Former Short Service Commission officers address mediapersons in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Manoj Mahajan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 8
Former Short Service Commission (SSC) officers today reiterated their demand for grant of pro-rata pension as well as facilities for medical treatment on similar lines as are being given to regular defence service officers.
Speaking to mediapersons here today, several released SSC officers said they had met the Defence Minister as well as the Chief of Army Staff several times in this regard, but even after many years their efforts had gone in vain.
The SSC officers said the provision of medical treatment in military hospitals was arbitrarily withdrawn in 2009. Though the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal directed the Ministry of Defence in 2010 to restore the facilities, the order has been challenged before the Supreme Court, where it is still pending.
Demanding that the status of ex-servicemen be granted to released SSC officers, they said they also lost out other benefits such as reservation for their wards in admission to educational institutes and resettlement schemes.
They averred that If this discrimination continues, it may have an adverse impact on talented youth getting attracted to SSC, which is the need of the hour to cover up a big shortage of officers in Armed Forces.
Renovation of the historic Jallianwala Bagh has residents and the Centre in the cross hairs. Tribune correspondent PK Jaiswar and lensman Sunil Kumar give a glimpse of the renovated memorial where reportedly 1,000 persons were martyred and 1,200 left injured on the day of Baisakhi in 1919
Historians allege that the original character of a memorial built in memory of the martyrs of the ghastly massacre has been massively tampered with.
Earlier, too, renovation of the Jallianwala Bagh had sparked protests. A decade ago, an open air theatre was developed and light and sound show was started, which featured a voiceover of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.
People from different walks of life had gathered to protest against the arrest of Dr Saifudin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal, who were agitating against the Rowlatt Act, at the Jallianwala Bagh on the day of Baisakhi on April 13, 1919.
Dozens of troops led by Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer mercilessly had gunned down the protesters by blocking the only entry and exit point of the Jallianwala Bagh.
Following renovation of one-and-a-half years, the Jallianwala Bagh was virtually thrown open on August 28 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also a Chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust. Four new galleries have come up, besides a salvation ground.
Both walls of the narrow street, which act as an entrance, have been embossed with murals that depict people from all walks of life who came to the Jallianwala Bagh to participate in the protest. The narrow lane was never altered earlier. Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer and his troops had blocked this very entry and exit point. This made it impossible for thousands of people to escape from bullets being showered by troops. The entrance now has a new flooring.The façade of the historic well is also renovated. Glass panels have been installed around it where hundreds of martyrs jumped to escape firing by the British soldiers. The Nanakshahi bricks have been replaced by plaster on the well.Now, separate entry and exit points have been developed at the Jallianwala Bagh. Earlier, there was only one entry and exit point.Visitors watch a documentary, which tells about history of the freedom struggle and the World War-I. Similarly, other galleries inform about the unity among people during the freedom movement.The same gallery also informs about history from the first Sikh Master Guru Nanak Dev to the 10th Sikh Master Guru Gobind Singh, who laid the foundation of Khalsa Panth. The gallery features Sikh General Banda Singh Bahadur and Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.One of the galleries depicting ancient civilisation of Punjab, then a part of Sapt-Sindhu region, comprising Sarasvati, Sindhu, Jhelum, Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab and Beas rivers.Immediately after entering the Jallianwala Bagh from the narrow lane, a ‘Jalkund’ made of granite stone is placed. Earlier, there was a fountain, at this particular spot.Visitors reading the account of Ratna Devi, who was one of the survivors. This space has been dedicated to the survivors of this gory tragedy.Tourists look at the bullet marks on a wall at the Jallianwala Bagh. Wooden grills have been installed so that no one touches these spots, which have been highlighted with white colour.A salvation ground has been developed, which features black granite pillar type structures in order to pay homage to the martyrs. The granite pillars have quotes of freedom fighters, including Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Udham Singh and poet Mohammad Iqbal.
Place for Haqqani group in scheme of things worrisome
The all-male Cabinet features UN-designated terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has a $10-million US bounty on his head, as the interior minister. File photo
The Taliban’s moderate façade has crumbled overnight with their announcement of a hardline interim government in Afghanistan. The all-male Cabinet features UN-designated terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has a $10-million US bounty on his head, as the interior minister. Sirajuddin is the son of warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, who founded the Haqqani Network (HQN) — an insurgent group based in North Waziristan, Pakistan. Sirajuddin’s uncle Khalil Haqqani has been appointed as the acting minister for refugees. In 2012, the US had designated the HQN as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation because of its links with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and its role in attacks on US military personnel and civilians as well as on western interests in Afghanistan. The HQN also figures on the UN sanctions list under Resolution 1267, wherein it is described as a group ‘responsible for suicide attacks and targeted assassinations as well as kidnappings in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan’. With their patronage of this entity, the Taliban have cocked a snook not only at the US but also at the international community.
