Terrorists, however, tried to infiltrate across the LoC on two occasions this week, but there was no firing by the Pakistani army.

Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 9

There has not been a single incident of firing across the Line of Control (LoC) ever since India and Pakistan agreed to uphold the ceasefire along the LoC more than four months ago.

Terrorists, however, tried to infiltrate across the LoC on two occasions this week, but there was no firing by the Pakistani army. A gunfight had ensued with terrorists on both occasions.

2 attempts, no breach

Terrorists tried to infiltrate across the LoC on two occasions this week, but there was no firing by the Pak army. A gunfight had ensued with terrorists on both occasions.

Usually, firing across the LoC, described as ceasefire violation in military parlance, is done by the Pakistani army to enable terrorists to infiltrate across the 749-km-long LoC or to hit villages on the Indian side.

The two attempts by armed terrorists to infiltrate were the first since February 25 this year when a ceasefire understanding was reached by Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan had announced to “strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire” along the LoC.

The ceasefire was first announced in 2003 and is followed more in the breach, with thousands cases of firing across the LoC by both sides.

India has made it clear that ceasefire agreement does not mean the system to monitor infiltration and counter terrorists at the LoC will stop functioning. Sources say the instructions to commanders on the ground are “don’t drop guard”.

On July 1, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane had said there had been marked changed since the ceasefire had held. It has been noted in security circles that infiltration attempts, made after the Army Chief made his remarks, were not backed by firing from across the LoC.

The Army Chief had warned that there would be forces who would not want peace to prevail. Since the latest ceasefire, all parameters of violence such as terror incidents in the Valley have come down.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu was gunned down by two bike-borne men at his home in Bhikhiwind town of Tarn Taran district

Balwinder Singh Sandhu. File photo

Sanjay Bumbroo
Tribune News Service
Mohali, July 9

The Special NIA Court Mohali on Friday granted regular bail to Ravinder Singh alias Ravi Dhillon, accused in the murder of Shaurya Chakra awardee comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu, on October 16, 2020.

Special NIA Judge Karunesh Kumar Sandhu, in his order said that as the accused has been charge-sheeted by the NIA under Section 120-B read with Section 201 of IPC, which are bailable in nature so the accused Ravinder Singh is ordered to be released on bail on his furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs one lakh with one surety in the like amount. 

Ravi Dhillon, a resident of village Hussainpura in Ludhiana district, was among the 8 accused against whom the NIA had filed chargesheet for murdering Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who was conferred with the bravery award for fighting against terrorism in Punjab.

Sandhu was gunned down by two bike-borne men at his home in Bhikhiwind town of Tarn Taran district.

A case was registered under Section 302, 34, 120-B, 201, 212 IPC, Section 25/27 of Arms Act, Section 16, 17, 18, 18A,18B, 19, 20, 23, 38, 39, 40 of UA(P) Act, in Bhikhiwind police station in Tarn Taran district.

Ravi Dhillon was arrested in this case in November last year by Punjab Police and after that the investigation of this case was handed over to the NIA and the NIA has submitted the report under Section 173 CrPC.

The NIA had taken over investigation from the state police in January this year.

NIA officials said Sandhu was killed to terrorise Indians, especially those who are opposed to the Khalistani ideology.

Besides Ravi Dhillon, other accused arrested by the NIA are Sukhmeet Pal Singh, alias Sukh, alias Bhikhariwal; Sukhraj Singh, alias Lakhanpal; Sukhdeep Singh, alias Bhura; Gurjit Singh, alias Bha, of Gurdaspur district; Akashdeep Arora, alias Dhaliwal; Jagroop Singh of Ludhiana, and Inderjit Singh alias Inder, of Tarn Taran.

The charge-sheet was filed in the NIA Special Court, Mohali, under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 302 (murder) of the IPC and Sections 25 (1B) and 27 of the Arms Act, and Sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UA(P) Act.

Page 2 of Punjab Express

Portfolios allotted to Ministers in Modi Govt 

New Delhi , July 07, 2021: The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed the allocation of portfolios among the following members of the Council of Ministers :

The list is as under:

CABINET MINISTERS

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

MINISTERS OF STATE

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China was initially organised according to military regions that fluctuated from 13 to seven to five. In 2014, the military regions were reduced to five and a need was felt to have joint command with ground, naval, air and the Second Artillery Corps forces. This was planned to change their concept from primarily ground-oriented defence to a coordinated move of all services and enhance air and naval capabilities into the East China Sea.

