Raj Kadyan

THE runway at Agartala had a general east-west alignment before 1947. After the creation of erstwhile East Pakistan, the border ran west of the airfield. Resultantly, the aircraft had to cross over the border. To avoid this, another runway was constructed parallel to the border.  My company had been deployed to guard the airfield since mid-November 1971. On our west was Chandpur village, occupied by the enemy. The area was thickly wooded. Around 7.30 pm on December 3, the field telephone in my bunker rang. It was urgent summons from the battalion headquarters. Shortly, a jonga with headlights off halted at the end of the runway and I was off. Having told us that Pakistanis had attacked our western airfields, the Commanding Officer tasked my company to capture Chandpur the next morning. It was past 10 pm when I got back. I called my order group to issue necessary instructions. Bhawani Singh, all of 22, was my quiet companion. He must have possessed sixth sense. By the time I returned to the bunker around midnight, he had cleaned my carbine, checked magazines for ammunition, primed two grenades and ensured their safety pins were in place. My field upholstery was laid out neatly; a bottle had been filled with water. He ensured that my identity discs were worn on my person. In one corner, was his own kit in complete readiness. He brewed tea on the stove and gave it to me in a mug. Free of these worries, my mind went over operational details. We spoke little. Before withdrawing to his nearby dug-out, he quietly reminded me to write a letter to the family. I also told him to write to his parents; he was to be married in three months. At the crack of dawn, on December 4, we launched the attack. Bhawani was next to me, carrying the radio set. Many lives and limbs were lost but we managed to capture the objective and began to reorganise to face a possible counter attack. Bhawani and I dug a 30-inch trench and crouched in it with our weapons. We remained under shelling throughout the day and continued to suffer casualties.  At dusk there was a call from the battalion headquarters wanting to know the map reference of our position. The map was with the mortar officer, some 30 ft away in his trench. Bhawani volunteered to fetch it. He had hardly gone halfway when a shell landed near our trench throwing mud all over. I heard his groan. I jumped out and rushed to him. He was hit in the chest by a huge splinter; his entrails were out. I took his head in my lap and shouted for the stretcher bearers. Four of them from the medical platoon were the only medical help. They came quickly, but Bhawani was gone — the 10th casualty of the day. Tears welled up in my eyes on the loss of a close companion, a comrade-in-arms. In military glossary definition he was an orderly. In common parlance, he was a sahayak.

Dhanoa flew the fighter at the Saint-Dizier airbase – a prominent installation of the French air force, an IAF official said.

New Delhi: Chief of Air Staff B S Dhanoa on Tuesday flew a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from a French airbase to gain first-hand experience of the aircraft, 36 of which are being procured for the Indian Air Force.

Dhanoa is a on a four-day visit to France to ramp up cooperation between the air forces of the two countries in a range of areas.He flew the fighter at the Saint-Dizier airbase – a prominent installation of the French air force, an IAF official said.

India is procuring the Rafale multi-role fighter jets from French aviation major Dassault under a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal inked in September last year Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa will also take stock of progress in their supply.

The fighter jets are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and will be equipped with the latest missiles that will give the IAF greater “potency” over arch-rival Pakistan.

The Rafale combat aircraft will come with various India- specific modifications including Israeli helmet mounted displays, radar warning receivers and low band jammers, among others.

The Inter-Governmental Agreement for the supply of the jets was signed in September last year, 16 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s plans to buy 36 Rafale aircraft in fly-away condition.

According to the deal, the delivery of the jets will start in 36 months and will be completed in 67 months from the date the contract is inked.