The HQN’s ties with the Pakistani security establishment are an open secret. The group is counted among the major proxies that are backed by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Af-Pak region. Sirajuddin’s elevation has clearly revealed Pakistan’s influence on the Taliban’s decision-making. The government formation has ruffled many feathers in America, with the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the US House of Representatives, calling it ‘a government of terrorists, by the terrorists, and for the terrorists.’
The developments make it imperative for India to up the ante against Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan and engage more cautiously with the unreliable Taliban. The upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tajikistan offers New Delhi an opportunity to call out Islamabad for its machinations that threaten to destabilise the entire region.
Anas Haqqani, youngest son of the founder of the anti-India Haqqani network, Jalaludin Haqqani, stated that Kashmir was beyond its jurisdiction. But the Taliban spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, said they have the right to raise their voice for Muslims in Kashmir. Will Pakistan allow good relations to materialise between India and the Taliban as such a development would increase the Taliban’s strategic autonomy?
NEW THREAT: The danger of surplus Taliban cadre trying to infiltrate into J&K will be a challenge for security forces. Reuters
Maj Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd)
Military Commentator
AN old story about hordes of surplus Taliban invading J&K which periodically repeats itself is moving full circle. This time though, the government has issued an alert, warning all states and Central armed paramilitary forces that armed terrorists from Afghanistan could attempt to aggressively infiltrate into India, especially J&K. Threats to Kashmir oscillate, either due to adverse developments in Afghanistan or a steep dip in India-Pakistan relations. In 1996, when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was first established, fears of such a contingency were re-kindled when insurgency in J&K was on the boil. But the Army commanders were confident of combating fresh incursions. The terrorist population then had peaked at 3,500, compared to less than 200 insurgents active today. India has nearly 75 years’ experience in battling cross-border terrorism in J&K, making it the longest active insurgency of our times.
Fast forward to August 15, 2021: No one honestly forecast the catastrophic collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) because as late as in June, the ANSF fought and won multiple battles, losing 157 soldiers. The 3333 and 4444 Special Force units trained and created by the British SAS were feared by the Taliban. So, the ANSF was not defeated but reasons other than military prowess were responsible for its melting. With the Panjshir resistance over-powered, the Taliban territorial control of Afghanistan is complete unlike in 1996. Now, hundreds if not thousands of Taliban will become surplus to Pakistan’s Afghanistan project: acquisition of strategic depth in the west, neutralising the second front and transferring military assets to the east, ending collusion between R&AW and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, and reviving the Kashmir Intifada.
What do the Taliban leaders, severely divided about power-sharing and who consider Pakistan as their second home, say about India? They are equivocal: some are saying they want friendly relations with India and would like it to complete the pending projects. They are prepared to forget that India helped the old regime of Ashraf Ghani and gave shelter to some of them, but they do not want India to play any military role, suggesting that any assistance to the residual Resistance Forces will not go unpunished.
In a surprising turn of events, Anas Haqqani, youngest son of the founder of the anti-India Haqqani network, Jalaludin Haqqani, told a news channel that Kashmir was beyond its jurisdiction. But Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said they had the right to raise their voice for Muslims in Kashmir. Most major attacks against the Indian assets in Afghanistan have been executed by the Haqqanis, who were described by former US Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, as a veritable arm of the ISI. Some Taliban statements are in sync with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s (also called Taliban Khan) who has described the Taliban victory as breaking the shackles of slavery. He has used a similar language to incite revolt in Kashmir. Neelam Irshad Sheikh, a leader from Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has even said she hoped the Taliban will help us in Kashmir. Will Pakistan allow good relations to materialise between India and the Taliban as such a development would increase the Taliban’s strategic autonomy? India must be wary of the Taliban’s mixed signalling.
Verify and trust and be guided by deeds, not words, should be the Indian mantra for now. GoC, 15 Corps, in Kashmir valley, Lt Gen DP Pandey said last month after the fall of Kabul that India has no problem dealing with the new threat emanating from the surplus in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in his lectures last month at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and to a public gathering in Chandigarh, has said that India was re-wiring its Afghanistan policy. Like several of Pandey’s predecessors (they change in 14 months now), he is quoting the party line without elaborating the new threat. On its surface, Kashmir has been pacified: terrorists reduced to less than 200 from a high of 3,500 insurgents in 2001. But the horrors of lockdown post-revocation of Article 370 coupled with the trauma of Covid-19 have emotionally and physically pulverised the people. In the absence of a political process, the Kashmiri awam is also alienated and anguished. They call the reading down of Article 370 as a betrayal of Kashmir. Mark the word ‘betrayal’!
