Beijing, June 7

In a rare rebuke to its “all weather” ally Pakistan, China’s state-run channels have aired a documentary naming Lashkar-e-Toiba for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and even showed footage containing confessions of Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistan terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 carnage.The footage was first aired by the state-run Shanghai Television weeks ahead of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit last month and was subsequently shown by another state-run Chinese television channel, officials here said.The documentary containing vivid details of planning and execution of the Mumbai attacks by LeT militants caught Indian officials here by surprise as Chinese state media shows extreme care and caution in airing negative news about ally Pakistan.The state media, however, refrained from allegations that militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from Muslim-majority Xinjiang province had training bases in Pakistan’s tribal areas.“We have to wait and see what the significance of the documentary on LeT on Chinese state television is,” an Indian diplomat, who has seen the programme, told PTI.It was a surprise as China had earlier blocked India’s bid to get a UN ban on LeT operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attack. China had put a technical hold when India sought a ban on him after he was released from prison. Officials say the airing of the footage against LeT’s involvement in Mumbai attacks comes at a time when technical holds put in by China in the UN sanctions committee on some of the LeT leaders was set to expire shortly. — PTI

The significance

• The shift in China’s stance comes ahead of expiry of Beijing’s decision to place on technical hold the listing of three LeT and JuD militants — Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, Talha Saeed and Hafiz Abdul Rauf — on June 9
• China had also blocked India’s bid to get UN ban on Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (LeT chief) and Pathankot attack plotter Masood Azhar (JeM chief)

AOC-in-C, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Pankaj Aneja (left) being received by Air Cmde PM Puranik, AOC No. 3 Base Repair Depot, on his arrival in Chandigarh on Monday. A Tribune Photograph

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Air Marshal Pankaj Aneja, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, arrived on a three-day inspection visit to No.3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) here today. He is accompanied by Asha Aneja, president, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (Regional).On landing here, they were received by Air Commodore PM Puranik, Air Officer Commanding, 3 BRD Air Force, and Sanjivni Puranik, president, AFWWA (Local).The Air Marshal was presented a guard of honour and will be assessing the achievements of various divisions of this Depot. He will also inspect the ongoing projects at the 3 BRD.Meanwhile, Asha Aneja, will be visiting various welfare ventures run by the local chapter of the AFWWA and also address the spouses of Air Force personnel posted here.The Maintenance Command chief was commissioned into the IAF’s engineering branch in January 1980 and his key appointments include Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Maintenance Planning) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Engineering). Prior to assuming his present appointment, he was the Director-General (Systems) at the Air Headquarters.

Martyr Col Ranjeet Singh Pawar’s father Bahadur Singh Pawar, wife Renu and son Robby being consoled by relatives in Haridwar on Thursday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 2

Thousands of residents gathered at Shivalik Nagar residence of martyr Col Ranjeet Singh Pawar and the Kankhal cremation ghat to pay the last respects to the martyr of the Defence Security Corp. Col Ranjeet Singh Pawar had lost his life during an explosion at the Army ammunition depot in Pulgaon of Nagpur district on Tuesday.Army personnel from the Defence Security Corp, Railwala and Roorkee cantonments accompanied the funeral procession of the martyr. Martyr’s father Bahadur Singh Pawar, wife Renu and son Robby were consoled by relatives, neighbours and friends.Ganga Sabha office-bearers Purushottam Sharma Gandhivadi, Ram Kumar Mishra, state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay, city legislators Madan Kaushik and Aadesh Chauhan, city magistrate Jai Bharat Singh, CO City Prakash Singh Dewli, OSD to CM Purushottam Sharma, Congress leaders Sanjay Paliwal, Anshul Shrikunj and OP Chauhan, DPS principal KC Pandey, Mansih Karnwal, along with a large number of people, offered tributes to the martyr.

Paul pays homage to martyr

• Dehradun: Governor Dr KK Paul has paid tributes to Lt Col Ranjit Singh, a resident of Haridwar, who was martyred in a fire at the Central Ammunition Depot of the Army in Pulgaon, Maharshatra, on Tuesday. Lt Col Ranjit Singh’s body was brought to Haridwar for last rites. Before his cremation, a floral wreath sent by the Governor was placed on his body.

