As long as they serve usefully in that role, nations will seek means to neutralize them. The aircraft-carrier form has proven remarkably flexibly, serving in one way or another for nearly a hundred years. From the USS Forrestal on, the U.S. Navy supercarrier has existed in basically the same form since the 1950s, and is expected to continue operating into the latter half of the twenty-first century. At some point, the game will be up; carriers will no longer pack the offensive punch necessary to justify their vulnerability. It’s not obvious when that day will come, however; we may only find out after the destruction of one of the Navy’s prize possessions.

We know how to kill aircraft carriers—or at least we know how best to try to kill aircraft carriers. Submarine-launched torpedoes, cruise missiles fired from a variety of platforms and ballistic missiles can all give an aircraft carrier a very bad day. Of course, modern carriers have ways of defending themselves from all of these avenues of attack, and we don’t yet have any good evidence of the real balance between offensive and defensive systems.

But what of the future? How will we plan to kill carriers thirty years from now? Here are several of the problems that the next generation of aircraft-carrier architects will need to worry about.

Undersea Unmanned Vehicles

Submarines have long posed the deadliest threat to aircraft carriers. In World War II, every major carrier fleet suffered losses to submarines; in the Cold War, the U.S. Navy viewed Soviet subs as a critical problem. Against modern antisubmarine warfare capabilities, the biggest difficulties faced by a submarine involve finding a carrier, then getting into firing position (with either missiles or torpedoes) before the carrier’s aircraft and escorts can detect and kill the sub. If the boat’s commander isn’t suicidal, finding a potential avenue for escape is also an issue.

Unmanned submarines solve several of these problems. They can wait indefinitely along the likely avenues of approach, only moving to attack after they detect the carrier. And robot submarines don’t worry too much about how their families will manage once they’re gone. Armed with only a few weapons, undersea unmanned vehicles, operating autonomously under preset conditions, could give future aircraft carriers a very serious headache.

Aircraft carriers already consist of a terrifyingly complex system of systems, from the ship itself to the air group to the escort task force. The Ford-class CVs will expand this even farther, operating as part of a system of weapons and sensors that can span across hundreds, even thousands, of miles. The digital linkages of this network will be well protected, but hardly impermeable; it is likely that any foe will take steps to attempt to disrupt and compromise the computer systems that allow the Fords to have the greatest effect.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Autonomous UAVs, capable of using both stand-off and close-range weapons, have the flexibility to overwhelm air-defense networks, especially when they don’t need to worry about the survival of their pilots. They can dispatch weapons at various ranges, then close with the target and use themselves to inflict fatal damage on the carrier. There’s nothing in the world more dangerous than a robot with nothing left to lose. . . .

Pakistan has been extending just about 3,000 visas to Indian Sikhs every year for their visit to Nankana Sahib since many years. File photo

Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 18

To celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 12 , the Pakistan government would allow an over three-time increase in the number of members of Sikh jathas heading to Nankana Sahib from India to take part in the mammoth festivities — a first since partition in 1947.

There will, however, be no cap on the Sikhs visiting Nankana Sahib on the occasion from other countries like the North America, Europe, Central Asia, Australia and Europe.

A decision to this effect has been taken by a high-powered Religious Tourism and Heritage committee headed by Governor of Punjab (Pakistan) Chaudhary Mohammad Sarvar and comprising of Pakistan’s four federal ministers, three provincial ministers, representatives of the Evacuee Trust Property Board and representatives of Sikh bodies.

As a matter of practice, Pakistan has been extending just about 3,000 visas to Indian Sikhs every year for their visit to Nankana Sahib to take part in the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and there has been no increase in this number since decades.

The high-powered committee has urged Pakistan’s Federal government to make arrangements for the stay of pilgrims and for issuance of visas.

This was revealed by Pawan Singh Arora, Public Relations Officer to the Governor of Punjab (Pakistan), while talking to Tribune from Lahore over the phone.

“The decision has been taken so as to ensure maximum participation in the festivities by Sikhs from India. The preparations for the celebrations are going at a large scale and the Federal and the Provincial governments will extend a red carpet to the pilgrims from India and abroad,” said Arora.

Pakistan has acquired more land for the development of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur during the last week and the total land with the premises has increased to 104 acres.

The Government of Pakistan was also reaching out to the Sikhs based in the UK, Europe and other countries for making the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak as a gala event.

Pakistan Tourism Board Chairman Sayed Zulfiqar held a meeting with Sikhs of the UK in London on Monday.

