Pakistan on Wednesday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register its protest over the alleged ceasefire violations by the “Indian forces” along the Line of Control (LoC).
The Foreign Office here said that four civilians were injured “due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by India” in Jandrot sector on June 9.
The Indian forces along “the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons,” it said.
The FO claimed that India has so far this year committed 1,296 ceasefire violations, resulting in seven deaths and serious injuries to 98 civilians.
It said that the violations are a threat to the regional peace and security The FO said that India was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
India maintains that the UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC. PTI
India wants China to pull back 10K troops Military talks over 10 days | Taking steps to ease tension: Beijing
ndia and China held Major General-level talks on Wednesday. Reuters File
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 10
India’s assessment is that the threat from China’s military posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh stems from the fighter jets, long-range bombers, air defence radars and jammers it has amassed close to the LAC.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday had a telephonic conversation with Cambodian PM Hun Sen, an ally of China, but which has close political ties with New Delhi. The two leaders discussed the Covid pandemic and agreed to continue cooperation for helping each other’s expatriates . TNS
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops on the frontline along the LAC account for no more than 10 per cent of the actual buildup, estimated at 10,000, besides the support staff. India and China now have ‘mirrored’ deployments along the 826-km LAC in Ladakh.
At Major General-level talks today, it was decided to hold meetings of local commanders on ground zero over the next 10 days at three locations — Galwan valley, Gogra at Hot Springs and ‘Finger 4’ of Pangong Tso.
At these meetings, patrol limits that existed till April will be sought to be restored. The issue at ‘Finger 4’ will involve separate meeting of senior officials as the PLA is preventing Indian patrol teams from going east of ‘Finger 4’. India wants China to de-induct its 10,000 troops and pull back its heavy weapons deployed along the LAC.
Meanwhile, China today said the meetings between troop commanders would ease tensions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said both sides had agreed through diplomatic and military channels on properly handling the situation in the west section of the China-India boundary.
A must read for all. Remembering Lt Gen Harbakhsh Sing By Captain Amarinder Singh
LT Gen Harbakhsh Singh passed away on November 14. Many don’t know who the General was. Being out of sight for 30 years put him out of mind as well, and a few words is all that he warranted in sketchy obituaries and those too in local Punjab papers.
Captain Amarinder Singh during the 1965 war. HT Photo( )
Born in 1913 in Badrukhan in Sangrur and having graduated from Government College at Lahore, he was commissioned into 5 Sikh in 1935. He was a graduate of the 1st course at the IMA after a year’s attachment with a British battalion, The Argyl and Sutherland Highlanders, wherein he saw active service on the north-west frontier. He commanded a company of 5 Sikh in 1942 in Malaya against the Japanese. Severely wounded in the head, a steel plate, which he carried to his last day, was a constant reminder. He was in a military hospital when General A.E Percival, the Allied field commander, surrendered all Allied forces in Malaya and Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. Then followed three years of a miserable existence and near starvation as a Japanese prisoner of war. Released at the end of the war in 1945, he remained in hospital for some months with beri-beri and other problems brought on by malnutrition and inhuman conditions in Japanese POW camps. Posted as second-in-command of 4 Sikh on release from hospital, he was perhaps the only deputy ever to ride a horse on parade in an infantry battalion, as he was too weak to march.
We now come to three episodes in his brilliant military career which makes him stand out as one of the outstanding commanders in modern Indian history. India became independent on August 15, 1947, and Pakistani-backed regulars, irregulars and tribesmen crossed into the state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22. In spite of a determined effort by the J&K state forces and by the initially inducted Indiantroops, the enemy reached the outskirts of Srinagar on November 20 and the fall of the capital city was imminent. On November 21, reports came in of a concentration of around 3,000 enemy troops on the outskirts of Srinagar at Shalateng, just 4 miles from the city centre, preparing to attack the city. Colonel Harbakhsh Singh, then second-in-command of the newly inducted 161 Brigade was given the task of conducting the battle. He attacked Shalateng on the November 22 with two infantry battalions, 1 Sikh and 1 (Para) Kumaon with a troop of armoured cars of 7 Cavalry and, in a brilliantly planned and executed operation, routed the enemy leaving 472 enemy dead on the field. The threat to Srinagar was now over. If the capital city had fallen, it would have been one of the greatest disasters in Indian history.