The Himachal State War Museum in Dharamsala. Photos: Kamaljeet

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 20

Himachal State War Museum that was being brought up in Dharamsala is first of its kind in the region and a fitting tribute to the martyrs, servicemen and ex-servicemen from the state, especially from Kangra district.Beautiful wooden outer structure that has been designed on theme of old Himachali architecture by the PWD stands majestically and attracts attention of visitors in the martyrs park of Dharamsala. Though inaugurated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh last week, the museum is yet to be thrown open for public. Inquiries revealed that it may take another couple of months or even a year to complete the furnishings before it could be thrown open for public.Only the first floor of the museum has been furnished with busts of war heroes from Himachal Pradesh and Kangra district, models of gallantry medals like Victoria Cross that was awarded during British India, Param Vir Chakras, Vir Chakra and other gallantry awards. The first floor of the museum also has the photos of gallantry award winners from the state.Manoj Rana, deputy director, Sainik Welfare Department of Himachal under whose guidance the museum was being furnished, said a request has been forwarded to Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force to provide war artefacts for the museum. “We are waiting for the HPT-32 plane that would be provided by the Indian Air force. The plane, likely to arrive in the next two to three days, would be hung from the roof of the museum. The furnishing will be a continuous process that would be carried out over a period of time, he said.Initial budget for the project was about Rs 9 crores. Chief Engineer PWD, SK Ganju, however, told The Tribune that the building would be completed in a budget of just about Rs 5 crores.Like other monuments in the state, the maintenance of the structure was an issue. Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare Department, said that the government had already initiated the process of creating posts for the staff to be posted at the museum. However, it was yet to be decided to which department would take over the maintenance and upkeep of the museum.Manoj Rana said there are 60,000 ex-servicemen and an equal number of servicemen from Kangra district in Indian armed forces. This was the highest number for any district in the country. On the whole, Himachal state has about 1,20,000 servicemen and an equal number of ex-servicemen in Indian armed forces.Contributions of residents of Himachal Pradesh in Indian armed forces can be gauged from the fact that soldiers from the state had been honoured with over 1,100 gallantry awards. Kangra district alone has 409 gallantry award winners, including two Param Vir Chakra awardees, again the highest for any district. The first Param Vir Chakra awardee in Independent India, Major Som Nath Sharma and Kargil war hero, Capt Vikram Batra were from Kangra district.Rana said the museum would serve as an inspiration for the younger generation of the state to join the Indian armed forces and keep up the tradition of the state for serving in defence of the country.‘Museum to be an inspiration for youth’Manoj Rana, deputy director, Sainik Welfare Department of Himachal, under whose guidance the museum is being furnished, said a request has been forwarded to Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force to provide war artefacts for the museum. He said the museum would serve as an inspiration for the younger generation of the state to join the Indian armed forces and keep up the tradition of the state for serving in defence of the country.

Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed continued to address large rallies in Pakistan, says report. — AFP file

Washington, July 19

The US on Wednesday listed Pakistan among the nations and regions providing “safe havens” to terrorists, saying terror groups like the LeT and JeM continue to operate, train, organise and fundraise inside the country in 2016.In its annual ‘Country Report on Terrorism’, as mandated by the Congress, the State Department said Pakistani military and security forces undertook operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan, although Pakistan supported efforts to bring both groups into an Afghan-led peace process,” the State Department said.”Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan,” the report said.India, it said, continued to experience attacks, “including by Maoist insurgents and Pakistan-based terrorists”.Indian authorities continued to blame Pakistan for cross-border attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, it said.”In January, India experienced a terrorist attack against an Indian military facility in Pathankot, Punjab, which was blamed by authorities on JeM. Over the course of 2016, the Government of India sought to deepen counterterrorism cooperation and information sharing with the United States,” the State Department said.The Indian government continued to closely monitor the domestic threat from transnational terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which made threats against India in their terrorist propaganda. A number of individuals were arrested for ISIS-affiliated recruitment and attack plotting within India, the report said.In a separate chapter, the State Department listed Pakistan as one of the safe havens of terrorism.The State Department said numerous terrorist groups, including the Haqqani Network (HQN), the LeT and JeM, continued to operate from Pakistani soil in 2016.‘Lashkar wings openly engaged in fundraising’“Although LeT is banned in Pakistan, LeT’s wings Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) were able to openly engage in fundraising, including in the capital,” it said.”LeT’s chief Hafiz Saeed (a UN-designated terrorist) continued to address large rallies, although in February 2017, Pakistan proscribed him under relevant provisions of Schedule Four of the Anti-Terrorism Act, thus severely restricting his freedom of movement,” it noted.The 2015 ban on media coverage of Saeed, JuD, and FiF continued and was generally followed by broadcast and print media, it said.According to the State Department, the Pakistani government did not publicly reverse its December 2015 declaration that neither JuD nor FiF is banned in Pakistan, despite their listing under UN sanctions regimes, although in January 2017, Pakistan placed both organisations “under observation” pursuant to Schedule Two of the Anti-Terrorism Act.While not a ban, keeping the outfits under observation allows the government to closely scrutinise the activities of both organisations.On November 11, Pakistan’s National Counterterrorism Authority published its own list of banned organisations that placed JuD in a separate section for groups that are “under observation” but not banned.Pakistan continued military operations to eradicate terrorist safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, although their impact on all terrorist groups was uneven, it said.In its report to the Congress, the State Department said in 2016, India and the United States pledged to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including al-Qaeda, the ISIS, JeM, LeT and D-Company (Dawood Ibrahim’s group), including through greater collaboration on designations at the UN.Indian and US leaders directed officials to identify new areas of collaboration through the July US-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group, applauded finalisation of a bilateral arrangement to facilitate the sharing of terrorism screening information, and called upon Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of terrorist attacks against India to justice, the report said.The United States and India worked together to designate JeM leader Maulana Masood Azhar, although the listing was blocked in the UN 1267 Committee, the State Department said.Other areas mentioned in the report as safe havens are Afghanistan, Somalia, the Trans-Sahara, Sulu/Sulawesi Seas Littoral, Southern Philippines, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Columbia and Venezuela. — PTI

