Photo for representation only. File photo

Tribune News Service

Ambala, June 30

The police have booked an Army Havildar after he allegedly hit an on-duty police head constable at the Capitol Chowk in Ambala Cantonment.

The suspect has been identified as Anil Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh. At present, he is posted with 24 Grenadiers in Ambala Cantonment.

As per information, the incident took place on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday when the suspect had a scuffle with head constables Krishan Kumar and Kuldeep Singh of the Regiment Bazaar police post in Ambala Cantonment.

In his complaint, Krishan Kumar stated that they were at the Capitol Chowk when they observed that an uncontrolled car was coming from the Military Hospital side. The suspect, who was drunk, stopped his car and started abusing them. He hit the head constable on his face and neck, after which he started bleeding.

A case has been registered against Anil Kumar under Sections 186, 332, 353, 427 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code at the Ambala Cantonment police station.

Dismiss Pak NSA’s comment on Indian contacts with Taliban

Afghan Commando forces are seen at the site of a battlefield where they clash with the Taliban insurgent in Kunduz province, Afghanistan. Reuters file

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 30

Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf’s comment that it is “shameless” of India to engage the Afghan Taliban in Qatar has been dismissed by strategic experts.

“I want to ask this: with what standing did this Indian high-level official meet the Taliban there? Did they not feel ashamed?” Yusuf said in a TV programme when asked how Pakistan viewed the India-Taliban meetings.

“They kept having the Taliban killed daily and kept giving funds for operations against them and today they have reached there to have talks,” he added.

“Could not understand his logic why India should not engage with Taliban, except that he appears very upset. Or does he claim proprietary rights and allows only a few to engage with the Taliban? He will be even more upset as the Taliban leadership displays more independence,” commented former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha.

“India’s outreach to the Taliban is limited and late-in-the-day. But it seems to have upset Pindi enough for them to evoke “shame” with no sense of irony whatsoever. I guess the message from the Taliban to India isn’t all that bad after all,” observed Avinash Paliwal, strategic expert and the author of a well-received book on India’s role in Afghanistan in the 80s.

The Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed speculation that EAM S. Jaishankar had met top Taliban leaders during his recent visits to Qatar. But Qatar’s Special Envoy for Counterterrorism Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani said at a webinar that, “there has been a quiet visit by Indian officials to speak to the Taliban”.

Claims attempts being made to provoke them for several days

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 30

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Wednesday condemned the “provocative behaviour of BJP-RSS goons to instigate protesting farmers at Ghazipur border and disrupt their peaceful protests”, claiming attempts being made to provoke them for several days.

The BJP in turn blamed the agitating farmers for the ruckus in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and damaging vehicles belonging to party supporters. 

Though, as per a statement issued by the SKM, “for several days now, BJP-RSS goons have been trying to instigate and provoke protesting farmers at Ghazipur border. On the pretext of welcoming a BJP leader, Amit Valmiki, several BJP-RSS workers and supporters came into the Ghazipur border UP Gate protest site today and went close to the morcha stage.

“They also raised slogans against the farmers’ movement. They raised slogans against protesting farmers calling them ‘gaddar’, anti-national, ‘khalistanis’ and terrorists and indulged in stone-pelting on the morcha stage”.

Stating that there was “absolutely no justification to welcoming the BJP leader at this location”, Morcha leaders claimed it was done only to “instigate a clash with the protesting farmers, police in tow, in a time-testing BJP-RSS tactic”.

“When they moved aggressively towards the stage, threatened to cross over the divider, farmers objected and confronted them with black flags. They insisted that BJP workers should leave the place. Police remained mute spectators throughout. In the ensuing clash, at least 5 farmers were injured,” they claimed, accusing the BJP of “trying to bring in discord and disturbance and dividing people into caste and religion lines”.

Demanding to know who allowed “welcoming of the BJP leader” hardly 50 metres from the SKM stage, they termed the “allegations of weapons being found and vehicles being damaged as political diversionary tactics”. 

A complaint has been lodged by the protesting farmers at the local police station, they also said.https://1768d7b2d138d241b8f7ed6f9af53e1b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The ruckus took place when BJP workers were carrying out a procession on a flyway where farm law protesters, mainly supporters of the Rakesh Tikait-led BKU have been camping for the past several months now.

According to the eyewitness accounts, as the two sides came near each other on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway around noon, a scuffle broke out.

Videos and pictures surfaced on social media, purportedly showing some damaged vehicles which were part of a cavalcade of Valmiki, for whose welcome the procession was being held.