Promoted to command 163 Brigade, his was one of the two brigades launched by General Thimmaya, then in command of Sri Division (later 19 division), on May 17, 1948, to clear the enemy out of the Jhelum valley, up to Muzaffarabad and Domel. The first by 161 Brigade under Brigadier L.P Sen on the Jhelum axis, and the second in a flanking move by his 163 Brigade over the Nasta Chun Pass to Tithwal and beyond. While 161 Brigade was held up near Uri, Brigadier Harbakhsh Singh’s offensive, as discussed by General Birdwood in his book, A Continent Decides, was a triumph. “Pakistan s situation was now grim, and had India only used air supply more aggressively to maintain the impetus of this outflanking success, her forces would so severely have threatened Muzaffarabad as to force a Pakistani withdrawal from the whole of the northern sector. Luckily for Pakistan, they paused”. Tithwal fell on May 23. In six days, Brigadier Harbakhsh Singh had in a lightning move secured all territory starting from Handwara to the Kishanganga over the Nasta Chun Pass and Tithwal after fighting aggressive battles.
Finally after commanding 5 Division and 4 Corps for a while, during the Chinese operations of 1962, where many soldiers believe that had he been allowed to command the Corps during the second phase of the battle by the Chinese which started on November 20, the situation would have been quite different in NEFA. Sadly for the Corps, their old GOC, General B.M Kaul, was sent back to command, from a sick bed in Delhi, by Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister. General Harbakhsh Singh was then given command of 33 Corps at Siliguri and he finally took over as the Western Army Commander in November 1964.
War clouds gathered once again in 1965. Pakistan took the offensive in April in Kutch and was successfully repulsed. In August, Kashmir became the target and on September 6 India went to war. The western Army offensive across the Punjab border which started at 4.30 a.m. on September 6 went well till Pakistan counter attacked 4 Division on the 11 Corps left flank at Khemkaran.The 4 Division comprising 62 and 7 Brigades, a strength of six infantry battalions, had not quite recovered from the drubbing it received in 1962 at the hands of the Chinese, lost two-and-a- half battalions in a matter of hours, less through enemy action more by desertion, and was virtually overrun. The situation on the 7th afternoon was grim, while the Division fell back to the village of Asal Uttar and hurriedly prepared a defended sector based on the surviving three-and-a-half battalions and the 2nd (Indp) Armoured Brigade. On the 9th, Pakistan s 1st Armoured Division, whose existence was not known to us, attacked the Division. Their operational order was captured by us. The plan was to attack and overrun the weak 4 Division while a strong combat group was to cut the lines of communication of both 4 Division, 7 Division on the Barki Axis and finally to cut the GT Road at the Beas Bridge, effectively sealing off 11 Corps HQs and Corps troops at Raya, and the LOFC of 15 Division in one sweep. The situation was extremely grim and as a consequence Delhi panicked.
Having returned to HQ Western Army at Ambala from 4 Division at midnight on the 9th and after a visit to the operations room, the Army Commander retired for three hours rest before leaving at four’ clock the next morning. The instructions to me, his ADC, was not to awaken him unless it was urgent. At 2.30 a.m. the Army Chief, General J.N. Chaudhary, called and spoke to the General and after a heated discussion centered around the major threat that had developed, the Chief ordered the Army Commander to withdraw 11 Corps to hold a line on the Beas river. General Harbakhsh Singh refused to carry out this order. The next morning, 4 Division stabilised the position and when the Chief visited command headquarters at Ambala that afternoon, the 10th, the crisis was over and the subject was not discussed. Had the General carried out these orders, not only would have half of Punjab been under Pakistani occupation but the morale of the Indian Army would have been rock bottom, affecting operations in other theatres as well.