Army personnel and local villagers carry the coffin of slain soldier Lance Naik Mohammed Naseer to his village in Ajout, Poonch district, 260 km from Jammu, on Sunday. PTI

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 16

The Army today paid bid adieu to Lance Naik Muhammad Naseer, who was martyred on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri sector yesterday while responding valiantly to unprovoked firing by Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC).Wreath-laying ceremonies were organised at Rajouri and Poonch where wreaths were laid on behalf of the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, GOC, 16 Corps, GOC, 25 Division and the Commander, 93 Brigade.The mortal remains of the soldier were then sent to his native village for performing the last rites. Lance Naik Naseer, a native of Poonch district, is survived by his wife and three children.

Washington, July 13

India continues to modernise its atomic arsenal with an eye on China and the country’s nuclear strategy which traditionally focused on Pakistan now appears to place increased emphasis on the Communist giant, two top American nuclear experts have said.An article published in the July-August issue of the digital journal- After Midnight has also claimed that India is now developing a missile which can target all of China from its bases in South India.India is estimated to have produced enough plutonium for 150–200 nuclear warheads but has likely produced only 120–130, wrote Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris in the article — “Indian nuclear forces 2017”.India’s nuclear strategy, which has traditionally focused on Pakistan, now appears to place increased emphasis on China, the two experts claimed. — PTI

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha activists block a road at Panighata in Siliguri on Thursday. PTI

Darjeeling, July 13

A GTA office was set on fire and several vehicles were damaged in Darjeeling today as the indefinite shutdown in the hills entered the 29th day.The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) office for travel and tourism in Chowrastha of Mall Road in Darjeeling was set ablaze by pro-Gorkhaland supporters early morning. Several government vehicles were also damaged near the Darjeeling station by unidentified men last night.A railway station in Gayabari area of Kurseong was set on fire by pro-Gorkhaland supporters this morning. A forest bungalow near Teesta river was also set on fire today.The convoy of state tourism minister Gautam Deb was also attacked on the way to Darjeeling’s Panighatta where the minister was going to attend a programme on the occasion of poet Bhanubhakta Acharya’s birth anniversary.Meanwhile, responding to the call of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), a writer and a singer returned the awards given to them by the state government.The GJM and pro-Gorkhaland supporters today celebrated the birth anniversary of noted Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharaya. Hundreds of Pro-Gorkhaland supporters today took out colourful rallies reciting poems written by Bhanubhakta Acharya and carrying placards in favour of separate state of Gorkhaland. Internet services remained suspended for the 26th day.Except medicine shops, all the shops, restaurants, schools, colleges, hotels and private offices remained closed. The police and the security forces maintained a tight vigil at all entry and exit points.

