Synergy between navies will bolster maritime security

The prolonged standoff between Indian and Chinese troops was confined to the Line of Actual Control, but there is another expanse where things are not looking hunky-dory. In his address at the Raisina Dialogue on Wednesday, the Navy Chief, Admiral Karambir Singh, said it was not surprising that China was trying to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean region as ‘its energy sources, markets and resources are located to the west’. He acknowledged that most threats in the maritime domain were transnational and it was not possible for any nation to go solo. The Admiral stated that the navies of the Quad countries — India, Australia, Japan and the US — had the capability and capacity to come together almost in a ‘plug and play’ manner. This assertion reaffirms the growing clout of the Quad, which held its first summit-level talks last month. The four-nation alliance is perceived to be a countervailing force against China’s rampant muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region, though its members insist that there are several areas of convergence — right from vaccine collaboration, climate action, maritime security and emerging technologies to counter-terrorism.

In an impressive show of strength and synergy, the Quad navies had carried out the Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in November last year. The four nations have repeatedly pledged to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order. While China has every reason to be wary of the grouping, India’s old ally Russia is far from enthused by it, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referring to it as an ‘Asian NATO’ with apparently militaristic designs.

Despite the time-tested ties with Moscow, New Delhi has been quick to counter criticism of the Quad. During the India-Australia-France trilateral dialogue on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made it clear that the purpose of coming together was to find ways of working for national, regional and global benefit. India is rightly banking on the Quad to safeguard its strategic and economic interests. As long as the arrangement is mutually beneficial, it seems to be a win-win situation for all members.

Said he was firm on his decision even though the CM had tried to convince him to remain in service

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 15

After meeting Governor VP Singh Badnore, IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Friday indicated that he was firm on resigning and had convinced Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of the same. 

The meeting with the Governor started at 11:32 am, confirmed an official of the Governor’s office.

The IG had recently resigned from the police service after an adverse order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the Kotkapura police firing case. His resignation was, however, rejected by the Punjab Chief Minister.

Also read: Bargari sacrilege cases: Navjot Sidhu wants SIT findings made public

The IG was the key investigator in the case that was probed by a five-member SIT.

After the meeting with the Governor, Partap said the meeting was “routine and in his private capacity.” 

On the status of his premature retirement application to the Chief Minister, he said he was firm on his decision even though the CM had tried to convince him to remain in service. Pratap added that he had assured the CM that he would continue to assist the SIT from outside, whenever the government takes any concrete step in the direction. 

The IG’s resolution has started creating a crisis for the Congress government. Congress leaders fear that the IG’s retirement over the SIT probe would work towards the party’s disadvantage in the upcoming 2022 elections.

Photo for representation only. Tribune file

Jammu, April 15

A man, who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control into India, was on Thursday sent back to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on humanitarian grounds, officials said.

The Indian Army handed over Ghulam Qadir to authorities in PoK at the Poonch-Rawalakote crossing point in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, they said.

The officials said the handover of Qadir, a resident of Ghim village in PoK’s Nikial area, took place around 11.55 am on Thursday at the crossing point on the Line of Control.

Qadir, who inadvertently entered India on April 11, was sent back on humanitarian grounds, they said. PTI

Opening of Atal Tunnel facilitates tourists’easy access to other snow-laden high passes

Patseu, Zingzingbar and Bharatpur City are attractive tourist attractions on the way to Baralacha

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, APRIL 15

If the tourists visiting Kullu-Manali are unable to visit the 13,058-feet high Rohtang Pass when it is out of bounds due to heavy snow, they now have the option of visiting the Baralacha Pass (16,040 feet) or Shinku La (16,600 feet) in the Lahaul valley through Atal Tunnel in one day from Manali.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) set a record this year by restoring the Manali-Leh route much ahead of the normal time in March. As a result, tourists will be able to enjoy pleasant journey of the Manali-Leh road.

Darcha is 101 km from Manali and the Baralacha Pass is 45 km from Darcha. Tourist places like Patseu, Zingzingbar and Bharatpur City are also attractive tourist attractions on the way to Baralacha. Shinku La is 40 km from Darcha on the Zanskar-Padum route and it connects border areas of Ladakh to Himachal. As these passes remain covered with snow throughout the year, tourists can enjoy snow even in summers.

The snow from the Rohtang Pass is expected to melt early this year as the region witnessed lesser snowfall in the winter but the visitors will be able to witness the snow at the Baralacha and Shinku La passes during the summers.

The travel from Manali to Baralacha or Shinku La will be less cumbersome as the BRO, working relentlessly, has improved the condition of the road. A resident of Manali said tourists would be able to undertake the journey to these passes within one day from Manali. He said new tourist destinations were likely to emerge as tourist footfall in the Lahaul valley was increasing in the wake of the opening of Atal Tunnel.

There are arrangements for stay of tourists in Darcha, Jispa, Gemur, Keylong and Sissu in Lahaul. The government has also registered more than 400 homestays in the Lahaul valley and tourists can also stay in these units.