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Policy shift: Will structural changes in the armed forces bring about better output against an adversary like China? Reuters

Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd)

Additional Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies

While democracies are considered to be the most evolved means of governance, nations not only take pride in their evolution as mature and evolved democracies, but also exhort others to follow suit. What ensues, however, is changing public perceptions based on a popular mandate which might sway the course of nations to paths unknown and may not deliver the promised results. Something similar seems to be underway in the national military discourse on the formation of integrated theatre commands. The examples being quoted to buttress the logic emanate from the integrated theatre commands of the US and China. A brief exposure to the structure and organisation in these countries is essential before we make an attempt to replicate them, if at all, in the Indian context.

The first country in the world to contemplate the creation of theatre/functional commands was the US. This was done through the Unified Command Plan (UCP) which is a strategic document that establishes the missions, responsibilities and geographical areas for the commanders of the combatant commands. The UCP is a classified executive branch document prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is reviewed every two years. The recommendations are made directly to the President through the Defence Secretary on any necessary changes. The country presently has seven geographical and four functional commands. Functional combatant commands operate across geographic boundaries and provide unique capabilities while the geographic combatant commands operate in clearly delineated areas of responsibility having a regional military focus. Each of these has the requisite force levels and an integral command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) network. Geographical commands are under a single commander and can seek assistance from a functional command when required.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China was initially organised according to military regions that fluctuated from 13 to seven to five. In 2014, the military regions were reduced to five and a need was felt to have joint command with ground, naval, air and the Second Artillery Corps forces. This was planned to change their concept from primarily ground-oriented defence to a coordinated move of all services and enhance air and naval capabilities into the East China Sea. In February 2016, the military regions were changed to replicate the US model by creating five geographical peace-time commands, the major difference being that they are all within mainland China, having divided the country into five regions or theatres. The reason for China adopting this policy was to develop an integrated joint operations capability, promoting joint training between services which hitherto was found wanting prior to the restructuring. The Western Theatre Command of China encompasses a geographical area larger than the landmass of India.

The US has been a superpower ever since the world wars. Having fought against the Nazi forces and its requirements of maintaining the balance of power during the Cold War era, the need to have a global military presence was inescapable. Technologically advanced with an annual defence budget of $778 billion in 2020, the country remains the undisputed global power. With a change in administration this year, the commitment of Joe Biden towards NATO and other global challenges has only increased. The country will continue to receive bipartisan support for its military spending and defence budget in the coming years.

China aspires to challenge the hegemony of the US and it views its military modernisation as a necessity to achieve the same. With the Chinese Communist Party having supreme control and authority to not only spend money, but also bring about reforms and structural changes in the military dispensation without any opposition, its path to becoming a superpower only becomes easier. The forces that China can bring to bear on India, only through its Western Theatre Command, pose a credible military challenge.

India is probably the only nation in the world which faces two hostile nuclear powers with whom boundary issues remain unresolved even after more than seven decades of its independence. We are the world’s largest democracy with 18 per cent of the world’s population and just four per cent of the world’s GDP. The growing demands of a developing nation make competing demands of ‘guns’ and ‘butter’ difficult to fulfill. India’s defence budget has not crossed 2.5 per cent of its GDP in the last decade. Increased spending on defence, with the after-effects of the Covid pandemic, is a remote possibility. While we as a nation are unable to commit to increased spending on defence because of our developmental and economic imperatives to alleviate poverty, we cannot afford to be lulled into thinking that ‘doing something’ will alleviate our security concerns. Moreover, we as a nation, governed by political imperatives, would find it difficult to expect the kind of commitment that the CPC accords to military spending. Neither can we expect the kind of budgetary support that the US gives to its military modernisation. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” a famous proverb says it all when we talk of reorganisation of theatre commands in the Indian context.