It is a toss-up: cheer India beating China in growth and continuing to be the world’s fastest growing economy or crib about rising unemployment, growing inequalities and the new dose of taxes effective from June 1. Ruling politicians sell hope to stay in business even when experience says that they seldom deliver what they promise. At their own expense and in case they did not notice, citizens are being told what wonderful two years of Modi governance they have seen. Embarrassingly, one-fourth of the world’s hungry population is in India.Many may not mind paying Krishi Kalyan Cess or Swachh Bharat Cess provided the money is used to help the drought-stricken farmer and removing the ugliness that hits the eye. The service tax hike may appear small, just 0.5 per cent, but its spread is large. Eating out, using a phone, travelling or buying a home or a car, almost everything becomes costlier. There is another 1 per cent hike in the tax collected at source on cash purchases above Rs 2 lakh. Besides, the petrol and diesel prices have gone up again. The reason: oil costs more now globally. When world oil prices had plunged, the government did not pass the entire benefit to consumers. What kind of oil decontrol is it? Simultaneously, the government has given black-money holders an opportunity to turn their unaccounted wealth white by paying a small amount. It is an admission of failure to catch the tax evaders. Last year, a similar window was opened for those holding undeclared assets abroad.It would hurt the taxpayers less if they are sure their money would be used for the greater good of the country. Nobody would like to pay for government extravagance, for marketing Modi or sell his events at home and abroad. Every government decision and normal activity is so packaged that its mere announcement is supposed to spread good cheer. It does not matter if the 7.6 per cent growth is jobless driven by private consumption and “discrepancies”, as economists point out. The citizens are invited to feel good in the times of drought and unemployment.

The entrance of the ammunition depot where a major fire broke out in Pulgaon, near Nagpur, on Tuesday.

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, June 1

Three more bodies were today recovered from the site of the fire mishap at the Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) at Pulgaon in Maharashtra, taking the death toll to 19.Charred beyond recognition, all three belonged to the Defence Security Corps, the state police said, adding that DNA tests would be conducted to identify them.Three of the 17 persons injured in the yesterday’s fire were today airlifted to the Army Hospital in Pune. They have been identified as CAD Deputy Commandant Col Ganendra Singh, Major Sharad Yadav and Major Jagdish Chandra. Chandra received burn injuries, while the other two were injured by flying shrapnel.The Shiv Sena has demanded that the Central Government should take responsibility for the deaths of so many people and loss of ammunition.“The loss of so much ammunition would have made our enemies such as Pakistan and China very happy. So much of loss would not happen in the case of a war…Now there will be inquiries and tears will be shed for those who lost their lives. But responsibilities need to be fixed for the loss of lives and compromises in matters of national security,” an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna said.The newspaper wondered what answer the Centre would give to soldiers stationed at the country’s borders suffering from lack of adequate weapons. “The government has to take responsibility for the lapse. This fire cannot be called normal,” Saamna added.The newspaper noted that accidents involving the armed forces keep happening regularly. “First there were accidents in submarines. Now there is a fire at an ammunition depot. Is this due to negligence or is it a conspiracy of our enemies. If the latter is true, it is difficult to imagine the power of our enemies,” Saamna added.

Sena blames Centre for ‘carelessness’

• The loss of so much ammunition would have made our enemies such as Pakistan and China very happy. So much of loss would not happen in the case of a war…The government has to take responsibility for the lapse. This fire cannot be called normal. —An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 31

The fire at the Army’s Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) in Pulgaon near Nagpur, the latest in the string of such incidents over the past many years, ought to be a wakeup call for the government over the manner in which ammunition is stored at defence installations across the country.While a series of reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) as well as Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence have pointed out certain deficiencies in the firefighting and safety mechanisms, heavy encroachment around many such depots have compounded safety issues.Only a few months ago, CAG had observed that ammunition depots were functioning with risk of fire accident as the equipment and manpower were not held as per the requirement and authorisation. In eight selected depots, the deficiency of firefighting staff and main firefighting equipment was 47 and 65 per cent, respectively, during 2008-13, CAG pointed out in its report.Over the past two decades, there have been a number of fire incidents, both at ammunition depots as well as during mobilisation or hostilities, resulting in destruction of ammunition worth several thousand crore rupees.The scale of firefighting equipment and authorisation of firefighting staff was last revised by the government in March 2004. Steps for revision scales and manpower were initiated by the Director General Ordnance Services in November 2011, but could not be finalised, CAG observed.Further, the deficiency in storage accommodation of ammunition with reference to authorisation of war wastage reserves was 57 per cent, while 18 per cent ammunition was stored in temporary accommodation. According to DRDO’s Centre for Environment and Explosive Safety, which prescribes norms for storage of explosives based on storage, transport and explosive committee regulations and UN classification, there is no scope for any storage in temporary accommodation.