His funeral was on November 15. Very few knew about it, therefore apart from his friends and contemporaries, former officers of the Sikh Regiment of which he had been colonel for over a decade, and others such as I, who had been on his staff, gathered at the Delhi cantonment to say our final farewell. The Army did him proud by giving him a send off befitting a great soldier. And while the ceremonies were on, and six Lieutenant Generals removed the National Flag from the body which was to be cremated, I couldn’t help wondering how fortunate it was for the country to have had the right man at the right place at the right time. The words once used to describe Field Marshal Lord Wavell, seen apt for describing General Harbakhsh Singh: “He was essentially a soldier’s soldier, and takes an assured place as one of the great commanders in military history”.
The Last Post was sounded and the pyre lit, and as the smoke curled its way into the heavens and the bugle sounded reveille, transporting the General to Valhalla, to join the ranks of the many great soldiers who once trod this earth, there were moist eyes all around. As the mourners said their silent farewells, the words of Sir Walter-Scott from The Lady of the Lake came to mind:
Soldier, rest thy warfare is o’er,
Dream of fighting fields no more;
Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking,
Morn of toil, nor night of waking.
I said my final farewell, “Goodbye my General, till we meet again.”
But for Gen Harbakhsh, Punjab would’ve been lost in 1965 war: Capt
Captain Amarinder Singh during the 1965 war. HT Photo( )
It was in December 1964 that I joined general officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Command, Lt Gen Harbakhsh Singh, as his aide-de-camp (ADC). I had the opportunity of seeing the 1965 war from the uppermost level of command throughout the war, right from the time of Operation Gibraltar through which Pakistan had tried to infiltrate into Kashmir.
It was in December 1964 that I joined general officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Command, Lt Gen Harbakhsh Singh, as his aide-de-camp (ADC). I had the opportunity of seeing the 1965 war from the uppermost level of command throughout the war, right from the time of Operation Gibraltar through which Pakistan had tried to infiltrate into Kashmir.
After the Pakistani troops were checkmated by us and Operation Gibraltar failed, they invaded Punjab and captured the town of Khemkaran.
We were getting reports of troop mobilisation by Pakistan from everywhere. The Pakistani division was believed to be in a three-pronged attack: One column was heading towards south of Amritsar, one towards Jandiala and another towards Beas. It was 3.30am on September 9 when I heard the phone ring. I was told by my general (Harbakhsh Singh) to let him get some sleep as we had returned late from Khemkaran.
I asked who was calling and it was then Chief of Army Staff Gen JN Chaudhury who asked me to wake Lt Gen Singh up. I shook the general from his sleep. Chaudhury asked him to withdraw Indian troops in Punjab to which Lt Gen Singh replied: “You cannot just give orders without seeing the situation on the battlefront and I cannot execute them. I am tired and going to sleep.”
The next day, I accompanied Lt Gen Singh to Ambala army airport for the chief’s visit. Chaudhury was loud and excited but he did not defend his order of the previous night because by then the battle in Asal Uttar had stabilised and the situation was under control.
If we had a weak general at that time, the morale of Indian forces would have been hit, and Punjab lost.
At 16,700 ft, on mud strip: IAF pilot on how his AN-32 reopened Daulat Beg Oldi after 43 yrs
A file photo of an AN-32 aircraft taking off from the Daulat Beg Oldi air strip in Ladakh near the LAC. | Suryakant Chafekar
Daulat Beg Oldi is now in news and for all the wrong reasons. But why is it so important? I was lucky to have played a part in its activation in 2008.
Air Marshal Pranab Barbora, who had taken over the Western Air Command on 1 January 2008, decided to be at Chandigarh in February for his familiarisation visit. I was eagerly waiting for this opportunity as after taking over as Commanding Officer of the 48 Squadron flying the AN-32s, I had planned to propose a landing at Daulat Beg Oldi, an Advance Landing Ground close to Chinese border, east of Siachen, the highest airfield in the world.