Every country expects its armed forces to protect its citizens and the nation from external aggression and to assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) apart from being called upon to help in nation- building through military diplomacy and other means. Structural changes, unfortunately, do not lead to changes in mindset and means of waging war. In order to ensure that the proposed changes bring about reform and ensure optimisation of resources, it is necessary to have both a worm’s and a bird’s eye-view. A bird’s eye-view is required to look at the strategic level to where we would like to see ourselves as a nation 15-20 years from now and what resources/alliances that we need to commit to, to ensure it. A worm’s eye-view will tell us what is required to achieve synergy. Joint planning is the elephant in the room as far as military operations are concerned. To achieve optimisation of results, joint planning and training is the sine qua non. When we talk of national threats, we need a ‘whole of government’ approach and it is not very different from the military. There is no denying the fact that the armed forces have to fight together, and for that to happen, the first step is planning together.

Given the available resources and organisational structures, with respect to the threats that we face, it is unlikely that one theatre commander would be able to effectively deal with the same. There is no gainsaying the fact that in any operation, speed is of essence and air assets would be critical to achieving the same. Do we have the luxury of spreading our meagre resources thin into various theatre commands? Have we planned together to achieve this? Have we done enough war-gaming to see how this would pan out in case of a crisis? Let us not fall prey to being seen to be doing something in trying to fix something that doesn’t need fixing, while leaving things that need fixing. History would not judge us kindly in the future if we make haste to take decisions without thinking them through logically.  

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New Delhi: The Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used in the 27 June drone attack on the Air Force Station in Jammu are likely to have had their origins in ordnance factories of the Pakistan military, ThePrint has learnt.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said the preliminary report on the IEDs indicated they were not crude, as earlier believed. Certain design elements — their shape, and the fact that they had a pressure fuse — pointed to military expertise, they added.

According to the sources, the preliminary report confirmed that RDX was used, and that both IEDs were packed with about 1.5-2 kg of explosives.

A final report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) is awaited, which will confirm if only RDX or a mixture of explosives was used, they said.

Also Read: India must strike to deter, any other policy for drone attacks will play into Pakistan’s hands

‘Not made-at-home kind’

The drone attack last month was the first instance of a terror strike carried out through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The exact number of drones involved has yet to be determined, and investigators have still not been able to pinpoint where they came from. 

However, a source said the initiation of the blast was a “pressure fuse, which is generally military ordnance and not a normal IED”.

A pressure fuse refers to one that gets activated on impact.

The IEDs used in the Jammu attack were not the simple make-at-home kind, sources said.

The design and materials used in the IEDs — such as RDX, initiation mechanism, internal serration in the metal container — were aimed at generating a large number of fragments on explosion to act as shrapnel, sources said. 

The IEDs, a second source noted, were “fabricated” in a steel container.  

“The specific shape of the two IEDs, as per their operational requirement, indicates the IEDs to be ordnance-factory-level work,” the source added.

This, the sources said, was an indication that at least the elements of the IEDs — if not the devices in entirety — had their origins in one of the ordnance factories of the Pakistani military.

“It was a sophisticated IED which shows high knowledge and expertise,” a third source said.

The Air Traffic Control is believed to have been the target of the 27 June drone attack. Since two IEDs were dropped at different places, it is also suspected that the ATC along with the helicopter hangar could have been the target.

(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)

Also Read: IAF plans to buy 10 anti-drone systems from Indian vendors after Jammu air base attack

Pakistan President Arif Alvi Monday conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, a military medal, on the Turkish commander Gen Umit Dundar, a move seen as further deepening of ties.

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New Delhi: Pakistan is seeking armed drones from Turkey and is looking to deepen the already strong bilateral cooperation, especially in the defence arena, even as both countries align on key issues including Kashmir and Afghanistan.

The growing ties, along with a possible axis with China, are beginning to cause concern among security experts in Delhi.

Sources in the Indian defence and security establishment said possible procurement of armed drones, especially the Bayraktar TB-2 that helped Azerbaijan defeat Armenia last year, joint defence projects, collaboration in Afghanistan and greater Turkish investments in Pakistan are some of the issues that are under discussion between the two countries.

In what is being seen by Indian agencies as the latest attempt to cement the relationship, Pakistan President Arif Alvi Monday conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz or Order of Excellence — a military award — on the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Gen Umit Dundar, who is on a visit to the country.

