India-Afghanistan ties on new course with Friendship Dam

Kabul confers its highest civilian award on Narendra Modi

PM Narendra Modi with Afghan Prez Ashraf Ghani after inaugurating the dam in Herat. PTI

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 4

If symbols define a relationship, then all the correct signs were on display today when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Afghan city of Herat. The inauguration of the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam, seemed the perfect occasion to display to the world, and to a particular neighbour, the growing bond between India and Afghanistan.The dam was inaugurated by Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Modi aptly summed up the mood  in his speech, saying “We are reviving a region, restoring hope, renewing life and redefining Afghanistan’s future. The dam is a generator not just of electricity but also of optimism and belief in the future of Afghanistan.”  Ghani displayed great warmth in his address to the PM as he welcomed Modi to his “second home” and said a “long-standing dream” of the country had been realised after 30 years with help from India. The PM, in his speech, evoked the great Persian poet,  Jalaluddin Rumi, when talking about Herat. “And the city that once Jalaluddin Rumi held as the finest, will rise again,” he said. “In the Holy Quran, river is central to the image of paradise. In the ancient scriptures of India, rivers defined our nation and were celebrated as the giver of life. And, an Afghan proverb says, Kabul be zar basha be barf ne (May Kabul be without gold rather than snow),” he said. Ghani, returning the compliment, said, “Today, we come together to make India-Afghan ties and friendship eternal. This dam will chart a new course of cooperation and prosperity.”  “Contrary to those who spread chaos and destruction, we two countries have taken a joint decision to build and grow,” said Ghani.His veiled reference to Pakistan was loud and clear and may be a relief for many in India who initially perceived Ghani having a pro-Pakistan tilt. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam will irrigate 75,000 hectares of land and generate 42 MW of power. Modi’s speech referred to the strategically important Chabahar port deal that was recently signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.  The Chabahar agreement will provide India a greater access to Central Asia and also provide Afghanistan an alternative port to Karachi. Afghanistan conferred its highest civilian honour, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award, on Modi to underline the importance Afghanistan attaches to India. It was only last December that Modi had inaugurated the new Parliament complex in Kabul built by India at a cost of $90 million.  

NEW DELHI: Secret data on India’s Scorpene submarines was accessed by an unknown number of people working for a private company in a Southeast Asian country and even placed on an internet server where it was vulnerable to hacking and interception.

The leaked data, which has forced the Indian Navy to assess the vulnerability of the Scorpene submarines ordered from French shipbuilder DCNS under a $3.5 billion deal, is believed to have been “removed” from the firm in Paris in 2011 by a former French Navy officer, The Australian reported late on Friday.

The officer, who worked as a subcontractor for DCNS, and a French colleague, took the data to a Southeast Asian country where they were employed by a private company run by a Western businessman. After the two Frenchmen were sacked, the secret data was sent to the company’s head office in Singapore. The data was also placed on a server on April 18, 2013, and it was “dangerously vulnerable to hacking or interception by a foreign intelligence service”, the daily reported. “It is not known whether the data stayed on this server for a few days or for a year,” it added.he data was also sent by the firm on a disk by regular post to a person in Sydney in 2013. This person, experienced in defence issues, was “stunned” when he saw the documents detailing the secret capabilities of the Indian submarines, the report said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama. Tribune file photo

Washington, June 1

Voicing concern that a conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to include nuclear weapons, the US has asked the two countries to engage in a “sustained” bilateral dialogue process and exercise “maximum restraint” to boost peace.

“We are concerned by nuclear and missile developments in South Asia,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI when asked about the recent statement of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, 80, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, that Islamabad has the ability to target New Delhi in five minutes.

“We are concerned by the increased security challenges that accompany growing stockpiles and the increased risk that a conventional conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to include nuclear use.

“It is important that there be a sustained and resilient dialogue process between the two neighbours, and that all parties in the region continuously act with maximum restraint and work collaboratively toward reducing tensions,” the spokesperson said.

