Akashdeep Singh Dhillon has been commissioned into the elite Parachute Regiment

Last month, General Naravane had stated that Nepal was ratcheting up the Lipulekh border issue at the “behest of someone else and that is very much possible”, insinuating Chinese interference. The Indian Army has been locked in a military stand-off with China near the Line of Actual Control around Pangong lake since 5 May.

“We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future,” Naravane said at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Saturday. Naravane was there to attend a passing out parade.

Also read: India silent as Nepal set to amend its Constitution to adopt new map

Army chief’s timing 

The remarks come on a day when the House of Representatives, or Nepal’s lower house of parliament, votes for a bill to amend their Constitution to include the disputed regions of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in its official map.

The bill seeks to amend Schedule 3 of the Nepalese Constitution to reflect the new map, which shows the disputed territories within its borders.

“The Army Chief had really made an unnecessary comment. I think there is some thinking in New Delhi to settle the matters at the level of the both armies at least while political haggling continues,” said S.D. Muni, member of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses’ executive council and professor emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“Initially, there were talks that the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat will speak to Nepal’s defence minister. Nevertheless, the matter now seems settled between the armies. Let the politics take its own course.”

Traditionally, due to close relations between both countries, Nepal follows a norm wherein the Indian Army chief is conferred the title of chief ‘honorary general’ of the Nepal Army.

ThePrint had reported that owing to Naravane’s earlier remarks, Nepal could this time break away from that long-standing tradition.

Nepal’s Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel had called the remarks by the Indian Army Chief an “insulting statement” and said it had “hurt the sentiments of the Nepali Gurkha army personnel who lay down their lives to protect India … It must now become difficult for them to stand tall in front of the Gurkha forces”.

Also read: Won’t accept ‘artificial enlargement’ of territory — India hits back as Nepal redraws map

Nepal’s new map

Once the bill is passed in the lower house, the National Assembly, which is Nepal’s upper house of parliament, will take it up. That process will take another week or so, after which, the map will become permanent in their Constitution.

“The damage has been done, there is no doubt about it. The situation has aggravated since he (General Naravane) made those comments. Nepal’s strategic partnership with China is growing across the board and many of the internal political problems in Nepal is being managed by them that is for sure, but for the Indian Army chief to speak like that did not go down well with Nepali people,” said Vijay Kanta Karna, former diplomat and now professor of political science at Nepal’s Tribhuvan University.

Nepal officially released its new political map on 20 May.

Also read: Mocking Indian emblem, redrawing Nepal map, KP Oli’s adventures are growing

Addressing gentlemen cadets at the Indian Military Academy, General M M Naravane said the officers are being commissioned into the army under most daunting circumstances.

Addressing gentlemen cadets at the Indian Military Academy here as the reviewing officer of a passing out parade, Gen Naravane said they are being commissioned as officers into the army under the most daunting of circumstances and the high standards of their military training will help them overcome the challenges lying in store for them.

The parade saw a total of 423 cadets being commissioned into the army including 333 from the country and 90 from friendly foreign countries.

“These are difficult times for the country. Its safety, honour and respect depends on your abilities as military leaders. You have to live up to the expectations of your countrymen. You have to ensure that whatever you do is for their welfare,” he said.

The army chief said there are no good or bad regiments but only good officers.

“Become one with your men. Win their trust and affection and they will win battles for you,” Naravane said.

He asked the gentlemen cadets to throw themselves into their new role as commissioned officers with passion but also be compassionate towards their men.

“When the going gets tough and all seems lost, it is the spirit of your men that helps you win,” he said.

Also read: Army plans to expand roles for elite special and airborne forces known for surgical strikes

He said the gentlemen cadets who are taking their first step as commissioned officers will have to take decisions in the tactical and operational domain as well as resolve ethical issues and they will have only their conscience to guide them.

“In such critical moments let the core values enshrined in the preamble of the constitution of India be your guiding light,” the Army Chief said.

“I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We are having a series of talks which started with Corps Commander level talks which was followed up with meetings at the local level between commanders of equivalent ranks,” Naravane told reporters on the sidelines of the Indian Military Academy’s Passing Out Parade here.