In April this year, the Turkish Armed Forces had awarded Gen Nadeem Raza, Pakistan’s Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Legion of Merit for his services in promoting defence relations between the two countries.

In Pakistan, Gen Dundar also held a meeting with Pakistan Army Chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Following the meeting, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistani military issued a statement saying “matters of mutual and professional interest with special emphasis on defence and security collaboration between the two brotherly countries were discussed”.

The visit by the Turkish officer is part of a series of exchanges between top military officers and defence officials of both countries.

“Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and UAE has seen a dip. Turkey is trying to project itself in the Middle East as the counterbalance to these two countries and hence Pakistan growing closer to it is part of a larger game that is being played,” a defence source told ThePrint.

The source added that Turkey has focused on indigenous defence industry and has an edge in drone technology and in designing and manufacturing naval ships.

“Pakistan, through China, has the technology for missiles, both conventional and nuclear besides fighter aircraft, something which Turkey seeks,” the source said.

The source further said both sides have on numerous occasions discussed the possibility of armed drones “something which Ankara is not fully comfortable in selling to Islamabad”.

It all, however, depends on what Pakistan has to offer in return to Turkey and that is what matters, a second source said.

A third source in the defence and security establishment said that the current focus of both countries is on Afghanistan. “Turkey is looking at expanding wherever it can. Afghanistan is an area where it looks to have some sort of influence and say,” the source said. “Militarily and politically, Pakistan and Turkey have grown closer.”  

The source said that Turkey will be taking over the security of the Kabul Airport with the pullout of foreign forces. “The Taliban has said that Turkey will be treated as a NATO member and not as a fellow Muslim country,” he added. “As a result, Turkey needs Pakistan, especially as it is going to take over the security of the airport to begin with.”

Also read: What are military theatre commands and why does India want to switch to them

‘Growing ties a matter of concern’ 

Indian security experts told ThePrint that the growing ties are a matter of concern. 

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), Director General of the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken openly against India removing Article 370 in Kashmir. 

“Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close cultural, historical and military relations,” he said. “Turkey supports Pakistan’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Pakistani and Turkish Armed Forces also hold many joint military exercises.” 

He further pointed out that Turkey is backing the trilateral process between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan over a peace deal in Kabul following the withdrawal of US troops from the region. 

“Turkey has been backing the trilateral process. With the US exit from Afghanistan, China is seeking Pakistan support to get into the region,” the retired air marshal said. “There is a triangle that is forming between Turkey, Pakistan and China. None of these countries are really friends with India and hence anything about this axis should concern India. Any coming together of the three is detrimental to India.” 

His concerns were shared by the Army’s former Director General of Artillery, Lt Gen P.R. Shankar (retd), who said there is no doubt that growing Pakistan-Turkey relations is a matter of concern but added that Turkey is bound by its NATO membership. 

He told ThePrint that Turkey has managed to get its hands on a fair amount of technology, thanks to its NATO membership. “And NATO membership is exactly what will prevent Turkey from running amok,” he added. “Turkey gains a lot from its NATO membership than anything else. So it will be very careful about what it does with Pakistan.”

The officer also said western countries will not allow Turkey, China and Pakistan to come together as one block. He added that Pakistan seeking armed drones from Turkey while it can get the technology from China indicates that Islamabad is trying to spread its search.

Also read: India needs to shop for anti-drone systems. And we are already late

Turkish drones a game-changer 

If Pakistan manages to land Turkish drones, it will significantly improve the country’s capabilities. 

The Turkish armed drones, Bayraktar TB-2, had helped Azerbaijan defeat Armenia in the war in November 2020. 

While Armenia only fought with tanks, artillery and air defence systems, Azerbaijan relied heavily on drones, especially the Bayraktar TB-2, and loitering munitions. 

The skirmishes have had huge implications for modern warfare, underlining the importance that drones are likely to play in the future.

Turkey has so far sold its Bayraktar TB-2s to Poland, Ukraine and Qatar besides Azerbaijan. It is also in talks with Albania for the sale of these drones. 

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd) told ThePrint that Ankara’s Bayraktar TB-2 has been combat tested not just in Azerbaijan but also in Turkey’s conflict with the Kurds and in Libya and Syria. 