Improvements in Indo-Pak bilateral relations would greatly enhance prospects for lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the official said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the State Department said it is looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

“We look forward to the prime minister’s visit and we want it to be successful,” State Department John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference.

Modi will embark on a five-nation visit from June 4 which will cover Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

He will travel to the US on June 7 at the invitation of US President Barack Obama, with whom he will review the progress made in key areas of defence, security and energy, and will also address a Joint Meeting of the US Congress. — PTI

he leak about the submarines’ secret combat capabilities has turned the spotlight on the project. The row has erupted as India prepares to deploy its first French-designed diesel-electric version early next year

PROJECT-75

THE SUBMARINES are being built with French technology at the Mazagon Dock Ltd in Mumbai. India has ordered six Scorpene-class submarines in a deal worth `23,562 crore THE 66-METRE submarine can dive up to a depth of 300 metres to elude enemy detection.

SIGNIFICANCE

THE NAVY is betting on the project to sharpen its underwater attack capabilities INDIA OPERATES 13 ageing conventional submarines against China, which has 53 diesel-electric attack submarines LIMITED SERVICEABILITY is also an issue as some boats are not battle-ready at all times

PACKING EXTRA PUNCH

SOON, THE fifth and sixth Scorpene boats will be equipped with air-independent propulsion system, which will help the submarines recharge their batteries without surfacing for more than three weeks

DELAY

THE NAVY was supposed to induct its first Scorpene submarine in 2012 but the project was delayed due to problems related to transfer of technology IN 2009, the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) came down heavily on the government for giving undue favours to DCNS while awarding the submarine deal in 2005

Vice Admiral Girish Luthra took over the reins of Western Naval Command (WNC) as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) on 30 May 16 from Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba at a ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra.

Later in the day, officers of the Western Naval Command accorded Vice Admiral Lanba a warm send off, with the traditional ‘Pulling Out’ ceremony. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba will take over as the Chief of Naval Staff on 31 May 16.

Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba addressing the personnel on parade prior to handing over the charge of Western Naval Command

      Addressing the personnel on parade, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba complimented the personnel of the command who, not withstanding the constrains of the service, have worked with synergy and teamwork in ensuring that ships, submarines and aricrafts are maintained in a high state of combat readiness at all times. In keeping with the fragile maritime environment of the region, he said that, there is a need to be ever vigilant in all quarters and all fronts. He said that he had no doubt that fire power from units of fleet, flotillas and squadrons can be delivered appropriately should the need arise.

Vice Admiral Girish Luthra taking over charge as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command

      Pointing towards the International Fleet Review held recently at Visakhapatnam, Vice Admiral Lanba said that presence of 50 countries in the review clearly indicates the growing stature of the country in the region. He added that many countries have expressed the desire to cooperate and exercise with Indian Navy which is indicative of professionalism, training and sound culture displayed by the service. He also urged the need to continue working together to bring change and work smartly. He also apprised the personnel on the steps taken by WNC in addressing the long standing issue of shortage of married accommodation.

Special forces of the Indian Army had made a cross-border raid on two camps of N-E insurgents in Myanmar on June 9, 2015, after 18 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Manipur. File photo

Nay Pyi Taw, August 22Myanmar military authorities have denied that there was a recent exchange of gunfire on its soil between the Indian army and the outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (khaplang) (NSCN-K), the media reported on Monday.The denial referred to some reports that the Indian Army entered the Myanmar territory and fought with Naga rebels on August 19 and that the fighting lasted for three hours, Xinhua news agency reported.Myanmar military’s information quoted witnesses as saying that the gun battle occurred inside India, one mile west of the Myanmar-India border, and not in Myanmar.However, Myanmar military columns on the border were on full alert to ward off foreign troops from entering the country, the military authorities said.Myanmar would neither accept nor encourage any armed group to station on its soil to potentially terrorise the government, it said.The authorities insisted that Myanmar armed forces was working in tandem with Indian army and rendering cooperation in patrolling the border and exchanging information.A leading English daily recently reported a gun battle between Indian army and the NSCN-K near the Indo-Myanmar border.The Indian army had carried out a strike in June last year after the Naga group had ambushed and killed 18 soldiers in Manipur.Myanmar army had then warned India against such incidentsThe Naga militants abrogated a 14-year-old ceasefire in March last year. — Agencies

