A year ago, no one could have predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would continue to put faith in dialogue with Pakistan despite the Pathankot provocation.  Till then, his Pakistan policy was floundering. Then the NSAs and the Foreign Secretaries met in Bangkok. The game changed, and Modi made his famous touchdown in Lahore. The dialogue in Bangkok must have produced a meeting of minds; despite Pathankot, the guns are silent on the line of control — a vast improvement over things a year ago.Pakistan too has acted differently. For once, its reflex action was not to deny the possible involvement of its citizens in the Pathankot attack. The immediate detention and questioning of Jaish-e-Mohammed leaders helped India concede “there has been considerable progress in investigations”. The two Foreign Secretaries remain in communication and the door remains open for a formal interaction in the near future. International pressure too must have played a role. The US and Russia will meet soon to discuss Syria, the Iran file is nearing closure and the quadrilateral meeting on Afghanistan will happen soon. It would not behove Modi and Nawaz to squabble and divert the attention of the big boys.Given the history of Indo-Pak ties, it does not pay to become overoptimistic. Modi can still lose face if Pakistan fails to “deliver” on Pathankot. And what if another such incident takes place? Any imponderable can upset the Modi-Nawaz understanding on persisting with talks. The answer will be to stay nimble and conduct vigorous back-channel talks, if such conversations are not already taking place. Modi has ample political capital to accomplish whatever he and his advisers have set out to achieve. With the Pak army chief almost on his side, Nawaz Sharif seems to be in a similar position. The two sides can achieve closure on some easily resolvable disputes. This will enlarge the pro-peace constituency and act as insurance against another attack or if Islamabad is unable to book the masterminds of the Pathankot attack.

The haste with which the Army was deployed in Haryana by airlifting troops to Rohtak is a serious matter. The Army is the last resort for quelling civilian riots, not the first one. What Haryana did is akin to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.

The soldiers of the Army unload supplies from an IAF helicopter at the police lines in Rohtak. The Army doctrine 2004 clearly defines its role. AFP