China and Pakistan have created a potential two-front situation with Kashmir as an add-on. More likely, if there is a concerted cross-LoC assault — replicating the 1965 Operation Gibraltar or its abridged version, the new threat will be driven by skilled and an experienced Taliban, adept in suicide missions and fortified with American weapons, though bereft of the Afghanistan level of motivation. The Taliban are known to have employed multiple human bombers, a deadly technique also used by the ISIS. According to the Long War Journal, the Afghanistan-Pakistan area holds the world record in suicide bombings using innovative techniques. Though no numbers are given, it is estimated that upwards of 1,000 suicide missions have been carried out. The Indian security forces have dealt with explosives-laden car bombs, the latest at Pulwama, or the less potent, improvised explosive device (IED) or fidayeen, but never a terrorist wired as a human bomber. Add to this, the crucial factor of local support, which in 1965 was absent, will be decisive.
It took Israel five years (2005-2010) to end the Intifada II and III (spearheaded by human bombers) through human intelligence to intercept and defuse the bomber before he could reach his target. Are our security forces prepared for this ultimate terrorist challenge?
Niki Sumi, the self-styled military adviser of NSCN-K. PTI file
New Delhi, September 8
The Centre on Wednesday signed a ceasefire pact with a faction of the Naga insurgent group NSCN led by Niki Sumi, against whom the NIA had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for allegedly killing 18 Indian soldiers in Manipur in 2015.
The peace pact will come into effect from September 8 for a year and more than 200 cadres of this group have surrendered with 83 weapons. A Home Ministry statement said the agreement was a significant step in the Naga peace process and in making the Northeast insurgency-free.
“In fulfilling the vision of PM Modi of an ‘insurgency-free and prosperous North East,’ under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Government of India has entered into a ceasefire agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) Niki Group,” it read. — PTI
For first time, transport aircraft will be made in India by private firm
Photo for representational purpose only. File photo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 8
The Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday approved the procurement of 56 military transport aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus at a cost of nearly Rs 21,000 crore ($2.8 billion).
The C-295MW plane is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.
Will replace IAF’s Avro
All 56 aircraft to be installed with indigenous electronic warfare suite
Will have 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology
Tata-Airbus project
16 planes in flyaway condition to be delivered by Airbus in 48 months
40 to be made in India by Tata Consortium within 10 years
Sixteen of the aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition from the Airbus unit in Spain within 48 months of signing of the contract. The remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by Tata Consortium within 10 years of signing of the contract.
This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. All 56 aircraft will be installed with indigenous electronic warfare suite.
A large number of parts, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are scheduled to be manufactured in India. The programme will act as a catalyst in employment generation in the aerospace ecosystem of the country and is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs and an additional 3,000 medium skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man hours of work within the aerospace and defence sector of India, the Ministry of Defence claimed.
IAF Chief: Indigenous tech vital to counter China threat
Indigenously developed critical technologies will be vital in tackling threats from the northern borders of India, said Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Wednesday.
“The introduction of asymmetric technological capabilities into the air force remains a challenge, looking at our northern neighbours — China — we have to have niche capabilities and niche technologies which must be built in-house by our industry for reasons of security,” he said.
Plan to procure 350 aircraft in 2 decades
The IAF is looking at buying 350 fixed wing aircraft from local industry over next two decades
These include 83 Tejas fighter jets made by Hindustan Aeronautics
“Whatever new surprises we can spring in the next conflict will be critical. This is a challenge and we should start looking at this challenge straight away,” said the IAF Chief, while speaking at a conference organised by the Society for Indian Defence Manufacturers and the Centre for Air Power Studies.
He said the success of the Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) had redefined the core of aviation technology. “The IAF has about 16 types of parts that have been 3D-printed, which will go for air worthiness,” he said.
Modi hosts India Paralympic contingent, presented with autographed stole
India’s Paralympians presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an autographed stole on Thursday during a breakfast hosted by him to felicitate the contingent at his residence here.
The Indian para-athletes returned from Tokyo on the back of a sensational campaign that saw them win an unparalleled 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze.
This was the country’s best-eveParalympics campaign as it finished 24th in the overall tally.
The PM was presented with a white stole signed by all the medal winners, which he was seen wearing around his neck.