He asserted in a meeting, organised by the Central Gurdwara (Khalsa-Jatha), London, that despite highs and lows of the Indo-Pak bilateral relationships, the work on Kartarpur corridor and preservation of other historic buildings has been going on unabated.

Zulfiqar, who was the Special Assistant to the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Pakistan was yearning to see the global Sikh community participating and contributing in the 550th birth anniversary celebrations in a big way.

Move comes as govt aims to promote participation of women in armed forces

A recent report of the Home Ministry has made public a fact that was known to many but did not get the due visibility in the media and hence remained confined to a few. Ever since, Amit Shah has occupied the all- important chair of the Union Home Minister, the ministry has got a new fillip because of his perceived image of Sardar Patel 2.0. During his recent maiden visit to Kashmir, he minced no words in reiterating the zero tolerance policy of his government towards terror and terrorists.

In the three-pronged strategy he enunciated to the security forces, strict action against terror funding and security forces to ensure that law of the land prevails were the other two prongs. Ever since, his all-important maiden visit and subsequent rousing speeches in the two houses of the Parliament while replying to the debate of extension of President’s Rule in J&K, the media’s ears now remain glued to the North Block. The media eagerly awaits for the next move of the government viz a viz J&K. Thus, the recent report of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealing that hard line separatist leaders received funds from abroad and utilised them for personal gains- from amassing properties to paying for foreign education of their kin, has not only hogged the limelight in media but also raised a public outcry that the black deeds of these leaders should reach every household in Kashmir.

Tightening its noose around those who were involved in terror funding, terror financing, money laundering and hawala operations, National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the first time under the directions of previous Modi government had arrested many separatist leaders, businessmen, hawala operators and close relatives of the Hurriyat leadership and put them through sustained interrogation to track the sources and origin of terror funding in Kashmir.

NIA was successful in not only tracking the trail of terror funding but also revealed the beneficiaries and how terror was being sustained in the Valley apart from allowing the so-called leaders in Kashmir lead a luxurious life. The regional parties who were heading the governments in Kashmir turned a blind eye to this notorious malpractice because of their vested interest in continuation of terrorism in the state. How else can they explain cases of money laundering and hawala operations which were lingering on for decades together despite the registration of the cases? This, in fact has been the misfortune of Kashmir because the regional mainstream parties owe their political survival to separatist and extremist forces operating in the Valley.

During their interrogation, the separatist leaders confessed that Pakistan was the main source of terror funding with the specific purpose of fuelling separatist sentiments among the people of Kashmir. Cross-LOC trade was one of the major sources of hawala operations and terror financing.

During interrogation, Asiya Andrabi of Duktaran-e-Milat admitted that she had been receiving funds and donations from Pakistan and other foreign sources for organising protests by Muslim girls and women in the valley. She has used part of this money to finance education of her son in Malaysia while major portion of expenses are borne by Zahoor Watali a businessman arrested for terror funding. Watali is one of the main hawala conduits who received funds from Pakistan, ISI, UAE and had floated various shell companies to disguise foreign remittances for further transfer to separatist leaders and stone pelters in the valley.

Masrat Alam, the master-mind of stone-pelters, has confessed that funds were being distributed among various Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Shah Gilani. Shabbir Shah, another separatist leader, confessed that his hotel in Pahalgam and other businesses are financed through funds received from Pakistan.

Yasin Malik, who brought together the various factions of Hurriyat under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), which became notorious for issuing “bandh rosters” in Kashmir affecting the lives of common Kashmiris, confessed before the agencies that funds were received from big business houses in Kashmir and other “sources” as well to sustain the bandh calls disrupting economic activities in Kashmir which also indirectly affected the trading community of Jammu.

These funds were used to fuel unrest in the Kashmir valley and organise violent agitations and anti-India activities which resulted in large scale violence leading to numerous injuries and deaths of innocent civilians and security forces personnel. The funds were also used to pay stone pelters, Friday protestors, those tasked to torch schools and government buildings particularly Panchayat Ghar and the over ground workers. Pakistan has also entrusted Hurriyat the responsibility of financing “Home-Grown” terror groups from the funds received by them. Thus apart from promoting and sustaining terror in Kashmir, these leaders were also involved in the killings of Kashmiris, closure of educational institutions and encouraging local youth to join the terror ranks. Among all this they also indulged in luxurious life for self and financing foreign education of their wards.

