Our Correspondent,Sonepat, January 10

Tributes were paid to the soldiers who were killed in the terrorist attack on the IAF base at Pathankot at a programme jointly organised by the Sardar Patel Park Welfare Society and the Old Courts Market Association here at the Patel park near the old courts last evening.Among those who paid their tributes included state BJP vice-president Rajiv Jain, district president Dr Dharambir Nandal, former district president Dr Om Prakash Atre and prominent traders of the market.Ambala: However, Congress MP Deepender Hooda today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should disclose the truth of Pathankot terror attack to the people of the country. He was at Garnala village here to express his condolence to the bereaved family of martyr Gursewak Singh.Later talking to mediapersons at the residence of former minister Nirmal Singh today, he said questions were being raised over the foreign policy of the NDA government. Modi should clear its stand on terrorism from across Pakistan border and Indo-Pak relations after the Pathankot terror attack. He said the Punjab Government and the Union Government had been holding each other responsible for this incident. He said he was of the view that Pakistan would never like to stop border across terrorism. The government should not hold peace talks with Pakistan till the terrorism issue was settled and those behind the Pathankot attack were handed over to India.Referring to the controversy over the naming the international airport at Mohali, he said the previous Congress government in Haryana and the Punjab Government had jointly decided to name this airport after martyr Bhagat Singh, but the Khattar government had created a controversy by recommending the name of Dr Mangal Sen for it.

Vijay Mohan,Tribune News Service.Pathankot, January 6

Though a large portion of the international border (IB) with Pakistan in Punjab remains vulnerable, a 30-km stretch opposite the Pathankot-Kathua axis remains the Achilles’ heel, being prone to cross-border smuggling and infiltration.Sources in the security establishment said the border stretch from Bamial village, near Pathankot, and Bobiya village, near Hiranagar in adjoining Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, has been a traditional ingress route because of riverine terrain and dense vegetation. This area is also known as Shakargarh bulge.Rivulets and tributaries of the Ravi, which meander along the IB in this sector, and the abundant growth of elephant grass in the area provide good cover in the dark. Though the border is fenced and lit by floodlights, there are places where it cannot be fenced and in some areas the fence gets damaged repeatedly due to the flow of water and soil erosion.A visit to a site along the Tarana rivulet, near Bamial village, a point where it enters India from Pakistan and winds down south before flowing across again, revealed heavy vegetation on either side of the stream, with poor visibility. Villagers said the water level in the river has increased a lot, thus affecting the embankments. The undulating terrain near the rivulet was in sharp contrast to the fields along the fence, where one can have a clear view over a long distance.Apart from the terrain, the stretch is close to the National Highway No. 1-A that links Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of India, providing infiltrators an easy access to move further. Given the orientation of the highway, infiltration from the Bamial area also gives them the choice of proceeding towards Jammu or Pathankot, sources said.Terrorists involved in the Gurdaspur incident in July, attack on an Army installation in Samba in March and the Pathankot air base this week are believed to have infiltrated into India via this stretch. The labyrinth of link roads connecting hamlets to the mainline are very confusing and for a first-time visitor, it is impossible to find his way without a guide.The Border Security Force (BSF) mans the border, with the Army deployed in the second tier in the area. Army men are also needed to patrol the area for familiarisation and training. Sources said the Army had raised the issue of the vulnerability of this stretch several times and also asked the BSF for additional deployment. The issue was also a point of discussion during a recent operational conference last month.A post mid-night drive through the area gave the impression of scattered settlements resembling ghost villages with virtually no sign of life. Other than some trucks, presumably ferrying sand and gravel through narrow, potholed link roads, no vehicles were seen.A number of nakas or check-posts manned by the police and the Central Reserve Police Force have come up along the highway as well as some interior roads. Though the security in the area has been stepped up following the air base incident, locals feel it is only a matter of time before the check-posts vanish and the usual slack approach takes over.

Easy route for terrorists

• The border stretch from Bamial village (near Pathankot) and Bobiya village (in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir) has been a traditional ingress route forterrorists
• This is because rivulets and tributaries of the Ravi, which meander along the IB in this sector, and abundant growth of elephant grass provide good cover to them
• Terrorists involved in the Gurdaspur incident, attack on an Army installation at Samba and the Pathankot air base are believed to have infiltrated through this area

India gives names, addresses, profiles of handlers to NSA

Mukesh Ranjan,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 6

Even as India indicated that it did not favour “derailing the ongoing peace process” in the light of the Pathankot terror attack, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval have made it clear to their Pakistani counterparts that any further engagement would “entirely depend on what they deliver” on the vital inputs relating to the terrorists and their handlers based in Bahawalpur and Sialkot.