Meanwhile, agitating farmers observed ‘Hool Kranti Diwas’ at protest sites today to remember resistance and sacrifice of Adivasis in India’s independence struggle, and for a just and equitable land tenure system.https://1768d7b2d138d241b8f7ed6f9af53e1b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Several Adivasi farmers from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were part of the morchas today, the SKM said. 

In Maharashtra, SKM leaders and All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee met with the chief minister, demanding an assembly resolution in the upcoming session on July 5 “on the Centre repealing the 3 black acts and bring a statute on MSP guarantee for farmers”.

Amid reports of the Centre bringing in a Bill to convert the Delhi air pollution-related ordinance into a central law in the upcoming Parliament session, the SKM also asked the “government to not bring covert and sly provisions of penalising farmers for straw burning in this legislation”.

“The government had orally assured the protesting farmers that penalty provisions will not be applicable to farmers, during the talks between SKM leaders and the government, in late December 2020,” they said.

According to the SKM, more farmers are reaching the protest sites at Singhu border and Tikri border.

Says entire Pakistan stands by their Kashmiri brothers and sisters

Imran Khan. Reuters file

Islamabad, June 30

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Pakistan would not restore diplomatic ties with India until New Delhi revokes its decision of scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union territories.

“I want to make it clear that diplomatic relations will not be restored with India until it rescinds the illegal steps of 5th August 2019,” Khan said while addressing the National Assembly.

Khan said that “entire Pakistan stands by their Kashmiri brothers and sisters”.

His statement comes amid reports of back-channel contacts between the two sides which led to a ceasefire on the Line of Control in February but no further movement has been reported to normalise the ties.

Pakistan had downgraded ties with India and suspended trade after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India has maintained that the issue related to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was entirely an internal matter of the country.

India has also made it clear to Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Wednesday categorically rejected a reported statement of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy regarding the recent drone attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Two explosives-laden drones crashed into the IAF station at Jammu airport in the early hours of Sunday, perhaps the first time that suspected Pakistan-based terrorists have used unmanned aerial vehicles in an attack.

Reddy had reportedly said that Pakistan’s role in the attack cannot be denied. PTI

• Photo Source: ANIIndian Air Chief becomes first foreign service head to review Bangladesh Air Force passing out paradeNew Delhi [India], June 29, 2021 (ANI): Signifying the strong bonds between India and Bangladesh, Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria reviewed the Passing Out Parade and Commissioning Ceremony at Bangladesh Air Force Academy (BAFA) at Jashore in Bangladesh.This was the first instance when any foreign chief was invited to review the Parade as the Chief Guest, the Indian Air Force said. Bhadauria was invited by his Bangladeshi counterpart Air Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan to review the Passing Out Parade and Commissioning Ceremony at Bangladesh Air Force Academy (BAFA).The event was held in Jashore on Monday. The two-day visit was highly significant in view of the Golden Jubilee of the historic victory in 1971 War for Liberation of Bangladesh. While addressing the graduating trainees on parade, CAS complimented them for an excellent parade and noted the rapid progress being made in all aspects of military-level interactions, with bilateral defence cooperation having become an important pillar in the deep historical and fraternal ties between India and Bangladesh.The Indian air chief described this event as a reflection of the excellent state of professional relationship between the two Air Forces based on mutual trust and understanding. He expressed confidence that his presence in BAFA during this historic 50th year of Liberation War would reinforce the already strong and multi-dimensional partnership between the two Nations.During his stay in Bangladesh, the CAS held discussions with his host, the Chief of Air Staff Bangladesh Air Force as well as the Chief of Army Staff and Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division, wherein matters of mutual interest and avenues to further strengthen the all-encompassing defence cooperation were discussed. He also interacted with the High Commissioner of India, Vikram K Doraiswami during his stay in Dhaka. (ANI) 