In the midst of military operation to quell the Jat protest in Haryana there was an innocuous media report suggesting that Army personnel had been put under the command of BS Sandhu, Additional DGP (Law and Order). The report also said that the state government has asked the Army to be called in eight districts. In this matter the “Chief Secretary had spoken to the Army Chief and the Chief Minister to the Defence Minister”. The effort was to deploy the Army as soon as possible to control the situation.  This report went viral on the veteran’s email circuit with some senior officers, including former Generals, venting their spleen at the humiliation meted out to the Army by placing its men under the command of the police. Lt Gen (retd) SK Bahri shot off an angry letter to the Union Home Minister.  Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, GOC, 1 Corps quickly intervened and clarified the position in an email: “The troops in Haryana are from 1 Corps, which I command and there is no question about they being under anyone’s command other than mine… I visited them yesterday and today the Army Commander was with them. We have a commander in each district commanding his troops. The police assist us in identifying local people, tracks and disturbed areas.” This assuaged the veterans and the anger faded away. But the bitter fact is that there is a huge trust deficit between the government and the veterans, which is also has a ripple effect on serving soldiers. This is not in national interest. The Haryana government seems to have goofed up the entire handling of the situation. The provision of the Army in aid of civil authority is governed by Section 130 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). This legal clause states that decision to requisition “armed forces”  to disperse “violent assembly of people,” which cannot otherwise be dispersed by the police or other forces available, should be taken by the “Executive Magistrate of the highest rank,” which is the District Magistrate, called the Deputy Commissioner in Haryana. Such Magistrate “may require any officer in command of any group of persons belonging to the armed forces to disperse the assembly with the help of the armed forces under his command, and to arrest and confine such persons forming part of it as the Magistrate may direct, or as it may be necessary to arrest and confine in order to disperse the assembly or to have them punished according to law.” Law also says that “every such officer of the armed forces shall obey such requisition in such manner as he thinks fit, but in so doing he shall use as little force and do as little injury to person and property, as may be consistent with dispersing the assembly and arresting and detaining such persons.” Law and the standard operating procedure are clear. District Magistrates are the competent authority to requisition the Army as the local situation demands. After requisition, when the situation is handed over to the Army by a written order from the Magistrate, the Army is entirely in control with the officer-in-command in charge. Only that the Army is expected to bring the situation under control quickly and hand it back to the civil authorities and exit the scene.  The Army presence, at best, should be just about for a week.Under no circumstance can the Army be placed under the command of the police. This is an essential part of fair civil administration because the Army is expected to be totally impartial and unprejudiced while dealing with an explosive law and order situation, which might have arisen because of excess committed by the police resulting in a head-on confrontation with the rioting public. Neither is there any provision for “bulk requisitioning” of the Army by the Chief Secretary or the Chief Minister directly dealing with the Army Chief or the Defence Minister. These are serious distortions that have crept into basic governance over a period of time due to civil servants pandering to the whims of politicians.  The haste with which Army was deployed in Haryana by airlifting troops to Rohtak is another serious matter. Army is the last resort for quelling civilian riots, not the first one. What Haryana did is akin to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. What is strange is that Army Chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, who belongs to Haryana, appears to have taken personal interest in this “show of extreme force.” As the Eastern Army Commander, he had taken more than four days to move the Army when Kokrajhar and a few other districts of Assam were burning from communal violence and the death toll had crossed 100. District Magistrates there had requisitioned the force directly and the Army was already in deployment near district towns. Yet Suhag had cited procedures for the delay, which is contrary to the mandate of Section 130 CrPC. There is a lurking suspicion that he may have become an unwitting accomplice to a well-manipulated plan to silence democratic dissent sweeping all over the country.This has happened despite the presence of nearly 50 companies, or around 5,000 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the state, in addition to over 60,000 Haryana policemen, including Special Armed Police based in Madhuban near Karnal. In addition, there are several other paramilitary forces with huge strength whose services could have been requisitioned.The Army Doctrine-2004 clearly defines its role in national security and maintenance of law and order. The primary role is to preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and the unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war. The secondary role is to assist Government agencies to cope with “proxy war” and other internal threats and provide aid to civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose. Relegating the Army to its secondary role by constant troop deployment on internal security duties, dilutes the Army’s authority, corrupts ranks and compromises efficiency through lack of training. Besides, over time soldiers of the Army are looked upon merely as riot controllers in olive green, losing the respect and mystique they traditionally enjoyed. This also lulls the bloated civil police and paramilitary forces that continue to grow, but remain incapable of maintaining law and order. Haryana’s proud Jat community reducing themselves to seek charity from the government in the form of quota is bad enough. But resorting to such violence and rioting is a permanent blur on this martial community. There must very strong socio-economic compulsions for Jats to take to this inglorious path. Powers that be in Haryana must learn one lesson from this royal goof-up. That is, to properly diagnose the causes for this flare-up and take remedial steps before it is too late. Letting loose the Army’s might is certainly not the answer.The writer is a former IAS officer of the Haryana cadre.

Arteev Sharma,Tribune News Service.Jammu, January 15

Cross-border terrorism continues to bleed Jammu and Kashmir as the state has witnessed on an average eight terror-related incidents in a day during the past 25 years.During this period of turmoil and bloodbath, as many as 18,881 civilians and security personnel have been killed in over 69,000 terrorism-related incidents across the state since 1990, while around 21,800 terrorists have been gunned down in encounters with security forces during the period.This information was provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in response to an RTI application here.“A total of 69,387 terrorism-related incidents have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir till December 13 last year since 1990. However, the number of terror incidents has shown a declining trend after 2002. The highest number of terrorism-related incidents was reported in 1995 when the state saw 5,938 such incidents followed by 5,829 terror incidents in 1994. Only 170 incidents, the lowest-ever in past 25 years, were witnessed in 2013,” the Union Home Ministry said.It said a total of 13,920 civilians have fallen to the bullets of terrorists from across the border since 1990. “In 1990, 461 civilians lost their lives, while the highest number of civilians (1,341) fell to the bullets of terrorists in 1996 followed by 1,031 civilians in 1995. The civilian causalities, too, have recorded a declining trend after 2003,” it said.After the eruption of insurgency in J&K, the Centre had to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives sweeping powers to the armed forces to detain suspects and use force, as the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990, in the Kashmir valley in 1990 and the Jammu region in 2001, to deal with the terror situation.“A total of 4,922 security personnel laid down their lives while fighting terrorists during the past 25 years. Security forces suffered the maximum collateral damage in 2001 when 536 of their personnel were killed followed by 453 in 2002,” the Union Home Ministry said, adding that the collateral damaged being suffered by forces was significantly brought down in 2012 when only 15 personnel lost their lives. However, as many as 39 security personnel were killed last year till December 13.The security forces eliminated 21,777 terrorists till December 13 last year since 1990 and the maximum number of terrorists (2,020) was gunned down in 2001 followed by 1,707 terrorists in 2002. Last year alone, 105 terrorists were gunned by security personnel in the state.

