote in large numbers despite threats of violence by the Maoists. You can’t be held hostage by a couple of gun-wielding terrorists.

Photo: Reuters

Q. Your statement on ‘external linkages’ in Punjab seemed eerily prescient given the fact that there was a grenade attack a few days later. Do you see a deliberate ploy to restart insurgency in Punjab?

BR: I made the statement based on recent intelligence inputs. We saw a terrorist act in Pathankot in 2016. We’ve seen some movement by terrorists taking place in areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, especially the northern part of Punjab. I was only reading the writing on the wall and warning the Army to be alert because there might be a possible terrorist attack on our cantonments in Punjab.

READ| Amritsar attack: Accused reveals how Pakistan’s ISI provided instructions, grenade to carry out blast

Across the border, frustration is setting in. After Burhan Wani’s death, they expected Kashmir to go out of control and ‘liberation’ would come. It didn’t happen. They know people aren’t going to indefinitely support this kind of violence. So they want to expand the scope of the insurgency into the neighbouring states.

The people of Punjab are not going to let this happen. How do you think we brought the situation to normalcy in such a short time in Punjab? It was because of the people of the state.

Q. Recent satellite photos suggest that the Chinese have built an almost permanent establishment on the Doklam plateau. Does that alter your security perception there?

BR: There is nothing untoward happening in Doklam. After the standoff, Chinese troops that have remained in the area have built structures for themselves. This is because they have to stay where they were earlier. The agreement was that we will carry out a separation of our troops so that there is no scope for a confrontation.

They’ve only done some billeting for their troops to stay in winter. I don’t think there is a very significant change we are witnessing and there should be no cause for concern. I think at our leadership level, between the Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping, politically, they have been able to resolve issues.

Photo: Reuters

At the military level also, right at the grassroots levels, at the local formation commander levels, we’ve got good understanding and mechanisms to ensure that things do not escalate. Troops on both sides are being briefed well to see that while we may have differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control, there should be no confrontations when we attempt to reach those perceptions. Confrontations are being amicably resolved. Whenever we see a situation escalating out of control, we quickly call for a flag meeting at the brigade commander level and now I think we are also upgrading it to the division commander’s level.

Q. The hotlines that are being set up?

BR: The hotlines are being set up, but those are at a different level. Whether you call it a hotline, there are communication channels existing at the local level but now we are talking of getting those [hotlines] at the level of the government.

READ| We will cross again, says General Bipin Rawat

WATCH| Army better prepared to tackle 26/11-like attacks, says General Bipin Rawat

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 23

Finer details emerging on restructuring of the 13.50-lakh strong Army indicate that the force’s strength is likely to be brought down by 1 lakh, the downsizing including cutting down the authorised number of officers by around 4,500.

As modern technology takes charge and several defence operations get automated, most modern armies have been going in for “right-sizing”. China too cut its numbers by 3 lakh in 2014.

As on January 1 this year, the Army had 42,365 officers in its cadre against the authorised strength of 49,933. If the downsizing plan gets the go-ahead — the Union Government and the Ministry of Defence will take the final call — the authorised count of officers will be capped at 45,000 (a cut of around 4,500).

Some quarters, however, have suggested against reducing the authorised strength and advised a cut in recruitment to control over-staffing, if any, top sources told The Tribune.

Similarly, the formula suggests cutting the number of soldiers per unit to achieve an overall reduction of about 90,000-1 lakh, this again resulting from automation of various Army units, communication equipment, better managed logistics, etc.

In order to check stagnation, the Army, meanwhile, is looking to promote more officers from the post of Lt Colonel to Colonel by raising the promotion percentage from the current 35 to 55.

The selection for Colonel takes place when an officer is around 35 years of age. Those who don’t make the cut at this stage can continue serving till 54 years of age and, thus, attain the rank of Colonel at around 46 years of age. The suggestion is to reduce the percentage of officers who will be promoted from Colonel to Brigadier —at present, some 35 per cent get promoted and the plan is to bring it down to 25 per cent. The Army currently has around 4,300 Colonel-level posts and 1,100 of Brigadier. The proposal is to automatically promote Brigadiers as Major General after two to three years of service.

Another proposal is to curtail the direct entry of officers through the Indian Military Academy (after graduation) and keep it only through the National Defence Academy (NDA), which takes in cadets immediately after school.

The Army is also looking to have more of Short Service Commission entry where officers serve for 10 or 14 years. The suggestion is giving 25 per cent of such officers a permanent commission. However, an irritant remains that the career progression of commissioned officers will still be lower than what the government provides even in civilian group-B service, which is lower than group-A category comprising IAS, IPS and other central services.

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Afghan President said the spectre of violence needs to be removed. Reuters file

Washington, November 15

Asserting that Islamabad’s support to violence has not benefitted either Pakistan or Afghanistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the “undeclared war” between the two neighbours must end.

Ghani said the spectre of violence needs to be removed and that Pakistan needs to support direct discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

“The undeclared war between Afghanistan and Pakistan must end,” he told a Washington audience through video conference from Kabul.

“We have not supported any movement against Pakistan from Afghanistan. The Afghan soil is not being used. We’ve exercised immense restraint and control because we seek a cooperative relationship,” Ghani said in response to a question at the School of Advanced international Studies of the John Hopkins University on Monday.

Of the view that there is a need to define “what is a normal relationship” between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said Kabul can offer a lot in the way of cooperation. “We are the key to Central Asia. How will Pakistan get to Central Asia without a stable Afghanistan?” he asked.

Ghani said Afghanistan and Pakistan need to together agree with the US and the rest of the world community on counter terrorism. These three sets of relationship, he said are the key.

“From the day that President Donald Trump announced the South Asia strategy, I extended the hand of friendship. We have engaged in several rounds of discussion,” he said, adding that Afghanistan and the US have arrived at a document on what is their expectation, what needs to be done to translate commitments into reality and to help reduce the level of violence in moving forward to lasting peace.

Ghani said that he has not seen “urgency” from the new Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding holding concrete dialogue with Afghanistan to fight terrorism or to assist in holding fruitful talks with the Taliban.

“We have not yet seen the sense of urgency. We hope that sense of urgency can be brought to the picture. We have a framework which is a Afghanistan-Pakistan agreement. The key is to move from talking to taking action,” Ghani said.

“Our national interest is to keep engaging with Pakistan. We seek a stable Pakistan. We need to see substantive and measurable change. As of now that substantive and measurable change with the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has not been seen. This is what needs to take place,” said the Afghan president.

Ghani said that the Taliban is not in a winning position. “Let them disclose their casualties. Let them answer to the mothers who have lost their children. Let them answer to the wounded and let them answer to communities that because of their interference, have been deprived of education, of health, of services. Where is the positive model of the strength?” he said. PTI