I was doubtful of getting a positive response for two reasons. First. No one had attempted to undertake a landing at Oldi even after detailed studies and proposals in the last 43 years. Second. Three committees headed by Air Vice Marshals had rejected the proposal and recommended that a landing should not be attempted. However, I thought, a re-presentation of the proposal was worth an attempt.
The D-Day arrived. Air Marshal Pranab Barbora came to the Squadron and I did a presentation on its activities: a routine briefing about its role, achievements etc. Then came the moment. I hesitantly, almost sheepishly asked for the Commander-in-Chief’s permission to present a new proposal. He agreed and the details were promptly flashed with a lot of enthusiasm regarding the operational necessities, the difficulties, the technical challenges of the task etc. The Squadron was surprised with his response; Barbora welcomed the proposal and immediately gave approval. I was told to present the details before the Western Air Command in the next two months, with greater emphasis on technical challenges.
Daulat Beg Oldi is a small campsite, virtually at the base of the strategic Karakoram Pass. Travellers of yore on the famed Silk Route would have rested at DBO on their long journeys to Constantinople from China. Being at the base of the Karakoram Pass, this place has immense strategic implications, which is why the Indian Army has been at DBO since the late 1950s. DBO is adjacent to the Chip Chap river, lies 8 km south and 9 km west of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The air distance to the Karakoram Pass from DBO is just 10 km. Can there be a greater strategic location?
All around the DBO there is bleak landscape, with light brown earth, blinding white snow and azure blue skies, where “not a blade of grass grows” and is bereft of animals. All this at 16,700 ft, where winter temperatures can drop to -50ºC. The only people in this area are the indomitable officers and jawans of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel who brave multiple adversities in the form of severe cold, utter loneliness, boredom, monotony, rarefied atmosphere, poor infrastructure, and communication.
Why didn’t we attempt a landing for almost half a decade if this place was so strategically important? There are many aspects which need consideration. First. DBO does not have a hard surface runway (bitumen/ concrete) and is a mud strip, which is compacted to provide strength to ground so that it can take the weight of the aircraft. Second and most important aspect is its elevation, which is 16,700 ft above mean sea level. There is no aircraft in the world that has the capability/capacity to land on such an airstrip while remaining within its engine and aircraft performance parameters.
Let’s understand this limitation. Engines require an ideal oxygen and fuel combination to perform at their best. With less oxygen, almost 40-45 per cent less compared to the sea level, one can’t switch off the engine to restart it. After landing at DBO engines have to be kept running. DBO is pretty much located in a bowl, surrounded by high-altitude mountains with average height of 20-22,000 ft. Manoeuvring an aircraft within this restricted place becomes difficult.
The presentation sought by the Commander-in-Chief at the Command headquarters in Delhi was arranged, and I, as the proposer, was at the receiving end of many tough questions from the top brass. To my relief, I could convince them that no damage would be caused to the aircraft during landing due to the soft ground, and operations will be possible even though the aircraft was to be operated beyond certain limitations. The go-ahead was given considering its military operational requirement and my team returned to Chandigarh raring to go. Now started the preparations.
The Army was requested to prepare the airstrip by compacting the ground. Used engine oil and water was liberally sprayed (poured at places) to bind the soil and harden it and also to control the raising of dust during take-off and landing. The centre line was painted, not an easy task as it was to be on a mud surface. Jerry cans installed along the western edge of the strip and numbered as ‘Distance to Go Markers’ (DTGM), another makeshift arrangement, which helps a pilot to know how much of the runway is left ahead and can be used for landing roll. Those unaware of what it takes to just walk around at 16,700 ft, should marvel and applaud the capability of our soldiers and their officers to undertake such strenuous tasks at those heights. ‘Where nothing grows’, where oxygen is scarce, breathing is difficult, and hard labour is nearly impossible, it is the jawan who consistently achieves the impossible.