According to the list released by the MHA, 210 relatives of Kashmiri separatist leaders currently live abroad. The documents also mention that 112 children of the separatists study in foreign lands, out of which 21 belong to 14 well-known separatists. The separatists purportedly utilise the funds received to fuel unrest in the valley in sending their children to foreign schools and universities. The MHA document also reveals as to how they spread hate and violence in Kashmir to further the Pakistani agenda of keeping the pot boiling and Kashmir continuing to remain in perpetual turmoil.

While they deny Kashmiris, the right to live peacefully and decide their future as per their own wishes, they themselves lead a lavish lifestyle. While the separatists encourage the youth of the Valley to pick up stones and arms against security forces and join militancy, they seem to have no qualms in shielding their own family from the strife in the region by settling them not only in the metros but abroad as well. The hands of the Hurriyat leadership are soaked with the blood of innocent Kashmiris and the Kashmiris have the right to know about their misdeeds. This is the story of the great betrayal in Kashmir by their own and they need to be exposed so that the false image they have built in the hearts of the poor Kashmiri folk is shattered.

Sensing defeat in its design of annexing Kashmir through “religious militancy”, radicalisation and jihadi terror, it has now resorted to destroy the future generations of Kashmir by making them drug addicts. The frequency of seizure of drug consignments in the near past must have rung the alarm bells among the concerned authorities by now.

Incidentally, drug menace is not confined to the Valley but has also engulfed the border districts of Jammu region and is slowly penetrating into other areas. It is more alarming in the Valley because the youth there is a vulnerable target due to the prevailing circumstances. The environment is such that the youth can be easily lured to drugs initially for fun sake and subsequently turning them into addicts. The example of post-militancy Punjab is worth noting. Radicalisation and drug-addiction are the two major challenges staring in the face of the administration.

The betrayal of their own for lust of money at the behest of an enemy nation needs to be exposed to the Kashmiris. The people need to know that how they have been cheated by their revered leaders in the garb of the “cause.” It is obvious now that it was the lure of money that guided these leaders and that was their sole cause. Every Kashmiri young or old needs to know the true face of the leaders who have been pushing them into hell for their personal gains. There is a need to launch “Back to Village 2.0” in the state. While “Back to Village 1.0” a massive outreach programme was aimed at taking the administration to the doorstep of the villagers, its 2.0 version should aim at launching an effective information campaign.

The information campaign apart from exposing the betrayers should also launch massive anti-drug and anti-radicalisation campaigns. Apart from extensive exploitation of the vernacular press, the campaign should also aim at educating the people and making them aware through audio-visual means. One is reminded of the good old days when the teams of field publicity division of the Government of India used to visit the villages with 16 mm projectors and screen documentary films. Now the technology has improved manifold. Rather than depending on in-house resources government should consider taking the services of professionals in the field. The films/songs should be in the local dialects to widen their reach. Use should also be made of the local “Bhands”, which will also help in promoting the local folk art. “Nukkad Natak” (Street plays) can also be staged by professional groups who excel in the field.

If terror has to end and lasting peace ensured in Kashmir, the terror support network both local and Pak-sponsored will have to be completely eliminated. Social awareness will ensure that such elements are exposed and are unable to mislead the simple Kashmiris with anti-India propaganda and exploit the Kashmiri youth.

(The author is a Jammu based political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst. He can be contacted at anil5457@gmail.co

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday tweeted a letter from Army Headquarters that appeared to justify unexpected withdrawal of tax exemption for disabled veterans. The letter claims that some retired personnel are ‘exploiting’ the system.

A recent notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxation reversed a decades-old privilege given to disabled soldiers that exempted them from income tax. This created an uproar among veterans, forcing the finance ministry to release the letter, suggesting that the recommendation came from the Army HQ itself.

The unsigned letter, shared on the Twitter account of Sitharaman, blames some “unscrupulous personnel” for exploiting the system for personal gain and justifies the change in policy. Disability is granted to personnel who are disabled in combat or during peace time and their disability is attributable to service conditions. The latter have somehow explanted the weakness in the mechanism for grant of disability pension and along with the tax exemption,” the letter states.

Veterans have termed the letter “unprofessional” and “shocking”, pointing out that the power to grant disability pension lies with the Army itself and if needed, a crackdown should be conducted against those faking disability, instead of punishing the entire community for the wrongs of a few.

The Army HQ letter says that there has been a rise in personnel being awarded disability pension even for lifestyle diseases, which it considers a “cause for worry.”