Speaking at the ‘Global scourge of terrorism: assessment of current threats and emerging trends for the new decade’, V S K Kaumudi said, ‘another add-on’ to ‘existing worries’ is the use of drones.
India called on the world to remain united against tendencies of labelling terrorism based on terrorist motivations especially those based on religion, and political ideologies.
The possibility of the use of weaponised drones for terrorist activities against strategic and commercial assets calls for serious attention by the global community, India has told the UN General Assembly, a day after two explosives-laden drones crashed into the Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Jammu airport.
A fresh attempt to attack a military installation with the help of drones was foiled by alert Army sentries at the Ratnuchak-Kaluchak station who fired at the unmanned aerial vehicles that flew away, an incident that came hours after an IAF station saw the first terror attack using quadcopters.
The first drone was spotted at around 11.45 pm on Sunday followed by another at 2.40 am over the military station, which witnessed a terror attack in 2002 in which 31 people were killed, including 10 children. The IAF attack is the first instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying drones to strike at the country’s vital installations.
“Today, misuse of information and communication technology such as internet and social media for terrorist propaganda, radicalisation and recruitment of cadre; misuse of new payment methods and crowdfunding platforms for financing of terrorism; and misuse of emerging technologies for terrorist purposes have emerged as the most serious threats of terrorism and will decide the counter-terrorism paradigm going forward,” Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs in the Government of India, VSK Kaumudi said.
Speaking at the ‘Global scourge of terrorism: assessment of current threats and emerging trends for the new decade’, he said, ‘another add-on’ to ‘existing worries’ is the use of drones.
“Being a low-cost option and easily available, utilisation of these aerial/sub-surface platforms for sinister purposes by terrorist groups such as intelligence collection, weapon/explosives delivery and targeted attacks have become an imminent danger and challenge for security agencies worldwide,” he said at the 2nd High Level Conference of the Head of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of the Member States in the General Assembly.
“The possibility of the use of weaponised drones for terrorist purposes against strategic and commercial assets calls for serious attention by the member states. We have witnessed terrorists using UAS to smuggle weapons across borders,” Kaumudi said, according to his statement issued by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.
Kaumudi said the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent isolation have further accentuated the impact of the internet on people making them vulnerable to radicalisation and recruitment by terrorist groups.
Spreading terrorist propaganda through the use of “indulging video games” is another strategy that was deployed by terrorist groups during the pandemic, he said.
“It is imperative for countries to adopt a multi-pronged approach to tackle the global threats emanating out of misuse of new technologies particularly aiming towards terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism,” he said.
India called on the world to remain united against tendencies of labelling terrorism based on terrorist motivations especially those based on religion, and political ideologies.
“This will certainly divide us and weaken our fight against terrorism,” Kaumudi said.
He said the trans border nature of this threat calls for collective and unified action by the international community, without any excuse or exceptions, ensuring that those countries which provide safe havens to terrorists should be called out and held accountable.
India noted with concern that internet and social media platforms have turned into indispensable resources in the toolkit of global terrorist groups for spreading terrorist propaganda and conspiracy theories aimed at spreading hatred among societies and communities and offer additional radicalisation opportunities which may proliferate globally.
“The increased use of closed group communications adds to the concern,” he said.
Kaumudi told the General Assembly that continuing advancements in evolving technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, “deep fakes”, blockchain, dark web are fraught with the risk of being abused by terrorists. “Already, cryptocurrencies, virtual assets, crowdfunding platforms are helping terror financing, owing to anonymity and un-traceability of these technologies,” he said.
India has put in place an elaborate counter-terrorism and security architecture, besides introducing a series of measures in the cyber-space encapsulating counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation strategies.

An Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI jet flies in the backdrop of Himalayan mountain ranges
The lack of “jointness”, integrated planning and synergy between the three armed forces, has been a distinctive feature of the Indian military
by C Uday Bhaskar
India is all set to create four new theatre commands and, in all likelihood, this will be announced by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi from the Red Fort on August 15. These new commands will be raised and operationalised over a two-year period and will be viable by August 2023.
The new commands will include the integrated maritime theatre command (IMTC) and the integrated air-defence command (IADC), which had been earlier described as a low-hanging fruit in the radical rewiring of India’s higher defence management, a policy initiative that has been in stasis since the 1999 Kargil War. The other two commands will be China- and Pakistan-specific.
PM Modi announced the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in his August 2019 Independence Day address. The first incumbent, General Bipin Rawat, assumed office on January 1, 2020, and this was welcomed as a much-needed but long-delayed first step in the reorganisation of India’s higher defence management (HDM).
The lack of “jointness”, integrated planning and synergy between the three armed forces, has been a distinctive feature of the Indian military. In particular, there here has been less-than-satisfactory utilisation of airpower, perhaps due to a degree of diffidence and lack of clarity in the use of trans-border military capability embedded in Indian strategic culture. India did not use its modest-but-credible airpower in October 1962 when China chose to teach Jawaharlal Nehru a lesson in realpolitik.
And for the record, there was no reference to airpower in Galwan of 2020. Similarly, the 1999 Kargil War and the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force operation in Sri Lanka saw less than optimal integration of airpower in the military effort.
Thus the need for more effective jointness/synergy among India’s three armed forces was acknowledged post-Kargil and the report of the Group of Ministers (2000) recommended the creation of the post of a CDS and a VCDS as the “first major step in establishing synergy and ‘jointness’ among the Armed Forces”. Very soon, the first integrated, tri-service command was established in Port Blair as the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), with then Vice-Admiral Arun Prakash as the first Commander-in-Chief. It was expected that, progressively, greater jointness/synergy would be nurtured and that India would move towards setting up such tri-service commands, wherein the sum of their individual assets under a single commander would be more effective than that of their individual verticals that were disparately located.
However the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, at the time, was unable to pursue these initiatives with the requisite resolve and this went into the back-burner for over a decade. To his credit, PM Modi, after an indifferent scorecard in his first term in the domain of defence management, accorded this high priority in his second term, and hit the ground running.
In August 2019, CDS was announced. In August, the new commands are on the anvil and the directive is that these commands should become operational in August 2023. This taut timeline and the visible political direction is commendable, but this long-delayed reform towards enabling greater jointness in India’s HDM will call for making haste slowly, and only after objective deliberation among the principal stakeholders.
Recent media reports refer to a degree of dissonance within the military and the Indian Air Force has been painted as the dog-in-the-manger in the creation of the new commands. This is unfortunate and undesirable, whatever be the truth behind such aspersions.
India’s integrated tri-service commands (one is hesitant to use the word theatre) can become truly effective only when all the interlocutors are brought onto the same page consensually and by persuasion. The reforms in HDM and related military command structure cannot be effectively realised by political diktat. Compliance can be ensured, albeit in a sullen manner, for, in a democracy, the political direction must be obeyed by the military but giving all the three forces a robust sense of ownership would lay stronger foundations.
Thirty years after economic reforms, there are lessons for India as it embarks on the next phase of reforms in the defence domain. A combination of political leadership, technocratic talent, and willingness to build on work left behind by previous governments helped steer through the reforms. PM Modi has given the necessary direction and priority to reforming India’s defence management. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has an onerous responsibility and, given his political experience both as former party president and home minister, he would be able to provide the necessary political leadership and heft. But the rigorous staff work and internal deliberations within the government will have to be undertaken objectively and without any rancour and in a non-partisan manner. Effective and enhanced jointness to prevent another Galwan/Pulwama must be the objective.

The use of rogue drones by terrorists, smugglers or hostile nations have been, for the past few years, been cited as a serious concern, but the capability to counter this threat is still in a nascent stage in India.
The twin blasts inside the Air Force Station, Jammu, on Sunday that were suspected to have been caused by drones and an Army sentry reportedly shooting at a drone flying near the Kaluchak Military Station today have brought into focus the security risks posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
The use of rogue drones by terrorists, smugglers or hostile nations have been, for the past few years, been cited as a serious concern, but the capability to counter this threat is still in a nascent stage in India.
The armed forces as well as police are developing anti-drone capability that includes a doctrinal approach to counter the threat as well as the technology and physical systems to detect and neutralise drones. There are several means by which a drone can be detected, identified, disabled or destroyed, which includes radar, infrared, laser, opto-electronics, electromagnetic and acoustic means along with the use of guns, rockets or missiles. These can be fixed, vehicle mounted or man-portable.
Last year, the Defence Research and Development Organisation had unveiled an anti-drone system designed by it, which is reported to have been deployed selectively so far, with state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited designated as the production agency.
The Army’s Directorate of Air Defence is undertaking a project to develop counter measures against unauthorised flying objects that can be used for surveillance or attack. Launched over a year ago, the Army expects the feasibility study to take around two years, with other two or three years for developing a technology solution.
The BSF is also in the process of acquiring anti-drone systems. Its requirement is for a ground-based standalone platform capable of detecting a lone suspicious flying object or a group of UAVs and react within 10 seconds.
Being border states and given their history of terrorism, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir are vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and terror attacks. Security forces have reported an increase in drone activity in border areas, with several instances of drones violating the Indian air space of being used to drop arms and ammunition on this side of the border.
Difficult To Track
Most drones used for cross-border smuggling of arms and ammo or for attacks are much smaller than conventional aircraft. Since low altitude and their minuscule radar makes them difficult to track electronically, ground forces have to rely on visual sightings and audio signals
No Funds For Tech
The Punjab Police are facing financial issues in the procurement of anti-drone technology. Sources say several meetings have taken place at the highest level and some private companies have also made presentations, but due to high cost it is yet to be approved.