The AN-32 with the best performance in the Squadron was selected for the task. The operations were not possible within the OEM’s published performance graphs. Extrapolation of performance graphs revealed that the Weight Altitude Temperature (WAT) limitations and certain scheduled performance parameters for field length available at 16,700 ft altitude would be exceeded but wouldn’t jeopardise the flight safety. Since the Auxiliary Power Unit used for starting main engines would not perform above 14,000 ft, no switch off was possible; the main engines would be kept running on ground at DBO and fuel for that was to be factored.
Tyre pressure was reduced for soft soil conditions and the landing speed calculated was around 280 kmph, much higher than the usual speed of 200-220 kmph and higher than the max braking speed of 250 kmph permitted by the flight manual. A higher True Air Speed at altitude increased the radius of turn for the same bank angle and this added to the difficulty of manoeuvring the aircraft within available space. Since DBO’s airstrip was predominantly unprepared and kutcha, with a very small part having iron Perforated Steel Plates left over from the days when the American made Fairchild Packet aircraft landed in the 1960s, a bumpy landing followed by an equally bumpy takeoff was expected.
To add ‘Brass’ to the aircrew, we had on board Air Marshal Pranab Barbora himself as a passenger–of course he did not want to disturb the crew by being in the cockpit during this difficult mission, but he was sharing the risk of the sortie, like a true leader would. He was not going to sit in New Delhi while the action took place at DBO.
Our AN-32 got airborne early in the morning on 31 May 2008 at 0500 hrs, climbing into a grey-blue sky over Chandigarh, heading northward for the Himalayas. Bright sunshine greeted us as we made our way past Tso Morari and Kar Tso, two prominent lakes before we crossed the Indus. We headed North and after crossing Leh and Khardung La entered Shyok Valley, passed the moraines of the Siachen Glacier and then entered the DBO bowl. Sheet of clouds at about 20,000 ft hid most of the valley, but given the experience of the crew and their intimate knowledge of the geography of DBO, we descended below clouds and set up a circuit for left hand turns onto runway 01. The landing would be northward.
The readers will appreciate that an aircraft at circuit height in mountains appears frighteningly close to the obstructions below. With landing gear extended, flaps down and mountain peaks well above it, we brought the aircraft on final approach for Runway 01 at DBO. As calculated, the rate of descent was twice as that at Chandigarh, I knew that the first attempt had to be successful. On trial was the ‘izzat (honour)’ of not just my Squadron and me, but also of our Station and the Indian Air Force. Strategic value of routinely operating AN-32s from DBO was immense, and both militarily and diplomatically this trial landing was going to give a much-needed boost to our operational capability. I was flying much more than just an AN-32 into DBO.
The aircraft roared over 01 dumb-bell at 280 kmph, throttles were chopped and at exactly 0614 hrs on 31 May 2008, history was created when this 27,000 kg medium-lift aircraft touched down at DBO, the highest airfield in the world. The landing run was pretty bumpy and the aircraft stopped well in time, even though braking was delayed. We turned around at dumb-bell 19 and stopped, keeping engines running as planned. Air Marshal Barbora disembarked and was met by Lt General Bhardwaj who had earlier landed at the airstrip in a helicopter; sweets were presented to the Army unit in appreciation of a most magnificent job done in preparation of the airstrip in such a short time, and at these heights.
After about 15 minutes it was time to take off. The aircraft was lined up on dumb-bell 19, full power opened (which generated just 65 per cent of sea-level torque) and brakes released; because of use of full engine power a huge cloud of dust churned up behind the aircraft as it lurched forward with a not too encouraging acceleration.
Air speed indicators in the cockpit register the aircraft velocity late at higher altitude but I desperately wanted speed to lift off. As the needle creeped to V2, the speed at which the nose is rotated, I gently eased the aircraft off DBO and immediately turned right to avoid the mountain in front, and climbed away towards home.