Editorial: Rapid-fire communication

Sources said Modi, in very “uncertain” terms, told Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that it would not suffice to say that the terrorists are “non-state actors”; rather, India expects from him “credible action” to bring the culprits to the book.“All evidences, including phone intercepts, phone numbers of handlers in Pakistan, their names and locations have been shared. Now they have to take action. We expect them to take action in line with what they did in the case pertaining to the Peshawar terror attack of December 16, 2014,” sources said. On that fateful day, seven gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) launched an attack on Army Public School in the city, killing 132 schoolchildren, besides others.Sources said, in his conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Gen Naseer Khan Janjua, NSA Ajit Doval communicated about three specific handlers – Qashif Jaan of Sialkot and Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad and Hazi Abdul Shaqur of Al Rahman Trust in Bahawalpur. Even the phone details of the conversation between one of the terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot air base, and his mother have been given to Janjua, they added.“As per our information”, sources said, “the terrorists were trained at Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi and Layallpur air base in Faisalabad.” Claiming this as an assessment of the security establishment in India, those, in the know of the anti-terror operation in Pathankot said, “The terrorists had sufficient knowledge about fighter planes and the assets at any air base. They had brought a huge quantity of aluminium powder, which is used to ignite fire and the same could be extinguished easily.”

It gets curiouser: Local leader, 3 handlers, SP’s ‘changing’ tale

Jupinderjit Singh,Tribune News Service,Pathankot, January 6

Controversial SP Salwinder Singh and his two companions reportedly met  a prominent politician of Gurdaspur district the night they were ‘kidnapped’ by terrorists, before the Pathankot air base attack,  near Bamyal village.    This came to the fore during  investigation by the National Investigation Agency and Punjab  Police. Sources said the agencies had been tracking the movement of the politician prior to the Pathankot attack.Investigators have obtained vital leads on the police-politician-smuggler nexus in the region. They say this nexus ought to have come to light after the July 27, 2015, Dinanagar attack.The investigators believe that the terrorists were guided by three local handlers, with one of them well-acquainted with the layout of the Pathankot air base, including its key installations.An official said three groups worked in tandem to launch the attack — two comprised terrorist outfits and the third consisted of the three local handlers. Sources said it was being  probed if these handlers had any connection with the Gurdaspur politician or taxi driver Ikaagar Singh, who was found murdered. The officials are now interrogating Salwinder Singh and his cook Mohan Gopal. The two had on day one given similar statements but contradictions emerged when they were cross-questioned. Salwinder claimed in the FIR that they were tied up and gagged by terrorists before being thrown into a ditch.He claimed he gained consciousness after more than two hours, untied himself and then helped his cook. However, his jeweller friend had a different tale to tell. When told they had thrown a police officer out of the vehicle, the terrorists turned back, but could not find the SP and his cook at the spot, he claimed.The SP, in subsequent interviews, corroborated the jeweller’s claim. He said the terrorists had indeed returned to kill him but he had fled by then. Whereas the SP was initially quoted as saying that the terrorists had used his phone to make calls, the jeweller claimed it was his phone that the terrorists had used as they could not crack the SP’s phone code. The SP has stated in the FIR that the terrorists took away his two phones, one of them an iPhone.Police sources said till late afternoon on January 1, the SP was seen as a suspect in the murder of driver Ikaagar Singh. But this changed after phone intercepts pointed to the presence of infiltrators in the area. This explains the delay in the filing of two  FIRs, one regarding the SP’s kidnapping and the other on Ikaagar’s killing.  The police are not sure if Ikaagar was killed by terrorists. The post-mortem report suggests he  put up a stiff resistance.

SP faces disciplinary action

Quizzed by NIA for second consecutive day

Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 6

SP Salwinder Singh is likely to face disciplinary proceedings for the alleged irregularities committed by him before and after his reported abduction on the night of December 31.He was quizzed by the National Investigation Agency for the second day today. The place where the team is keeping him is being kept under wraps. The officer and his two acquaintances, Gurdaspur jeweller Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, who were picked up by an NIA team yesterday evening, are still being questioned. Sources reveal that the statements of all three do not match.Punjab Police, meanwhile, are set to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Salwinder Singh as he was illegally using a blue beacon atop his private vehicle at the time of the incident. He is also under the lens for not joining his new place of posting at PAP complex, Jalandhar. He was transferred from the post of SP (Headquarters), Gurdaspur. Sources claim the officer was shifted following the report of a departmental inquiry.Yesterday, the officer had gone public on various TV channels highlighting his plight. His seniors in Chandigarh have not taken kindly to his “self-publicity bout”. Moreover, sources claim that he did not take permission from his seniors to divulge details of his abduction using a public platform.An officer said: “There are too many inconsistencies in the statement of the three men, including their take on the number of terrorists who kidnapped them.” Officials say this is a key issue, since the terrorists are believed to have attacked the base in two groups of four and two men each.The men have been claiming that they are unable to give exact details since they were blindfolded and gagged.The SP has been maintaining that the terrorists did not attack him since they never knew that he was a police officer. Driver Ikagar Singh, whose car the terrorists had hijacked before waylaying the SP, was killed after his throat was slit.