He said the ongoing dialogue will sort out all the perceived differences between the two countries.

“As a result a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue that we are having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest,” the Army chief said.

He said both sides have begun to disengage in a phased manner and the process has started from the north.

“Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner. We have started from the north, from the area of the Galwan river where a lot of disengagement has taken place. It has been a very fruitful dialogue that we have had. And as I said it will go on and the situation will improve as we go on,” he said.

Replying to a question on Nepal, which has revised its map showing Lipulekh as Nepalese territory, he said India has always had strong ties with Nepal and they will remain strong in future.

“We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people-to-people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future.”

Also read: Indian Army chief says ties will remain strong, hours before Nepal votes on controversial map

Lt Gen Raj Sujlana (Retd)

June 13, 1970 is unforgettable in the narrative of our military life. It was on this day that we passed out from the National Defence Academy. A year later, after our final training, those commissioned in the Army as Second Lieutenants passed out from the Indian Military Academy, to get bloodied in battles during the India-Pakistan War of 1971. The Naval officers as Midshipmen joined battleships and the Air Force pilots took to the air battle. We all earned for ourselves the right to be called the ‘Born to Battle Course’.

The war took its toll on course mates. In later years, too, facing challenges, many laid down their lives for the country. This year marks the golden jubilee of our Passing Out Parade. With impatience and exuberance, we looked forward to our alumni meet back at our alma mater at Khadakwasla. Little did the word pandemic cross our mind, something which would ruin this dream event.

Preparations had been afoot for nearly a year. A core dedicated team siting in Pune (or Poona, as we fondly remember) worked non-stop tying up details. Those away from the hub, especially the ones living abroad, did not want any slip-ups; there was much to look forward to.

Ours is the only course whose batchmates have been honoured with the nation’s top gallantry awards in war and peace — 2/Lt Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra, and Col NJ Nair, Ashoka Chakra.

The inaugural event was to be a ceremonial salute and evocation at the Hut of Remembrance for our course mates, who now watch us from the skies. We looked forward to meeting some friends after five decades — the bonhomie, camaraderie, that back-slapping, the loud lovable shouts and many adjectives! But then Covid-19 struck, and the plans came crashing down.

The disappointment is immense but then something else struck me. Our loss is that of an alumni meet, but for those who passed out recently, the Passing Out Parade — the grand finale of successful completion of three years of hectic training — was scaled down.

That day on the Khetarpal Drill Square is one to cherish. The atmosphere is charged, the air feels different, the stamping of feet is louder, the heels dig in like never before. The presence of parents and guests adds to the pageantry.

Then there is the final slow march to the haunting lyrics of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, the solemnity of the salute as one marches over the quarter deck, the fly past and the traditional cheers of ‘38th course ki jai’ — as it happened in our case 50 years back — by the juniormost course, strung smartly on the Jacob’s ladders alongside the mast.

It was music to our ears, the sound of this ‘jai’ remains etched in memory; but 100 courses after us, for the 138th course, the near-absence of this tradition would have been felt. But, as elders, we cheer you all and we are sure that 50 years down the line, you all will be there to enjoy your alumni meet!

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 12

Colonel (retd) RL Sharma has come to the rescue of Guddo Devi, a resident of Mehwa village, near Guler, in Kangra district, who is facing hardships amid the lockdown. The ex-serviceman today invited the woman to his residence in Palampur and gave her a cheque for Rs 50,000.

He came to know about the plight of Guddo Devi after reading a news item published in these columns recently.

Guddo Devi, who was in tears, expressed gratitude to the ex-serviceman.

Talking to The Tribune, the retired Colonel said he had also talked to Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Rakesh Prajapati about the problems being faced by Guddo Devi and he had assured him that the case of land allotment would be processed soon.

Guddo Devi, who would make and sell brooms, had not been able to earn anything for the past two months. She was dependent on the charity of villagers to survive.

Depending on charity

Guddo Devi, who would make and sell brooms, had not been able to earn anything for the past two months. She was dependent on the charity of villagers to survive. Her plight was highlighted by The Tribune recently.