The 48 Squadron had done it by displaying indefatigable spirit, single minded purpose, and professional courage. And there was no prouder person than me, being its Commanding Officer. God has been kind, for the Squadron then got an opportunity to do similar path-breaking openings of the Fukche and Nyoma Advance Landing Grounds in Ladakh within the next year. Three Advance Landing Grounds operationalised in 17 months.
Lt Gen Manoj Pande appointed chief of Andaman & Nicobar command at Port Blair
This is only tri-services operational command, focuses on amphibious warfare
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is currently posted at the Army Headquarters
Lt Gen Raj Shukla appointed as new Army training command chief at Shimla
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair.
This is the only tri-services operational command and focuses mainly on amphibious warfare. He is currently posted at the Army headquarters.
Lt Gen Raj Shukla appointed as the new Army training command chief at Shimla. He is presently posted at the Army headquarters and would be in charge of looking after training aspects of the force.
More military talks are planned in the coming days to ease tensions along the LAC, including one between major general-ranked officers at Patrolling Point 14 near the Galwan area on Wednesday, a senior officer said.
PM Narendra Modi with Chinese president Xi Jinping at Hyderabad House in New Delhi in September 2014. (Bloomberg File Photo )
China has begun withdrawing its soldiers from three hotspots along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, with India reciprocating by pulling back its forces deployed in those pockets as both sides step up efforts to resolve a month-long tense border confrontation, two senior officers familiar with the development said on Tuesday.
“Limited military disengagement” has taken place at the Galwan valley, Patrolling Point 15 and the Hot Springs area where Chinese soldiers have pulled back two to three km along with their infantry combat vehicles, said one of the two officers, both of whom requested anonymity.
“It’s a step towards returning to status quo ante (as of early April). Indian soldiers have also withdrawn from the forward positions held by them in these areas,” said the second officer.
Hindustan Times first reported on Monday that activity at the three sites declined after a seven-hour long meeting between the military commanders of the two armies, Lt Gen Harinder Singh, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps and Maj Gen Liu Lin, commander of the PLA in the South Xinjiang region, at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC.
Pangong Tso , where it all began has also started to see “de-escalation” but “it will take time to complete the process here,” said a third army officer who asked not to be named
More military talks are planned in the coming days to ease tensions along the LAC, including one between major general-ranked officers at Patrolling Point 14 near the Galwan area on Wednesday, said the second officer.
This will be the fourth round of talks between major generals to break the stalemate that began with a violent confrontation between rival patrols near Pangong Tso on the night of May 5-6.
“Colonels and brigadiers will also hold a series of meetings with their Chinese counterparts at locations along the LAC to resolve the border situation. Hotlines at the tactical level are also functional,” the officer said.
Experts said that the beginning of disengagement at the three hotspots along the border was a positive development.
“It’s a good sign if tensions are easing at the three locations where the alignment of the LAC wasn’t disputed. We can now focus on resolving the situation on the northern bank of Pangong Tso,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).
Around 250 soldiers of the two armies clashed near Pangong Tso last month with the scuffle leaving scores of troops injured. While an immediate flare-up was avoided as both armies stuck to protocols to resolve the situation, tensions swiftly spread to other pockets along the LAC.
Specifically, the stand-off was in three locations, marked as the Indian army’s patrolling points 14, 15, and 17. At point 14, the Chinese objected to India building a 60-metre long bridge on a rivulet to give its troops easy access to Daulat Beg Oldi, the last Indian military post south of the Karakoram pass. The Chinese have retreated from point 14, a government official who asked not to be named said.
At point 15, Chinese soldiers have been camping in tents for the past month, staring down at Indian soldiers doing the same. ‘Both sides have started reducing their presence here,” the government official added.
At point 17, both sides had amassed troops and armour. The armoured vehicles have been moved back, the official said, and the troops will follow.
Even in Pangong Tso, the Chinese have moved back the 15 interceptor boats and the 124 vehicles they moved in, the official added.