Terror threat near Tibri Cantt, massive search on

Ravi Dhaliwal,Tribune News Service,Gurdaspur, January 6

Around 1,000 Army men and Punjab Police personnel have converted Pandher village, around 2 km from the Tibri cantonment, into a fortress following reports that two armed men in Army uniform were seen moving around in a suspicious manner in the area. Two SWAT teams of the Punjab Police have reached the area.“The threat is real. It is not a hoax call. We have sounded an alert throughout the state,” said an SSP-level officer. Even as NIA Director General Sharad Kumar held a series of meetings at the Air Force complex in connection with the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, villagers said they saw some people in Army uniform entering sugarcane fields having 15-foot-high crop. “The Army has got vacated 500 houses in Pandher and adjoining Bhulechak and Babbehali villages,” sources said. The terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base and the Dinanagar police station were also in Army uniform. “The fact that the cantonment area is just 2 km away has added to our worries. We cannot take chances. More forces are being requisitioned,” SSP Toor said.DGP Suresh Arora, who returned to Chandigarh from Pathankot today, was being regularly updated about the developments. A massive search operation was on and neither the Army nor the police were willing to comment.

Tribune News Service.Dehradun, January 5

Retired defence officers have condemned the Pathankot terror attacks, the second incident in Punjab in a span of six months.They said the Central Government should continue with its talks with Pakistan to resolve terrorist attacks, Line of Control and Kashmir issue. They said effective border management should be strictly implemented to avoid repetition of such incidents in Punjab or any other part of the country.Maj Gen C Nandwani (retd) strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the Pathankot air force base. He said Indian defence forces shouls seal international borders.“Although terrorists were suspected to be from Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should continue his endevour to resolve old disputes between the two countries,” he added.Brig KG Behl (retd) criticised the recent terrorist attack and said the time had come to take effective steps to stop cross-border infiltration from the neighbouring country. He said the brazen attack on the airbase raised several questions on intelligence and border management from the Indian side.SS Kothiyal, IG, BSF (retd), said the Indian government should continue diplomatic talks with the Pakistan government in order to keep a tab on the terrorist activities on the India soil.

GOC-in-C lauds training standards of Chetak Corps

Tribune News Service,Bathinda, January 5

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Sapta Shakti Command, Lieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni came for a two-day visit to the Chetak Corps at the Bathinda Military Station yesterday.Lieutenant General DR Soni, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps and Suman Soni welcomed the Army Commander and his wife Vineeta Sahni.The Army Commander visited maximum units of the Bathinda Military Station. He appreciated that the Chetak Corps had maintained the highest standards of training and also complimented their efforts to improve the quality of life of soldiers and their families.The GOC-in-C laid emphasis on maintaining a high level of operational readiness to meet any challenges in the future.He said the success in operations would depend on continued force modernisation, excellence in training, security consciousness, purposeful work culture and focused human resource management.He emphasised the need for resolute leadership, reiterating the Indian Army’s ethos of commitment to nation building and excellence in military professionalism.All officials and their families from the military station turned out in large numbers to bid farewell to the Lieutenant General and his wife.

Srinagar, Jan 4 (PTI)The United Jihad Council (UJC), a group of 13 militant outfits in Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday claimed responsibility for the Pathankot attacks, in which 7 Indian security personnel have been martyred. “By accusing Pakistan for every attack, India neither succeeded in past to malign the Kashmir freedom struggle nor will it get anything in future,” a UJC spokesperson said.Pakistan-based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of about a dozen militant outfits, today claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the airbase at Pathankot.
“The attack on the Pathankot Airbase was carried out by the National Highway Sqaud,” Syed Sadaqat Hussain, presenting himself as UJC spokesman, claimed in an email statement to a local news agency here.
He, however, did not give the number of militants involved in the attack.
UJC comprises mostly the militant outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir.
Experts in Delhi expressed doubt over the authenticity of the claim as the Pathankot attack is widely believed to be the handiwork of Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit which is not part of UJC.The claim is being seen as a diversionary tactic.