At present the tourists are rushing to the Lahaul valley to witness snow as the Rohtang Pass has not been thrown open yet. The BRO is yet to undertake the snow-clearance operation on the Manali-Rohtang road as Atal Tunnel has already been thrown open. Commander Colonel, 38 Border Road Task Force Uma Shankar, said there was forecast of snowfall in the coming days and road clearance to Rohtang Pass will be done after that.

Heavy police force deployed at toll while farmers continue to stage dharna

Farmers stage dharna at Rohad toll plaza in Jhajjar district. Tribune photo

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Jhajjar, April 15

The protesting farmers continued to stage dharna at the Aasoda toll plaza on the KMP Expressway for the second day on Thursday in order to foil any attempt made by the administration to restart the plaza while the police have booked 125 farmers in connection with the closure of the toll plaza yesterday.

In the police complaint lodged by Prem Chand, Senior Manager (KMP expressway project), the farmers have been accused of manhandling the toll plaza employees and threatening them of dire consequence.

The complaint also alleged that the protesters also disconnected the wires of toll booths.

A case under section 109 (abetment), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharging duty), 188 (disobedience to the orders), 427 (mischief causing damage), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 283 (danger or obstruction in public way) has been registered against Rakesh of Jind, Vikas of Hisar, Suman Hooda of Gurugram, Narendra Ahlawat of Gochhi (Jhajjar), Jasvir Bhatti and Ballu Mandothi along with 125 others.

The administration had reactivated the Aasoda toll plaza on Tuesday in the presence of heavy police force.

Next day, the farmers forced the toll employees not to charge the toll from commuters and ensured free passage to the commuters.  

Meanwhile, BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the police action was nothing except a scare tactic but they were not afraid of it and would ensure closure of the toll plazas across the state.

“The police case will not affect our spirit in any manner as we are fighting a battle for a noble cause. Today too, we staged dharna at Aasoda toll plaza as a large number of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed there with an intention to reactivate the toll but we will not let the administration to do so,” said Suman.

Jasbir Singh, SHO, Aasoda police station, said the case would be probed before arresting the accused.

Some farmers allegedly saw a man running away; police verifying claim

A fire broke out at farmers’ protest site at Singhu border.

Sonepat, April 15

Three to four temporary structures were damaged in a fire on Thursday at a protest site in Haryana’s Kundli area where farmers are demanding the repeal of the Centre’s three agri laws.

A fire department official said the cause of the fire is being ascertained.

However, farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa alleged that there was a conspiracy and someone had deliberately started the fire.

“Some farmers saw a man running away,” he said.

A police official said claims of the farmers are being investigated.

The fire was put out by the fire fighters and farmers had also assisted in the operation, he said.

Sirsa said that refrigerators, fans, cots and other articles were damaged in the fire.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping since last year at three border points of Delhi—Singhu, Tikri (along Haryana), and Ghazipur—demanding a repeal of the three farm laws enacted by the Centre in September.

The Centre says the new farm laws will free farmers from middlemen, giving them more options to sell their crops.

The protesting farmers, however, say the laws will weaken the minimum support price (MSP) system and leave them at the mercy of big corporates. PTI

Biden and the US first lady were joined by several lawmakers in greeting Indian-Americans

Joe Biden. Reuters file

Washington, April 14

US President Joe Biden led his country in greeting Indian-Americans, South Asians and Southeast Asians on the eve of their New Year.

“(First Lady) Jill (Biden) and I send our warmest wishes to the South Asian and Southeast Asian communities who are celebrating Vaisakhi, Navratri, Songkran and the incoming New Year this week. Happy Bengali, Cambodian, Lao, Myanmarese, Nepali, Sinhalese, Tamil, Thai, and Vishu New Year!” Biden said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Biden and the US first lady were joined by several lawmakers in greeting Indian-Americans and Sikhs on the occasion of Baisakhi

“Wishing a happy and healthy Vaisakhi to the Sikh community celebrating across the country!” Indian=American Congressman Ami Bera said.

Another Indian-American lawmaker, Ro Khanna, tweeted, “Wishing the Sikh community in America and around the world a happy Vaisakhi!”

“Wishing a happy Vaisakhi to all those celebrating in New Jersey and around the world!” said Congressman Frank Pallone.

Pallone and Congressman John Garamendi have introduced a resolution honouring the Sikh community’s celebration of Baisakhi.

“Wishing a happy Vaisakhi to all the Sikhs and Sikh Americans celebrating in Illinois and across the world,” tweeted Senator Dick Durbin.

“Warm wishes on Vaisakhi to everyone in the Sikh community who call New Jersey home. This is a time to focus on what matters most – family and standing in solidarity with our neighbours,” said Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. PTI

Kin claim that the victim suffered gunshot injuries to his head

Hardip Singh Dibdiba (centre), grandfather of Navreet Singh who died riding a tractor on January 26. File photo

New Delhi, April 15

The Delhi High Court Thursday granted time to the family of a 25-year-old farmer, who died after his tractor overturned during the farmers’ protest rally on the Republic Day, to seek opinion of experts on his post mortem and X-Ray reports.