China marshalled close to 5,000 soldiers and deployed tanks and artillery guns on its side of the disputed border in the Ladakh sector where India also sent military reinforcements.
India and China will continue military and diplomatic contacts to resolve the standoff, the external affairs ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The ministry said that “the two sides will continue military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
India has dismissed China’s contention that its soldiers were hindering the activities of Chinese troops along the LAC, and accused Chinese forces of hampering patrols on the Indian side. The Indian government has made it clear it won’t allow any change in the status quo along the LAC, and that it will tackle the prevailing situation with “strength and restraint.”
India has also told China that it will not halt construction within the Indian boundary, including the strategic Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road that provides connectivity to the country’s northern-most outpost, Daulat Beg Oldi.
India is also working on another road from Sasoma to Saser La that could eventually provide an alternative route to DBO near the Karakoram pass, as reported by Hindustan Times on June 9.
India was initially surprised by the PLA’s movement, the government official said but reacted quickly to match deployment and started negotiations. External affairs minister S Jaishankar and diplomats in Delhi and Beijing were involved in the process as were army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane , NSA Ajit Doval, and the chiefs of security agencies.
HT was the first to report on May 10 about tensions flaring up between India and China in north Sikkim where 150 soldiers were involved in a tense standoff a day earlier. Four Indian and seven Chinese soldiers were injured at Naku La during the confrontation.
Jayadeva Ranade, president of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, said the issue had not ended with Tuesday’s developments.
“This is a welcome first step towards defusing the situation. They have talked about the easiest places [related to the stand-off] but there are more places along the LAC,” he said.
“Even if the situation is defused and the Chinese troops pull back, the question remains – why did they come in such large numbers at so many places? Were they testing our response? Is the plan to pull back and come in again? They know what they are going to do, and the larger agenda is yet to happen,” Ranade added.
3 militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Shopian district Third such gunfight in the district since Sunday
A security man in Shopian on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Amin War
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, June 10
Three militants were killed in a gunfight that erupted between militants and security forces in Shopian district on Wednesday.
The gunfight – the third in Shopian district since Sunday – erupted during a cordon and search operation at Sugoo Hendhama village.
Their identity and affiliation is being ascertained.
According to an intelligence input, three militants were trapped in the area.
The Srinagar-based defence spokesman said, “A joint operation was launched at 1.45 am on Wednesday based on JK Police’s intelligence. A cordon was laid and contact was established at 5.30 am. Security forces eliminated three terrorists. The joint operation is in progress.”
Nine local militants were killed in the earlier two gunfights in the district.
Marginal troop pullback on LAC Withdrawal by India, China at Galwan, Hot Springs | Military commanders meet today
Military commanders of India and China are scheduled to meet again at Ladakh tomorrow over the existing standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) amid reports that troops of both sides have pulled back marginally at two locations.
Move ‘Not’ a retreat
Troop withdrawal reportedly occurred at Patrolling Point 14 (Galwan area), Patrolling Point 15 and Gogra-Hot Springs
The number of soldiers and vehicles involved in the faceoff has been reduced
Sources, however, said the troop movement should not be treated as a retreat, for now
News agencies quoting un-named military sources said troops on either side have pulled back by around 2 km at Galwan and Gogra-Hot Springs. There is no on-record verification of the claim by any wing of the government, so far.
News agencies said both sides had withdrawn at multiple locations, including Patrolling Point 14 (Galwan area), Patrolling Point 15 and Hot Springs.
For now, sources said, the troop movement at Galwan and Hot Springs should not be treated as a retreat. Soldiers and vehicles involved in the faceoff have been reduced and the build-up on either side moved back a bit.
A Major General, who heads the 3 Division of the Indian Army, will meet his Chinese counterpart tomorrow.
On June 6, the top-most military commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps had met his Chinese counterpart. At Pangong Tso, the Chinese are reportedly adamant on not allowing Indian troops to patrol east of “Finger 4”. This is a disputed territory that both sides patrolled before May 5 this year. The LAC is not demarcated on ground.