Probe shows Pak-based elements behind Pathankot attack: NIA chief

Jalalabad, January 5

A low-intensity bomb exploded near the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad today. The blast occurred a day after the Indian consulate siege ended in a northern Afghan city. The spot was around 200m from the consulate in Jalalabad, said an Indian diplomatic source.No one was injured in the blast, Afghan authorities said. The explosion also follows a bloody weekend assault on an air base in India near the Pakistan border.But Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for the India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said the Jalalabad consulate “was not the target”. The area also houses consulates of Pakistan and Iran.Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said the authorities were unsure what the target was, but a police convoy had been passing by at the time. “The explosives were placed in a garbage can,” he added. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Indian interests have been targeted twice since Saturday—an attack on its consulate at Mazar-i-Sharif and a raid by Islamist insurgents on an air force base in Punjab. The spike in violence came roughly a week after PM Narendra Modi paid a surprise peacemaking visit to Pakistan following a whirlwind tour of Kabul. India has been a supporter of Kabul’s post-Taliban government, and analysts have often pointed to the threat of a “proxy war” in Afghanistan between India and Pakistan. The Taliban have also stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan, including a series of assaults in Kabul last week.  — AFP

Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 3

Guidelines for provision of identity proof by users of matrimonial websites and online grievance redressal mechanism are being sent by the Women and Child Development Ministry to the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) for further consideration.“We have asked matrimonial websites to take identity proof when profiles are being registered on the portals. The websites will also be obliged to forward any complaints to the police for further action,” said an official.A grievance redressal mechanism with contact details of matrimonial website officials will also be available on the portals.The guidelines are expected to be enforced under provisions similar to those governing cyber cafes at present. In 2011, cyber cafes were directed to maintain records of identity proof of customers as well as amount of time spent on internet usage. Once notified, the guidelines will be mandatory for all matrimonial websites.

PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visitRussia on December 23-24 to hold an annual summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition to inking agreements on furthering the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant beyond stage 1 & 2, they are likely to push forward a plan to assemble Russian Kamov-226T helicopters in India. It is a light multipurpose helicopter and is meant to replace Chetak and Cheetah. The helicopters will be built primarily for the Indian armed forces and also for exports. Russia has reportedly offered full manufacture in India. India’s Ministry of Defence is currently scouting to choose a public or private sector partner company from within India.

Ahead of the visit, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) also approved purchase of the very potent Russian S-400 air defence missile system with a range of 400 km. Five units would cost Rs 40,000 crores. Only preliminary discussions may take place at this stage.

Since the early 1960s, Soviet Union/Russia has been India’s largest defence weapons supplier. At the height of the Cold War, 85% of Indian Navy, 75% of Indian Air Force and over 50% of Indian Army equipment were of Russian origin. Purchase of Jaguar and Mirage-2000 aircraft in 1970-80s was a major departure. There was always a strong desire to move to alternative sources. The rise of China and desire of USA and the West to move closer to India resulted in offers of modern weapons that were hitherto not available.

In fact, Russia was somewhat upset when its MiG-35 lost to the French Dassault Rafale in the MMRCA contest; and also when IAF chose to buy the Boeing Chinook CH-47 heavy-lift helicopter over the only competitor Russian Mi-26; and the Boeing Apache-64 D won the attack helicopter competition against the Russian Mi-28 N Night Hunter. Six Airbus A330 tanker aircraft are being inducted in preference to Russian IL-78. Earlier, the India Navy chose the Boeing P-8I Poseidon to replace the ageing Russian TU-142. On the other hand, India was upset with Russia for reportedly agreeing to sell four Mi-35M – very modern attack helicopters – to Pakistan to strengthen their counter terror capability.

The Indian Army’s armour has been dominated by Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks. The mechanised infantry uses Russian infantry combat vehicles.  Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, the latest fighter aircraft MiG-29K, many of the frigates and most of its submarine fleet are of Russian origin.

For years, our Navy has flown variants of Russian Kamov helicopters. BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is an Indo-Russian joint venture for the three services. Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon have all 272 Sukhoi Su-30 MKI already committed. More orders are likely. IAF recently upgraded MiG-29s. IL-76 and An-32 transport aircraft, the AEW&C and Air-refuelling aircraft are all Russian origin. Nearly 200 Russian Mi-17 helicopter variants will dominate IAF’s medium lift helicopter fleet for next two decades. It will also act as the VVIP helicopter till a new one is decided.