Dehradun, June 13

The “entire situation” along India’s border with China is under control, and both the armies are “disengaging” in a phased manner beginning from Galwan Valley, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said on Saturday, in the first official confirmation of mutual pulling back of troops after the face-off began in eastern Ladakh over five weeks back.

The Chief of Army Staff also said military talks between the two armies had been “very fruitful”, and exuded confidence that the ongoing dialogue would “settle” all perceived differences over the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto Sino-India boundary.

Gen Naravane was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the passing out parade of the Indian Military Academy.

“Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner. We have started from the north, from the area of the Galwan river where a lot of disengagement has taken place. It has been a very fruitful dialogue that we have had. As I said, it will go on and the situation will improve as we go on,” he said.

The Indian and Chinese armies are engaged in the standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. A sizeable number of the Chinese Army personnel even transgressed into the Indian side of the de-facto border in several areas including Pangong Tso.

The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to the transgressions and demanding their immediate withdrawal for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the area. Both sides held a series of talks in the last few days to resolve the row.

“I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We are having a series of talks which started with corps commander level talks which were followed up with meetings at the local level between commanders of equivalent ranks,” Naravane said.

“As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue that we are having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest,” he said.

The military sources, on Tuesday, had claimed that the two armies began “disengagement” around patrolling points 14 and 15 in Galwan Valley and another in the Hot Spring area, adding that the Chinese side had even moved back up to 1.5 km in the two areas.

However, neither the Ministry of External Affairs nor the Ministry of Defence responded to the queries about the disengagement so far.

People keeping track of the stand-off suggested that there was no evidence so far to show that the Chinese troops were withdrawn from the Indian side of the LAC in Galwan Valley and Hot Spring.

In their first serious efforts to end the row, Lt General Harinder Singh, the general officer commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Commander of the Tibet Military District Maj Gen Liu Lin held a nearly seven-hour meeting on June 6.

The meeting was followed by Major General-level talks on Wednesday and Friday. The Indian side, on both the occasion, pitched for the restoration of status quo ante and immediate withdrawal of thousands of Chinese troops from the areas which India considers on its side of the LAC.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Friday, reviewed India’s overall military preparedness in eastern Ladakh and several other sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

In the review meeting, Rajnath Singh told the top military brass to continue to deal with the situation in eastern Ladakh and other areas with “firmness”, at the same time insisting that the two sides must resolve the row through talks, they said.

Following the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, the two sides have deployed additional troops along the LAC, the de-facto Sino-India border, in North Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh in the last few days, the sources said.

After the stand-off began in early last month, Indian military leadership decided that the Indian troops would adopt a firm approach in dealing with the aggressive posturing by the Chinese troops in all disputed areas of Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie.

The Chinese Army has been gradually ramping up its strategic reserves in its rear bases near the LAC by rushing in artillery guns, infantry combat vehicles and heavy military equipment.

The trigger for the face-off was China’s stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.

The road in the Finger area in Pangong Tso is considered crucial for India to carry out a patrol. India has already decided not to stall any border infrastructure projects in eastern Ladakh in view of Chinese protests.

The situation in the area deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it.

Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. PTI

Dehradun, June 13

Army Chief General M M Naravane on Saturday said the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have had a lot of successes recently as people there are fed up with militancy and want normalcy to return to the Union Territory

“As far as Jammu and Kashmir or our western neighbour is concerned, we have had a lot of successes in the last one week or ten days. In the last 10-15 days alone more than 15 terrorists have been killed there, “Naravane told reporters on the sidelines of the IMA’s passing out parade which he addressed as the reviewing officer.

“All this has been because of the close cooperation and coordination between all the security forces operating in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

He said a majority of the recent anti-terrorist operations were based on information provided by locals which is an indication that they are fed up with militancy and want normalcy to return to the Valley.

“Most operations have been carried out on the basis of information provided by locals which goes to show they are also absolutely fed up with militancy and terrorism and want that the situation should return to normal,” Naravane said. PTI