India is seeking restoration of status quo ante along the 826-km LAC in Ladakh and freedom to patrol disputed areas. At Galwan, there is no dispute over the alignment of the LAC. After the Major General-level talks, there would be ground-level talks at the brigade commander and battalion commander levels. These talks would be held at Galwan and Hot Springs. Patrol lines would be discussed during those talks.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday said, “India-China military and diplomatic talks are on… have agreed that the resolution of any future border dispute and the present tussle will be through talks.”
Rahul Gandhi on Twitter
Rahul questions Rajnath
Once RM (Rajnath) is done commenting on the hand symbol, can he answer: Have the Chinese occupied Indian territory in Ladakh.
Chinese spokesperson Hua Chunying yesterday said both countries had maintained close communication on resolving border issues through diplomatic and military channels. The border area situation was discussed during the June 6 meeting between Chinese and Indian military officials, Chunying said.
Indian Air Force inducts indigenous airborne rescue pod for critical and COVID-19 patients
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 9
The Indian Air Force has inducted an indigenously developed Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT) that can be utilised for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious diseases including, COVID-19 from high altitude areas and remote places.
The requirement of an air evacuation system with the facility to prevent the spread of infectious aerosol from a COVID-19 patient during air travel was felt by the IAF when COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic.
The prototype was fabricated at IAF’s No.3 Base Repair Depot at Chandigarh and has undergone various modifications to make it operationally suitable.
Only indigenous materials have been used to fabricate this pod, keeping in mind the government’s efforts to promote self-reliance.
The indigenous system has been developed at a cost of only Rs 60,000 whereas imported systems cost up to Rs 60 lakh. The IAF is inducting a total of seven ARPITs as of now, according to a statement.
It can be used in both, helicopters as well as fixed-wing aircraft.
It has been developed as a lightweight isolation system from aviation certified material.
It has a transparent and durable perspex chamber for enhanced patient visibility, which is larger, higher, and wider than the existing models in use.
The isolation system caters to a suitable number of air exchanges, integration of medical monitoring instruments, and ventilation to an intubated patient.
In addition, it generates a high and constant negative pressure within the isolation chamber to mitigate the risk of infection to aircrew, ground crew, and health care workers involved in air transportation.
The ARPIT utilises High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) H-13 class filters and supports invasive ventilation using a transport ventilator.
The design integrates life support and monitoring instruments like defibrillator with the multi-para monitor, pulse oximeter, Infusion pumps, etc, and long arm gloves for health care professionals and power pack with high endurance.
Design requirements have been evolved and are based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, and Centre for Disease Control, USA.
Deputy Commandant’s parade held at IMA as precursor to PoP Passing out Parade to be held on June 13
Gentlemen cadets taking part in Deputy Commandant’s parade.
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 9
As a precursor to the Passing out Parade (PoP) scheduled to be held for the spring term at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, on June 13, the Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor’s Parade was held on Tuesday.
Amidst the global pandemic and challenges posed by COVID-19 that mandated a change in the training schedules and modifications of some other procedures, 333 Indian and 90 foreign gentlemen cadets displayed their immaculate turnout and precision marching.
Maj Gen JS Mangat, Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of the Indian Military Academy.
The parade was reviewed by Maj Gen JS Mangat, Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of the Indian Military Academy. Complimenting the cadets, he said they have been taught to lead by example and the soldiers who would be under their command should look up to them with pride. Indian troops are the best in the world, simple by heart, with unquestionable loyalty and patriotism, but then as an officer they would have to earn their respect and trust through their actions, conduct and demeanour, he said.
Stressing upon the importance of valour, honour, ethos and fine traditions of the Indian Army, he commended them for attaining stellar training standards despite all modifications in training and exhorted them to continue with their endeavors to excel in all fields.
General Mangat also complimented cadets from friendly foreign countries on successful completion of the training and wished them all the success ahead as they return home with high professional standards carry cherished memories of their time at the IMA.
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ice Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
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