Nearly 400 Kamov-226T will join the three armed forces. The surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles are mostly Russian. IAF is already committed to many future projects with Russians. A sum of Rs 40,000 crore is committed for just the design and development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). 214 aircrafts are planned to be inducted into IAF at a cost of Rs 670 crores a piece. There are already delays and cost escalation. A joint venture 20-tonne Medium-lift Transport Aircraft (MTA) will finally take-off early next year with both sides agreeing to commit funds. Is the balance still tilted heavily towards the Russians?

India’s experience of the last five decades is that the Russian weapon systems are rugged and fairly good operationally. While they are initially relatively inexpensive, over the years, life-cycle costs work-out much higher than Western counterparts. Poor maintenance support often resulted in lower service abilities and sometimes, accidents. With so many defence projects already unfolding, it is an umbilical cord that will stay connected in the 21st century.

Army believes 1962 debacle is done and dusted, ‘ghosts of war’ have been purged

Ajay Banerjee

At the India-China border 16,000 feet above sea level, two signboards signal a sea change in the two countries’ relationship since 1962. “India-China friendship — for a bright and glorious future” and “Two neighbouring civilisations — partners in progress” are the messages the two leading Asian economies greet the visitors with.Though a two-way trade of US $72 billion makes the two nations global competitors for oil and resources, a “maitri hut” (friendship hut) at Bum La unites them. Military commanders of both sides meet at the hut, a border personnel meeting (BPM) point, five times in a year along with a small civilian population — Tibetans — of either side. A brief cultural show follows and gifts are exchanged. India believes the debacle of 1962 is clearly done and dusted. “There can be no comparison of today with 1962. We are in fine fettle,” says Brigadier DS Kushwah, who commands a brigade along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).All along the 367-km route from Bum La to Tezpur in Assam, that headquarters Army’s 4 Corps, memorials of the 1962 war dot the landscape. The memorials start from Bum La, close to the LAC, where Subedar Joginder Singh of the 1 Sikh regiment earned his Param Vir Chakra. En route, a memorial at Jaswantgarh — north of the Sela Pass — tells the tale of how Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the Garwhal Rifles held his ground in face of the enemy. At Nyukmadong, the 1962 defeat glares in the face. At Tenga, headquarters of 5 Mountain Division, stands a memorial that holds an urn of Jawaharlal Nehru’s ashes. Nehru, largely blamed for the agreeing to the forward policy advocated by Lt Gen BM Kaul, had died in May 1965.At Tezpur stands the stone cast memorial mentioning the names of martyrs of 1962 and 1971 wars. Here, the transition from defeat to a complete military victory stands starkly. At the memorials, people pay tributes and life moves on.Along the way, stone bunkers of 1962 with rusted steel doors, dug a few feet into the ground, a relic of the ill-planned past, are barely visible but tell a story of lack of military preparedness. A book History of the Conflict with China, 1962, produced by the Ministry of Defence, and released for restricted circulation in March 1993, says, “Strategically, Tawang were indefensible, in 1962, against a major attack”.Today, Tawang and its northern areas are well defended. Troops live in heated accommodation, sleep on bunk-beds with foam mattresses, use imported sleeping bags, have wooden cupboards and fresh food.The book reminds how in September 1967, five years after the war, China got “a reply” in Nathu La, indicating that the “ghosts of 1962” had been purged. “The Chinese troops suddenly opened machine gun fire on September 11, 1967, inflicting heavy casualties…the GOC 17 Div — the redoubtable Sagat Singh — blasted the Chinese positions with 5.5 medium guns. The Chinese agreed to a ceasefire on September 16. They had lost 400 men killed or wounded as compared to Indian loss of 65 killed and 145 wounded,” the book reads.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday said the Indian army was without specialised parachutes for over a decade in a report tabled in Parliament on Friday.

It also raised questions on the functioning of army aviation corps, the cantonment boards, and shortfall in the availability of BMP vehicles in the Indian army.

“Combat free fall (CFF) parachutes are required during highly specialised operations and are vital for the success of the missions carried out by Parachutes Special Forces Battalions of Indian Army. However, the Army was without these specialised parachutes for over a decade,” the report said. The parachutes developed by DRDO in 2006 could not be successfully produced by the Ordnance Factory Board, even after incurring an expenditure of Rs 10.75 crore, it said.

The audit report was also critical of the army aviation corps saying it was plagued with 32%deficiency against its authorised fleet strength.

The country’s top auditor, separately, also slammed the Indian Air Force for sub-optimal utilisation of operational capabilities of AWACS (air borne warning and control system) aircraft purchased in 2004 for Rs 5,042 crore and has said shortage of aircrew may impact the operations of the planes during hostilities.

The Comptroller and Auditor General if India also slammed the low serviceability of the Sukhois, country’s front-line combat aircraft