Heavy casualties

• 4,922 security personnel laid down their lives while fighting terrorists during the past 25 years.
• Security forces suffered the maximum collateral damage in 2001 when 536 of their personnel were killed followed by 453 in 2002
• The collateral damaged was brought down in 2012 when 15 personnel lost their lives.
• 39 security personnel were killed last year till December 13.
• 461 civilians lost their lives in 1990. 1,341 and 1,031 civilians fell to terrorists’ bullets in 1996 and 1995, respectively.

All-women patrols along Himalayan frontier on the cards

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, January 15

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) is beefing up its strength on the Himalayan frontier with China by adding eight new battalions. Four of these battalions will be deployed in the Ladakh Sector and the remaining four in Arunachal Pradesh.“We will be getting the additional battalions for Ladakh first and thereafter for the north-east,” ITBP Director-General Krishna Chaudhary said on the sideline of a passing out parade of women constables at the force’s Basic Training Center at Ramgarh near here today. “The overall plan is to raise 16 new battalions of which these eight are being raised in the near future,” he added.He said at present the distance between border outposts (BOPs) along the Himalayas ranged up to 25 km, which will be reduced with the induction of new battalions and facilitate more effective border management.The ITBP is also planning all-women patrols along the border with China. It has decided to post women personnel on BOPs on regular border guarding and combat duties. “Initially, women would form part of joint patrols with men and once they get the desired experience, all women teams would be constituted for both short range and long range patrols,” a top officer said. Many of the newly inducted constables have been posted to battalions deployed on the front.The ITBP is deployed at altitudes ranging up to 18,000 feet in remote snow bound areas with temperatures remain below zero. To provide better amenities for its troops, the force is experimenting with a new design for BOPs in Ladakh, which would be centrally heated and have solar power back up and other facilities required to alleviate the tough conditions. The design is being vetted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.On the issue of transgressions across the Line of Actual Control, he reiterated that since the border is not demarcated, perceptions on both sides differ and patrolling is carried out accordingly and movements are monitored.

The Indian ex-servicemen movement has decided to take the Narendra Modi government to court for what they claim is a nonimplementation of the ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP) as agreed by the Ministry of Defence.

The Indian ex-servicemen movement has decided to take the Narendra Modi government to court for what they claim is a nonimplementation of the ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP) as agreed by the Ministry of Defence.

The veterans want the government to implement OROP as approved by the Koshiyari Committee of Parliament. The veterans have roped in experienced lawyer Ram Jethmalani to fight their case in the Supreme Court.

A group of veterans led by Major General (retd) Satbir Singh have been agitating for OROP implementation for the past 238 days at Jantar Mantar.

The governing body of the agitating veterans’ has decided to challenge the government in court and not submit its case to the one-man commission set up by the Modi government to look into the anomalies in OROP implementation.

Adverse effects

“We are in the final stages of our paperwork to be submitted in court. The government did not fulfill the promise made to veterans on OROP and we will challenge the government in a court of law for OROP,” Major General (retd) Satbir Singh told Mail Today. The veterans have also decided to continue their agitation at Jantar Mantar till OROP is implemented.

The government had on February 3 announced the notification of the tables regarding the implementation of OROP.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said that the annual recurring cost of OROP would be `7,500 crore and arrears from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015 would be an additional Rs 10,500 crore.

The government had claimed 86 per cent of this money would go to personnel below officer rank (PBOR).

“This is one rank five pensions. The government is silent on the equalisation of pensions. So within two years juniors will draw a higher pension than seniors, again defeating the purpose of OROP. The government has also cleared one increment less,” Singh claimed.

The agitating veterans are also miffed with the fact that instead of taking the highest pension at a particular rank and years in service as bench mark for OROP, the government has gone in for the average of pensions, which will affect the veterans adversely.