Justice Yogesh Khanna also asked the Delhi Police to allow the family to view the CCTV footage of the spot where the incident took place, whenever they want to.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on July 26.

The high court was hearing a plea by deceased Navreet Singh’s grandfather—Hardeep Singh—claiming that the victim suffered gunshot injuries to his head. His post mortem was conducted at Rampur district hospital in Uttar Pradesh.

However, both the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police had told the court that Navreet Singh did not suffer any gunshot wounds.

During the hearing, advocates Vrinda Grover and Soutik Banerjee, representing Hardeep Singh, said the family needs time to seek experts’ evaluation of the material provided to them by the police which included post mortem report and video and X-ray report of the deceased.

The high court had earlier directed the Delhi health secretary to constitute a board of medical and forensic experts and also a radiologist to examine the X-Ray report of Navreet Singh.https://00632b8702ced1855edcad2bacc5aea6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

It had also asked the doctors of Maulana Azad Medical College here to prepare the X-Ray report from the original X-Ray plate which has been received by Delhi Police from the Uttar Pradesh police.

Delhi Police had earlier said that according to the post-mortem report the young farmer died due to a head injury as a result of the accident and all his injuries were possible in a road accident.

The petition has sought a court-monitored SIT probe into the death of the young farmer.

Delhi Police has relied upon the footage collected from CCTV cameras located at the site—Deen Dayal Upadhyay marg—where the young farmer died and said that he was driving the tractor at high speed and the vehicle overturned after hitting the barricades.

It had said that the footage also shows that the police personnel were running away for safety from the speeding tractor and that none of them fired upon the vehicle or the driver.  

Delhi Police had also said that CCTV footage further indicated that the protestors did not take the injured Navreet Singh to any nearby hospital and instead they attacked the ambulances that reached the site after hearing about the accident.

It had said that the protestors kept his body on the road for five hours and then spread rumours that he was killed in police firing.

The petitioner’s counsel had earlier contended that the way Delhi Police has conducted itself in the matter “does not inspire a shred of confidence”.

She had argued that this indicated that the victim lost control of the tractor and it overturned as he was shot by the police personnel.

According to the police, the man had died as his tractor overturned at ITO where many farmers participating in the tractor parade had reached from the Ghazipur border after taking a detour of the pre-agreed route for the march.

The police had claimed that the man was driving the tractor and he came under the vehicle as it overturned.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at the Delhi border points—Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur—for over four months, demanding the repeal of new farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price(MSP) for their crops.

The protesting farmers clashed with the police in the national capital on January 26 during a tractor parade to highlight their demands. PTI

Several western strategists had targeted Beijing for coercion, repression

Photo for representation. — iStock

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 15

The Chinese embassy here has sought to counter remarks made against Beijing during the ongoing Raisina Dialogue by several western political and military leaders whose participation is high as this year’s version is fully digital.

The Chinese embassy spokesperson Wang Xiaojian protested remarks made by US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Phil Davidson and others about Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, by describing happenings in these regions as China’s internal affairs. “Making baseless and irresponsible remarks is not acceptable. We are firmly opposed to interference in China’s internal affairs by any country or anyone under any pretext,” he said.

Wang also objected to some western officials stating that ‘China does not share our values’. “China has being calling for upholding values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom. Aren’t these the values that all of us should be committed to,” he asked. 

Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba made revelation during a virtual discussion

Dubai, April 15

The United Arab Emirates played a role in bringing down the tension between India and Pakistan and getting their bilateral ties back to a “healthy functional relationship”, Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba has said.

“They might not sort of become best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it’s functional, where it’s operational, where they are speaking to each other,” al-Otaiba said during a virtual discussion with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution on Wednesday.

India and Pakistan in a surprise announcement said on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors. 

Al-Otaiba himself brought up the issue while responding to a question, acknowledging his country’s role in “bringing Kashmir escalation down” between the two neighbours.

“We try to be helpful where we have influence with two different countries. So, India and Pakistan was the most recent one…,” he said.

“We don’t think they are going to become the most favoured nation to each other, but I think it’s important for them to have a healthy functional relationship,” he added.

In New Delhi, asked about media reports that backchannel talks between India and Pakistan were going on for more than a year, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi did not give a direct reply.

“If you talk about channels of communication on this issue, let me just recall that our respective high commissions exist and are functioning. So that is a very effective channel of communication,” Bagchi said on April 9.

India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

On the same day, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman stopped short of categorically denying its involvement in some kind of backchannel talks with India.

Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry at the weekly press briefing on April 9 was asked by several journalists about reported backchannel talks with India.

Instead of rejecting it outrightly he said: “States have their ways and means to communicate which remain available even during wars. Therefore, whether any talks are taking place between India and Pakistan is not important.”     

He added that the real issue was what should be discussed between the two countries and how the dialogue could be made meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country.

Subsequent attacks, including one on Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The relationship dipped further after India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

The relations deteriorated after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August, 2019.

Last month, Pakistan’s powerful Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that it was time for India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward” as he asserted that the peace between the two neighbours would help to “unlock” the potential of South and Central Asia.

The powerful army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.