‘Hold tripartite meet’

CPM general secretary Sitraram Yechury on Thursday said Union Home Minister Rajnath Sigh must convene a tripartite meeting of representatives of the Centre, state government and GJM leaders to restore peace in the region. — TNS & PTI

Gorkhas return awards

• Expressing support for a separate Gorkhaland state, Gorkha public figures gave up their awards on the birth anniversary of Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya
• Those who gave up their awards are Nepali writer and translator Krishna Singh Moktan, musician Karma Younzon and Principal of Kurseong College Prakash Pradhan
• “More than any award, it is Gorkhaland which is important for us. Once it is formed,I will receive many awards from it,” said Younzon,who received the ‘Sangeet Samman’ last year

Director Defence Services, Brig Jatinder Singh Arora, distributes cheques among ex-servicemen during a camp at Raikot on Thursday. A Tribune Photograph

Our Correspondent

Raikot, May 11

A panel of office-bearers of the District Defence Services Office, Ludhiana, redressed problems of over 400 ex-servicemen and widows of defence personnel from various localities of the subdivision during a camp organised here today.Director, Defence Services, Brig Jatinder Singh Arora, presided over the function and district welfare officer, Lieut-Col (retd) Jasbir Singh Boparai, was the convener of the camp. The organisers distributed cheques to beneficiaries of various schemes being launched by the Union and the state governments for families of ex-servicemen from time to time.Illustrating modalities for availing welfare schemes for the defence personnel, the speakers including Brigadier Arora, Lieutenant Colonel Boparai, Wing Commander Gurpreet Singh Mangat, Major Bahadur Singh and Major Gurdeep Singh, said members of families of defence personnel and ex-servicemen should consult officials at the district defence welfare office in Ludhiana according to their convenience.The speakers highlighted salient features of various schemes and facilities being provided to families of ex-servicemen and defence personnel from time to time.Concessional supply of durable and consumable items, education for wards of ex-servicemen and reservation in various departments of the Union and state governments, were cited among special facilities.

Obsessed with Pakistan, India has grossly neglected the real adversary. In point-to-point skirmishes and standoffs, battle- hardened Indian soldiers will deter, if not defeat, the PLA. However, across a broad front spectrum in an unlikely all-out war, it is advantage China.

CHINA THREAT: This file photo taken on July 10, 2008, shows a Chinese soldier (L) next to an Indian soldier at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China in Sikkim. AFP

At a time when China is threatening to teach India another lesson and warning not to engage in a two-front conflict over the standoff in Doklam, our Service Chiefs, it seems, are not on the same page about fighting a two-front war especially as Beijing might try to emulate the New Delhi-Thimpu alliance in “disputed territory” with one with Islamabad in PoK. While General Bipin Rawat has more than once asserted the Army’s preparedness for a two-front war, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa has highlighted the critical shortfall in the number of fighter squadrons — 32 against the required 42 squadrons — to dominate a two-front conflict, saying: “It is akin to a cricket team playing with seven players instead of 11”. The deficiency in air assets has existed for decades but this is the first time an Air Chief has related it to a two-front war. The Chief of Naval Staff, Sunil Lanba, when asked about the disparity in preparedness of the services, said: “The way national security is being handled is not commensurate with the security environment which is extremely serious at the moment”. Recently, Gen Rawat told a military audience that the military was not getting enough funds for modernisation — repeated ad nauseum by every Chief — due to the perception that expenditure on defence is a burden on the economy. This set the cat among the pigeons as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, a regular fill-in for Defence Minister, is believed to have told Gen Rawat: “Don’t worry about funds. When you run out, call me”. In the mid-1990s, when the Naval Shipyard order books had gone dry, CNS, admiral Vijay Shekhawat went public about the Navy’s operational deficiencies, prompting Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to invite him to discuss dwindling fleet numbers. Ad hocism has become the hallmark of modernisation of the military.