Shimla, May 30

The Army recruitment rally for recruitment of soldier general duty, soldier clerks, store keepers technical, soldier tradesmen, soldier technical, soldier nursing assistant, Havildar (Education) and Defence Service Corps (DSC) for Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan and Kinnaur district will be conducted by the Army Recruitment Office, Shimla, at GB Pant College, Rampur, in Shimla district from May 31 to June 6.“The recruitment will be held on the base of online applications and as many as 11,000 persons had got them registered online. The recruitment for Rajgarh, Nohra, Pacchad, Renuka, Dadahu, Nahan and Kamru tehsils of Sirmaur district will be held on May 31 while the recruitment for Poanta Sahib, Shalai and Ronhat tehsils of Sirmaur will be held on June 1,” an Army spokesperson said.He said the recruitments for Arki, Darlaghat, Ramshahr, Baddi, Kishangarh, Kausali, Solan and Kandaghat tehsils of Solan district would be held on June 2 while the recruitment for Nalagarh tehsil would be held on June 3.The recruitment for all tehsils of Shimla and Kinnaur district would be held on June 4, he said. — TNS

Nearly three decades after National Security Guard came into being, the war scenario and tactics have changed across the globe. As the toughest fighting force of the country prepares its men for any kind of battle, anywhere in the world, The Tribune gets rare access to his ‘holy land’ in Manesar(Haryana). Here, men challenge themselves before they are made to take on the enemy.