Less space, encroachment raise safety concerns

• Heavy encroachment around many ammunition depots and unabated construction in the notified areas has compounded safety issues
• The deficiency in storage accommodation of ammunition with reference to authorisation of war wastage reserves stands at 57 per cent
• 18 per cent of it is stored in temporary accommodation. According to safety norms, there is no scope for any storage in temporary accommodation

Beijing, May 30

Ahead of a high-level Sino-US dialogue, China today accused the Pentagon of clinging to ‘cold war’ mentality and attempting to stage a Hollywood blockbuster by deploying its modern weapons in the South China Sea to ‘terrify’ Beijing.In an angry reaction to US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter’s remarks that ‘China’s actions could erect a Great Wall of self-isolation’ in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said “Carter’s remarks reflected typical American style thinking and hegemony”.“Although we have entered 21st century, some people in US still keeps the cold war mentality,” she said.China claims all but most all of the SCS which is vehemently disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. US waded into the region by sending naval ships and aircraft to assert freedom of navigation around an artificial islands built by Beijing in the region to beef-up its claims. — PTI

Outskirts of Falluja, May 30 

A Reuters TV crew about 1.5 km from the city’s edge said explosions and gunfire were ripping through Naimiya, a district of Fallujah on its southern outskirts.An elite military unit, the Rapid Response Team, seized the district’s police station at midday, state television reported.The battle for Fallujah is shaping up to be one of the biggest ever fought against Islamic State, in the city where US forces waged the heaviest battles of their 2003-2011 occupation against the Sunni Muslim militant group’s precursors.Fallujah is Islamic State’s closest bastion to Baghdad, and believed to be the base from which the group has plotted an escalating campaign of suicide bombings against Shia civilians and government targets inside the capital.As government forces pressed their onslaught, suicide bombers driving a car and a motorcycle and another bomb planted in a car killed more than 20 people and injured more than 50 in three districts of Baghdad, police and medical sources said.Separately, Kurdish security forces announced advances against Islamic State in northern Iraq, capturing villages from militants outside Mosul, the biggest city under militant control.The Iraqi army launched its operation to recover Fallujah a week ago, first by tightening a six-month-old siege around the city 50 km west of Baghdad.Fallujah, in the heartland of Sunni Muslim tribes who resent the Shia-led government in Baghdad, was the first Iraqi city to fall to Islamic State in January 2014. A Shia militia coalition known as Popular Mobilization, or Hashid Shaabi, was seeking to consolidate the siege by dislodging militants from Saqlawiya, a village just to the north of Fallujah. — Reuters

Fallujah — An Islamist militant stronghold

• Fallujah has been a bastion of the Sunni insurgency that fought both the US occupation of Iraq and the Shia-led Baghdad govt that took over after the fall of Saddam Hussein
• American troops suffered some of their worst losses of the war there in two battles in 2004 to wrest it back from Al-Qaida in Iraq, the insurgent group now known as Islamic State
• Fallujah is the second-largest Iraqi city still under control of the militants, after Mosul, their de facto capital in the north that had a pre-war population of about 2 million
• It would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after Saddam’s home town Tikrit and Ramadi, the capitalof Iraq’s vast western Anbar province

Islamic State bombings kill 24 in Baghdad

• A wave of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group targeted commercial areas in and around Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 24 people in attacks that came as Iraqi troops poised to recapture Fallujah
• The bombings by IS, which has been behind several recent deadly attacks in Baghdad and beyond, are seen as an attempt by the militants to divert the security forces’ attention away from the front lines
• In an online statement, IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted members of the Shiamilitias and a government office

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29

A section of ex-servicemen in Punjab today sought to unite various factions of veterans in the state in an endeavour to become a “recognisable force” that could effectively help address their issues and problems and work towards becoming a political player in the long run.“Our immediate aim is to bring all ex-servicemen’s organisations under one umbrella and muster enough strength to enable us to initiate and implement effective measures for welfare of all veterans as well as other sections of the society,” said Col MS Bajwa (retd), general secretary of the Core Group of Ex-servicemen, Punjab, during its plenary session here today.Representatives from several other ex-servicemen’s organisations such as Indian Ex-servicemen’s League, Sainik Ekta Party, Sanjha Morcha and Indian Ex-servicemen Movement too attended the meet.Col Bajwa said there were a large number of such organisations, which are divided and hence not able to do what is required, due to which ex-servicemen or their dependants are running from pillar to post.“At a later stage, we can also consider affiliation with a party which we feel is doing good work in Punjab and can help the cause of ex-servicemen,” he said, adding that a roadmap has been drawn up for spreading awareness at the grass-roots level about the group’s aims and intentions

NOTE :::BUNDLE OF LIES 

The above News published in the Tribune is totally false and fabricated and  a white-lie. Not a single member from  Sanjha Morcha attended the meet nor Col MS Bajwa had the decency to intimate/request any of the Core Committee members of Sanjha Morcha.  No Agenda for the meeting was circulated .The meeting was without any fruit full purpose  for welfare of ESM but to garner support for Political purpose and full fill their political ambitions. Sanjha Morcha is above political ambitions and does not ever get involved in petty politics of ESM . Naming Sanjha Morcha is to garner support of ESM and Sanjha Morcha members and fool ESM community.

Col Charanjit Singh Khera(Retd)

Gen secy

Sanjha Morcha