The government on the other hand insists OROP was finally granted for veterans by the Modi government after four decades of agitation by the veterans.

“Veterans have been agitating for OROP for the past 42 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled his promise to the veterans. Most are happy, only a section is agitating. They may approach the commission to discuss anomalies that remain,” a senior MoD official said.

The defence budget for pension is estimated to go up from Rs 54,000 crore to around Rs 65,000 crore, that is by almost 20 per cent, on account of OROP.

Government sources are of the opinion that some of the agitating veterans are politically inclined and will keep up their protests ahead of the crucial Punjab elections to create trouble for the government.

“If there are anomalies then the one-man commission, that has been set up, will address them and come up with necessary solutions within six months. Instead of agitating on streets the veterans should submit their issues to the commission,” sources at MoD said.

The war for these veterans is far from over.

Ajay Banerjee,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 15

India and France are not likely to ink the much-awaited deal for the Rafale fighter jets when French President Francois Hollande arrives in India on a three-day visit as chief guest at the Republic Day function. As some issues still remain, India will go for a better price than take a hasty step at this stage, top sources said, indicating the deal may not be inked during Hollande’s visit.In April last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a “fly-away” condition. After that, the cost negotiation committee met to fix a price for the jets and also the arsenal. Initially, the IAF had projected the need for 126 such fighter jets and a global tender was floated, which is now in cold storage after the decision to buy Rafale was announced.Already faced with a dwindling fleet of fighter jets, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally told the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it needs at least 80 Rafale-type multi-role combat fighter jets to be battle ready in the next few years. These need not be the Rafale, but should be jets of similar capability.The IAF has conveyed the need for five squadrons and estimated a squadron at 16 jets each, instead of the normal number of 18 jets, as the Rafale with its high-end technology is available to fly at short notice and has a shorter maintenance “turn-around”.This works out to be 80 jets of Rafale or planes of such type. The number is more in tune with creating minimum facilities for servicing and training of pilots and on-ground technicians. A “mere” 36 jets – presently on order — would not meet the shortfall due to the phasing out of fleet of MiG-21 and MiG-27 jets by 2022. There are some 260 obsolete MiG-21s and MiG-27s (Soviet Union-era single-engine fighter jets) in the fleet. The IAF needs 400 jets over the next 10 years. As of now, the IAF has 35 fighter jet squadrons (having 16-18 planes each) against its projected requirement of 42 squadrons to tackle any simultaneous war with China and Pakistan.

Punjab and Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki felicitates a cadet at the Haryana Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. A Tribune photograph

Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, February 4

NCC cadets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, who participated in the national-level Republic Day camp in New Delhi last month, were honoured by the Governor of Haryana and Punjab, Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki, at a function held at the Haryana Raj Bhawan here today.The Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate had won the Prime Minister’s Championship Banner — 2016 among 17 directorates for the second time consecutively.The contingent of the Directorate comprised 53 cadets from Punjab, 39 cadets from Haryana and 11 cadets from Chandigarh.The Governor announced a cash incentive of Rs 11,000 to each cadet of Haryana who participated in the camp and an award of Rs 51,000 to cadet Sonika of the Hisar Girls’ Battalion for representing the country and winning a silver medal at the Asian Shooting Championship held in Kuwait recently.Maj Gen GS Chima, Additional Director General, NCC, Vijai Vardhan, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education, Haryana, Mohammad Rafi, from the office of the Director Public Instruction (DPI), Punjab, and Rubinderjit Singh Brar, DPI, Chandigarh, were also present.

Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 8

In a first, a military contingent of a foreign country will take part in the Republic Day Parade on January 26. A contingent of the French army, which is already in India for a joint military exercise, will take part in the parade along with Indian armed forces.In 2009, the Indian armed forces had achieved a similar landmark when a contingent led the massive Bastille Day military parade down Paris’s majestic Champs Elysee. Then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was the Chief Guest of Honour in that event. This year, French President Francois Hollande will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. This will be the fifth time that a French leader will be a chief guest at R-Day celebrations.

100 flights delayed

• Dense fog blanketed many areas in and around Delhi on Friday with poor visibility affecting over 100 flights and hitting rail traffic
• The Northern Railway said 24 trains were cancelled, 16 others were running late and 11 were rescheduled due to the fog which severely curtailed visibility