Power differential

The Chinese are constantly reminding India about the power differential — military, economic and infrastructural — between them. Being obsessed with Pakistan, India has grossly neglected the real adversary. The reason for this is the institutionalised absence of strategic thinking and higher political direction of war and conflict in the face of growing threats and challenges to internal and external security. Prime Minister Modi’s boast about big  defence reforms is hollow: had he been serious about defence, he would have named a full-time Defence Minister. The appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff has not overcome the hesitation of history — read bureaucracy. The country has never produced a “Defence White Paper” or done a “Strategic Defence and Security” review. Something called the “Raksha Mantri’s Directive” masquerades as higher political direction on deterrence and war. This bit of literature drafted by the military has its origin in 1983, with periodic face-lifts to make it contemporary. The Parrikar doctrine covering surgical strikes was included in the Joint Military Doctrine, scripted by the Integrated Defence Staff, which attracted extraordinary flak from the defence community for being substandard. In its present organisation, each service essentially fights single-service combat. In the last border skirmish at Kargil, the Army’s operation was called Vijay while the IAF campaign in support was named Safed Saagar. So much for jointness.  So the Raksha Mantri’s Directive passes off as political guidance by the highest echelons of government. When I once asked a former Air Chief how he evolved his service’s span of responsibility, he replied: “Most of the time, from speeches made by the Prime Minister during the Combined Commanders’ Conferences.” Are we surprised that while President Xi Jinping who heads the Central Military Commission, has personally ordered and supervised the reorganisation of the combat formations facing India, reducing them from three commands to one command — a single Western Theatre Command headed by the powerful Gen Xhao Zongqi — the China front in India is managed by four Army and three Air commands deployed at seven locations. 

Integrated command

A forward-looking proposal made by a defence committee recommending three integrated operational commands — North, West and South instead of 17 single service commands — was shot out of hand by (no guesses) the Air Force. The CDS and accompanying Joint Staff ordered by the UK in 1984 was a fait accompli. It was introduced by a political class which understood defence and strategic security. In India, countless defence reforms are languishing for want of decision making. It is instructive to recall how the two-front strategy was formally enunciated in December 2009 by the Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor. It followed the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ordered the Service Chiefs to prepare for war. Defence Minister AK Antony then had “preparation for a two-front war” added in his Directive but did little to implement it. Both in 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan despite the collusive threat from China, there was no cross-border intervention by China though sizeable formations of the Eastern Command remained deployed against it and forces could not be switched to the west or east for fighting in East Pakistan in 1971. In a real two-front war, swing forces in east and west will not be able to reinforce either front and only dedicated formations will fight the war. Given the paucity in current force levels, inadequate sophistry of combat support and terrain and infrastructure handicaps, it will be an uphill task to match the PLA’s strength and versatility across a 3,488-km front of undefined borders. In point-to-point skirmishes and standoffs, battle-hardened Indian soldiers will deter if not defeat the PLA. Across a broad front spectrum in an unlikely all-out war, it is advantage China unless India is prepared to rethink its “no first use” nuclear doctrine. As an offset in the western front, Gen Rawat has suggested creating a two-front situation for Pakistan: either in Afghanistan or Iran. Doklam may go the 1986 Sumdorong Chu way; the 10-month-long standoff challenging the Chinese intrusion at Thandrong, west of Tawang over the interpretation of watershed, without a shot being fired. India need not invoke its doubtful capacity to fight a two-front war; instead, speedily augment its deterrence against China. This may not win votes for Modi but it will prevent Chinese pinpricks that he famously called “toothache”.The writer is the founder-member of the Defence Planning Staff.

AMRITSAR: After the central government’s failure to install fullbody truck scanners at the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP) even five years after the proposal was mooted, the customs authorities have acquired modern hand-held detectors for identification of narcotics and explosives traces.

COURTESY: LASER­DETECT.COMThe I­scan equipment, which has the ability to detect traces of explosives and narcotics.

Imported from Israel, one of the equipment called I-scan will be utilised to check the baggage of Samjhauta Express passengers as well as goods trains from Pakistan. “I-scan, which is capable of detecting traces of explosives and narcotics, will come in handy for checking both trucks and scanning baggage of the passengers,” says a customs official, on the condition of anonymity.

The official further added that the testing of I-scans is currently going on and the gadget will be put to use within a week’s time.

Along with three I-scans, which cost around ₹30 lakh, the customs authorities have also bought another device called video boroscope, which will help in checking cavities in the trucks.

The department says it has acquired four video boroscopes.

TRUCK SCANNERS STILL MISSING

The authorities have failed to set up the much hyped full-body truck scanners at the Integrated Check Post (ICP), which was inaugurated to facilitate trade between India and Pakistan in 2012.