Modi, who has been the first to congratulate the para-athletes on call after their medal winning feats, was seen talking to shuttlers Suhas Yathiraj, the District Magistrate of Noida, who won a silver, gold medallist Krishna Nagar (badminton) and young Palak Kohli (badminton).
Indian shuttlers bagged four medals including two gold, in para badminton, which made its debut in the Paralympics.
Shooters Avani Lekhara and Singhraj Adana, who both won two medals each in the Tokyo Games, also chatted with the PM.
Lekhara, who was paralysed waist down after being involved in an accident, had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold before adding a bronze to her kitty.
The 39-year-old Adana, who is afflicted with polio, clinched a silver and a bronze.
The PM also interacted with veteran javelin thrower Davendra Jhajharia and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won gold medals in 2016 Rio Games. The duo finished on podium again, this time with silver medals.
Also, present were table tennis player Bhavina Patel, who won a silver, and bronze medallist recurve archer Harvinder Singh. PT
Rajnath, Gadkari inaugurate emergency landing strip for IAF planes on national highway in Barmer
The two ministers also witness multiple aircraft operations on the emergency landing facility of NH-295
An-32 military transport aircraft and Mi-17v5 helicopter of the IAF also landed at the ELF, showing its complete operational readiness to act as an auxiliary military airbase. Photo credit: Twitter/@rajnathsingh
Barmer, September 9
Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated an emergency landing strip at Satta-Gandhav stretch on National Highway 925 here on Thursday for Indian Air Force (IAF) planes.
A Hercules C-130J plane of the IAF, carrying the two ministers and Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, conducted a mock emergency landing on the national highway on Thursday. NH-925 is India’s first national highway to be used for emergency landing of IAF aircraft.
The two ministers also witnessed multiple aircraft operations on the emergency landing facility (ELF) of NH-295 on Thursday.
Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet also conducted a mock emergency landing at the ELF in front of the two ministers.
An-32 military transport aircraft and Mi-17v5 helicopter of the IAF also landed at the ELF, showing its complete operational readiness to act as an auxiliary military airbase.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed the 3-km section of Satta-Gandhav stretch of NH-925 as an ELF for the IAF. In October 2017, fighter jets and transport planes of the IAF had conducted mock landings on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway to show that such highways can be used by the IAF planes for landing in case of an emergency.
The Lucknow-Agra Expressway, which is not a national highway, comes under the Uttar Pradesh government.
Officials told PTI a total of 27 other highways, apart from the one in Barmer, are being currently studied jointly by the IAF and the NHAI to see if emergency landing strips can be developed on them.
The emergency landing strip, which was inaugurated on Thursday, is part of newly developed two-lane paved shoulder of Gagariya-Bakhasar and Satta-Gandhav section having total length of 196.97 km and costing Rs 765.52 crore under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
This highway project will improve connectivity between villages of Barmer and Jalore districts located on the international border.
Apart from the emergency landing strip, three helipads (size 100×30 metres each) have been constructed in Kundanpura, Singhania and Bakhasar villages under this project, according to the requirements of the IAF and the Indian Army. PTI
You will stay in our hearts forever: Sidharth Malhotra on Captain Vikram Batra’s birth anniversary
Malhotra, who essayed Captain Batra’s role in a recent biopic, pens an emotional note on the war hero’s birth anniversary
Sidharth Malhotra essayed Captain Batra’s role in a recent biopic.
Mumbai, September 9
Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra on Thursday paid tribute to Captain Vikram Batra on his 47th birth anniversary saying the Kargil war hero would “forever” stay in the hearts of people.
Malhotra, who essayed Captain Batra’s role in a recent biopic, penned an emotional note on the war hero’s birth anniversary.
“They say that those who touch our lives stay in our hearts forever. And Captain Vikram Batra, you have touched our lives immensely with your valour, wisdom, charm & love for the nation. You will stay in our hearts forever…In your loving memory, Jai Hind,” he wrote, alongside a collage photo of Captain Batra.
Known for his bravery, Captain Batra died fighting Pakistani forces during the Kargil war in 1999 at the age of 24.
He was given the highest wartime gallantry award Param Vir Chakra posthumously.
‘Shershaah’, based on the life of Captain Batra with Malholtra in the lead role, released on Amazon Prime Video on August 12.
The film, which takes its title from the war hero’s code name, is directed by Vishnu Varadhan. Actor Kiara Advani was seen in the role of Captain Batra’s fiancee Dimple Cheema in the movie. PTI
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Paralympics campaign as it finished 24th in the overall tally.