Let’s get up-close with it in Hollywood’s American Sniper: Wayne Kyle (to his sons): There are three types of people in this world: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. Some people prefer to believe that evil doesn’t exist in the world, and if it ever darkened their doorstep, they wouldn’t know how to protect themselves. Those are the sheep. Wayne Kyle: Then you’ve got predators who use violence to prey on the weak. They’re the wolves. Wayne Kyle: And then there are those blessed with the gift of aggression, an overpowering need to protect the flock. These men are the rare breed who live to confront the wolf. They are the sheepdog. Ironically, man learns only from strife, conflicts and failures. The hardest lesson comes when before overcoming an ‘enemy’; you overcome yourself. Usually, it’s the time when all odds are stacked against you, and you tell yourself convincingly, winningly: na dainyam, na palayanam (no begging for mercy, no escape). That’s when you steel yourself, becoming the protector — a ‘sheepdog’. There are men and women like that. In our country we call them Black Cats. They live to protect the innocents. They must not die: That’s their lesson number one. Brought up by the fiercely challenging ideal of ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going,’ they learn to live off the terrain, breathe like a fish, sleep like a dog and attack like a thunderbolt. They are also called commandos of the elite National Security Guard (NSG). They are tasked to conduct counter-terrorism operations, including counter-hijacking, bomb disposal, post-blast investigation and hostage-rescue operations. They have the best of weapons for close combat such as MP5 A5 and A3 assault rifles, the Glock 19 pistols and many more which they would not like to disclose. They could be unarmed, but would respond to a crisis with the lethal power of their reflexes honed by Israel’s Krav Maga, Indian and Chinese martial arts.They compete with US Special Forces, Russia’s Spetsnaz, Israel’s Sayeret, UK’s SAS, Germany’s GSG-9 and others. They also train with the special forces of the Army, Garuds of the Indian Air Force and MARCOS of the Indian Navy. Commented an unnamed American observer after a joint session with the NSG: “Their (NSG’s) training is simply brutal.” What he meant was that NSG makes a super soldier out of an ordinary man.The NSG entrants are Army and paramilitary forces personnel who are among the best in their units, or they volunteer. They are made to undergo a three-month rigorous training at the NSG Training Centre in Manesar (Haryana). Only after passing three tests at the end of each month do they become NSG commandos. Here’s how their training schedule looks like: It was 10.30 pm on a cold December night last year. “Fall in,” roared an NSG instructor to the trainees. The 400 men stood in attention in front of their barracks, each in battle fatigue, carrying a haversack and a thick stick shaped as a rifle, weighing over 16 kg. A thick layer of fog blinded them as a cold wind whistles past. Everybody was exhausted, having been shaken awake from just two-hour sleep. Suddenly, they were drenched with cold water. This was their wake-up call. “The instructor ordered us to start running for 5km. The exercise continued for three grueling hours. A trainee was injured in his ankle and we had to carry him as well. We never leave our man behind,” remembers Major Vikram Singh (name changed on request). They all knew if a trainee fails, he is sent ‘home’. Singh trained with the NSG for the Commando Course from last October to December and is now serving with the federal counter-terrorism force.“This course breaks you,” said Vikram. “The idea is to dissolve the limits of your body and mind. You have to keep pushing yourself and tell yourself to try harder. Do whatever, but finish the course,” he says. There is no rest, he said. “Meals are supposed to be a break time, ideally, but an instructor can order you to run 10 km with your load, back and forth, to get a meal token and finish eating within an hour,” he said. Even sleep time fluctuates, and it can range for anything between 4 hours to two hours a day. At the firing range, they are taught with the NSG’s mainstay weapons. The targets are different; it could be a hostage. “Five points for the head. Three for the chest and two for the arm. Negative marking is given for shooting at the hostage,” says Major Akshay Rathore (name changed at request), the weapons instructor. The firing starts as early as 3.15 am and can last till 1 pm. “A commando has to train in every kind of weather. Training does not stop. If they have to be commandos, they will have to train in this heat and humidity as well,” said Akshay.Their instructors move and run with them, keeping a hawk’s eye on each activity, leading by example. Akshay addresses them: “Are you ready for the next activity?” he asks. “We are,” is the response from the assembly. There is a hint of tiredness to it, but at the same time powerful to motivate one into being battle ready. “Thoda hass lo! (laugh a little),” he says. Just graduating from the Commando Course does not mean the training is over. The two Special Action Group battalions used for counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking have a more intense training regime. One example is the “room intervention.” “We train them to be ready for anything. If they enter a house through a window, we place a mock bomb at the window sill or can place a target of a terrorist holding a person hostage with a gun,” said an officer.Havildar Mahender Yadav (name changed), whose parent unit is the Army Physical Training Corps, is among the finest NSG instructor. “When 50 men run on your every command, you feel the responsibility,” he says. “The proudest moment is when the trainees become commandos and request you to click a photo. They remember you when you meet them in their units. You remember them when they win medals,” says Mahender.

Bitter lessons

• Post 26/11: Former NSG DG JN Choudhury says the force must have a real-time, accurate intelligence such as the number of terrorists, their locations and the weapons they are using. Second is coordination with the state police.
• Post-Pathankot: NSG’s bomb disposal expert Lt. Col. Niranjan died after a grenade booby-trapped on a dead terrorist body exploded. This was owing to the fact that such an eventuality didn’t form a part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
• Lethal IEDs: India had the highest number of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts in the world last year. Pakistan stood second, reveals the 2016 edition of the NSG journal, Bombshell. The need is for more specialists
• From Dhaka & Paris: NSG teams travelled to the two cities following terror attacks. The lesson from Dhaka was: “Hold back as long as talks are on. But the first shot must invite a decisive action.”