Recalling the chance meeting of Col Krishan Lal Wahi with the legendary Pak athlete, his request for medical aid for a fellow soldier and how the Col’s son offered to donate blood

(L-R) Lt Col Ajay Wahi, Subedar Abdul Khaliq

Lt Col AK Ahlawat

It was December 20, 1971, and the war had ended a few days ago. Ajay was a pre-medical student in DAV College, Chandigarh. He reached the Chandigarh bus stand to catch the first bus to Jammu. The morning was cool and winter’s haze hung on the roofs of the lined-up buses. A few minutes before 7, the Sikh driver in khaki climbed behind the wheel. By evening, Ajay was with his father, Col Krishan Lal Wahi, posted at Udhampur where the Army’s 15 Corps was headquartered. The family was grieving. On December 6, they had lost Flight Lieutenant Vijay Kumar Wahi in aerial battles over Chhamb-Akhnoor. He was flying a Sukhoi 7 with the IAF’s 101 Fighter Squadron. The mood of the family was sombre and quiet. Vijay Wahi was the hero brother, the fighter pilot brother whom Ajay hero-worshipped.

Then one day his father said, “Ajay, I have to visit the Prisoner of War camp here in Udhampur. Would you like to come along?”

So they drove in an Army Jonga, turned left from the nullah before the Base Hospital and reached the barbed wire cage of the PoW camp. The elderly time-scale Sikh Colonel who was the camp commandant took them to his hut and gave them tea and biscuits.

“Anyone from Khooshab Sargodha area in the camp?” asked Colonel Wahi.

‘I think there might be a few,” he said, pressing the office bell. An orderly appeared.

“Go call the Pakistani senior JCO.”

A man in khaki came in, saluted and disclosed his name, number, rank and unit.

“How did you get caught as PoW, JCOs are at gun position in the rear?” asked Col Wahi.

“Janab, there is a lot of difference in our armies. In the Indian Army, officers do Artillery Observation Post duty. In our army, officers remain behind at gun positions and JCOs are at Forward Observation Posts to direct artillery fire. My observation post got over-run by the Indian infantry and I was taken prisoner.”

Colonel Wahi was silent for a few moments trying to recollect something. “Isn’t there a Pakistani athlete of your name who had competed against Milkha Singh in races?” he asked.

The Pakistani came to stiff attention and said, “Janab, I am the same man.”

Subedar Abdul Khaliq of 8 Medium Regiment was an ace sprinter whom Pandit Nehru had called the “The Flying Bird of Asia”. When Milkha Singh won against him, Pakistan President Gen Ayub Khan called the legendary athlete, who passed away recently, the “Flying Sikh”.

Colonel Wahi and Subedar Khaliq exchanged notes about their native province for some time and then the JCO asked, “Gustakhi mauf howey tan janab ek arz karan (Sir, if you permit, I have an appeal).”

“Bilkul dasso (sure, go ahead).”

“Janab eik munda hai, ohh nu bayonet lagya hai. Doctor saab roz aande ne, oh nuu dekhdey ney, parr ohh thik nahi ho rayaa (Sir, there is a soldier of ours who has a bayonet wound, the doctor comes every day to attend to him but his condition is not improving).”

“Badaa tezz bukhaar hai mundey nuu aur saadey paasey daa he hai (The lad has high fever and he is from our province itself).”

He asked if a surgeon could have a look at him as he was slipping away fast and maybe his life could be saved.

The senior surgery adviser at the Base Hospital was a white-bearded Sikh who also came from Khooshab. He was Colonel Wahi’s tennis partner. They gave him a call and related the case. The surgeon, Colonel Baldev Singh, asked for the PoW to be sent to the Base Hospital and sent an ambulance.

In the evening, the surgeon met Col Wahi at the tennis court. The young schoolboy also accompanied his father.

“Thank God you sent him just in time. The bayonet has gone deep inside and he has peritonisis. Very serious infection has developed inside and he will have to be operated upon. We need some blood for him. I have told the staff that I will operate after I play tennis and in the meantime they are to look for some donor of the same blood group.”

Ajay Wahi, who was overhearing the conversation, asked, “Sir, what blood group is he?”

“He is B Positive.”
“I am also B Positive.”

The surgeon looked at Ajay, “You will donate blood for this Pakistani soldier?”

“Yes I will.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I will.”

“Come son, then let’s go to the hospital.”

They reached the hospital and the senior surgeon said, “Here is the voluntary donor, I will just change and operate.”

Then the father and son came back. The father said, “Son, I thought that you were still a kid, but I have realised today that my son is no longer a boy, he is a man.” Lt Col Ajay Wahi, a pathologist, had donated blood 130 times till he reached the age of 65.