He added that while Turkey’s removal from the F-35 programme, because of its S 400 purchase from Russia, has been a setback for the country’s aircraft industry, it still holds some pedigree in this sector. 

According to him, Turkey’s aviation experience includes the licensed production of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, CASA CN-235 light transport aircraft, apart from helicopters and a variety of UAVs. 

Chopra said that while Pakistan eyes the drone, Turkey needs fighter aircraft systems and missile technology from Islamabad that is basically of Chinese origin. 

Turkey though isn’t the only country that Pakistan is looking to for armed drones. 

Over the past few years, there have been multiple media reports about Pakistan getting armed drones from China. In 2018, the Pakistan Air Force’s Sherdils Aerobatic Team had, on its official Facebook account, said that the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company will jointly manufacture 48 Wing Loong II drones. 

Military ties between Pakistan and Turkey

While Islamabad is yet to land the Turkish drones, it does share a fruitful military partnership with Ankara. 

Pakistan has relied on Turkey for the upgrade of its three Agosta 90B diesel-electric attack submarines and for designing and constructing new Corvettes and oil tankers.

Pakistan had earlier this year also granted another extension to a helicopter deal that it signed with Turkey in July 2018.

The deal, valued at $1.5 billion, is for 30 T-129 Atak helicopters. The delivery has been stuck due to the US’s refusal to issue export licenses for engines and other parts made by American firms.

(Edited by Arun Prashanth)

Also read: Satellite images reveal Pakistan’s new midget submarine, site for joint project with China

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Participants of Republic Day Camp in New Delhi after being felicitated by the UT Administration in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Tribune Photo: Manoj Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 7

Six cadets from the Chandigarh NCC Group, who had attended the Republic Day Camp in New Delhi, were today felicitated by the UT Administration and given cash awards of Rs21,000 each along with an appreciation certificate.

Out of the six cadets, two had also attended the Prime Minister’s Rally and another three were part of the cultural programme contingent. All cadets were from different educational institutes in the city.

New Delhi, July 7

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi on Wednesday took a sortie in a Sukhoi 30MKI fighter jet over the Batra Top in Kargil to pay homage to martyr Captain Vikram Batra, who was killed in action on July 7, 1999.

‘Pt 4875’, also known as Batra Top, is a 16,000 feet high Himalayan massif along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. It is now named after Capt Batra, a Paramvir Chakra (PVC) awardee. He had led the charge of his troops of the 13th Battalion of the ‘JAKRIF’ Regiment of the Army to capture the peak and evict the Pakistan soldiers from the mountain.

Lt Gen Joshi, then a Lt Colonel, was commanding the Battalion and was awarded a Vir Chakra. — TNS

FM Manpreet Badal with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Tribune News Service

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi and urged him to approve two Sainik Schools for Punjab. He also sought an NOC from the Defence Ministry for establishing a bus terminus at Bathinda.

‘Provide NOC for bus terminus’

The Finance Minister requested the Defence Ministry to approve the proposal for a modern bus station and terminus for Bathinda city. Since the proposed location is adjacent to the Bathinda military cantonment, it requires a no objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry. Manpreet said all military norms had been adhered to. “The required papers for the NOC have been submitted to the Defence Headquarters, and an early approval will help expedite the project,” he said.

Manpreet said Punjab was the most decorated Indian state in terms of military honours and gallantry awards. However, it has only one Sainik School in Kapurthala. The state is now seeking two more Sainik Schools — one in Gurdaspur and the other in Bathinda. He said other states like Haryana, Bihar, and Maharashtra had two Sainik Schools each.

The Union Defence Minister assured him of due and adequate action, stating he appreciated the role played by Sikhs and Punjabis in national security.

Manpreet also presented a letter by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to the Union Defence Minister, stating the state government had allocated 40 acres of land at Dalla Gorian in Gurdaspur for a Sainik School. “However, Punjab must have another Sainik School in Bathinda. This way, all three regions of the state will have one school each,” said the state minister.

The Finance Minister also invited the Defence Minister to visit the Punjab War Heroes Memorial and Museum at Amritsar, which the Punjab Government has established at a cost of Rs 144 crore.