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi, May 29

The government has decided to cancel all ongoing tenders for defence equipment won by Italy’s Finmeccanica as a precursor to blacklisting of the firm which is being investigated for bribery in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.This was disclosed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who in an interview to PTI also said that the process for blacklisting Finmeccanica and its subsidiaries has already been started and a note for the same sent to the Law Ministry.“Wherever there is capital procurement of Finmeccanica and their subsidiaries, all Requests for Proposal (RFP) will be closed. I am very clear,” he said.However, he said, the annual maintenance and import of spare parts of already acquired defence supplies will be continued with the firm and only fresh capital acquisition is being nixed.The government has already withdrawn the RFP for heavy wight torpedos for Socrpene submarines which was won by WASS, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, during UPA regime. The government is now working out the alternatives.“The blacklisting process has already been moved. If there is a blacklisting for a specific number of years, which will be issued in the order, there will be no transaction by Defence Ministry with that company for capital procurement for that many years,” he said.He stressed that the Ministry has already put on hold new transactions with the company. “In revenue acquisition, where contracts have already been executed, annual maintenance and import of spare parts will be permitted where it is absolutely essential but with proper certification from concerned authority in order to ensure that platform or equipment remains operational,” he said.Emphasising that national security “cannot be compromised” just because the company has done something wrong, he said, “I cannot put six ships out of commission because one spare part is to be imported from some company of Finmeccanica.” Asked what will happen to projects in which Finmeccanica would play a crucial role in supply of equipment, he said, “Is there only one product in the whole world? There will always be products by Russian companies, American companies or some others. May be slightly costlier and difficult to get”. — PTI

Maintenance, spares untouched

• “Wherever there is capital procurement of Finmeccanica and their subsidiaries, all Requests for Proposal (RFP) will be closed. I am very clear,” said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
• The annual maintenance and import of spares of already acquired Defence supplies will, however, be continued with the firm
• The government has already withdrawn the RFP for heavy wight torpedos for Socrpene submarines which was won by WASS, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, during UPA regime

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addresses during the Budget session of the Assembly in Srinagar on Saturday. A Tribune Photo

Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 28

Asserting that no land had been identified as yet for Sainik Colony in Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehboba Mufti said here today that the issue was being exploited and made it clear that the colony was not meant for non-state subjects.“The Sainik Colony is not for outsiders…there have been demands (from ex-servicemen) for many years to set up such a colony in Kashmir,” Mehbooba Mufti said and held that the matter had been discussed in various meetings by the government between 2011 and 2014 and the government had ordered to set up the colony for state subjects last year. Mehbooba said during the Governor’s rule this year two meetings were held — one on the Red Cross and the other on Sainik Colony. The Governor, she said, had directed that the land be identified for the Sainik Colony. She added that no land was found available in Srinagar, Budgam and Pulwama districts. “As yet no land has been identified…..it is being exploited,” Mehbooba commented.The Chief Minister said this while replying at the end of two-day debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address in the state Legislative Assembly here today. The issue had been taken up by the members cutting across party lines while participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address during the past two days.Mehbooba dwelt in detail on the issue of the Sainik Colony as she referred to the issue that was taken up by the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of the Opposition (National Conference) here yesterday. She said Omar Abdullah had asked many “specific questions” on promises made by the alliance between the PDP and BJP to form the coalition government in the state during the past 16 months.The issues of setting up Sainik Colony, separate townships for Pandits and new industrial policy, have been among several other controversial issues that surfaced during the past few months, particularly since the Mehbooba-led PDP-BJP coalition government took over early last month. These issues have also led to the unity among separatist organisations, including both factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the pro-independence JKLF.A shutdown against the setting up of Sainik Colony, jointly called by the moderate and hardline factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF, was observed in Kashmir on Thursday. The separatist organisations suspect that non-state subjects were being settled in Kashmir in violation of the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under the Constitution of India to change the demography.Omar’s intervention in CM’s speechIntervening in the 75-minute-long speech of the Chief Minister over the Sainik Colony issue, NC leader Omar Abdullah said he had sought an assurance on the modalities that it was only for state subjects. “Do not misinterpret my words,” Omar told the Chief Minister, while vociferous Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid also intervened in the disagreement. In reply, the Chief Minister questioned Omar Abdullah as to why he had confusion that the colony was being set up for non-state subjects.