Current Events :
MILITARY SUCCESSFUL AS IT’S BETTER ORGANISED, DISCIPLINED, MOTIVATED AND HAS AN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. IN THE CASE OF LAW AND ORDER, IT’S MORE DUE TO SALUTARY EFFECT THAT ITS PRESENCE HAS ON MOBS THAN ACTUAL USE OF FORCE
The military is called in to aid the civil administration in a wide range of contingencies. These vary from natural disasters to restoring law and order; though in each such event the civil administration has adequate resources, both in terms of manpower and material. However, as seen over the years, in an emergency, the civil administration shows a degree of inaptitude to measure up to the demands of such extraordinary situations and often goes into hiding. Police and bureaucracy have done just that in Haryana during the current mayhem caused by the Jat quota agitation.
The military is able to cope with such contingencies because it is better organised, disciplined, motivated and above all has an effective leadership. In the case of law and order, it is more due to the salutary effect that the military’s presence has on unruly mobs than from actual use of force. This salutary effect is the result of the general impression that the military means business and will not baulk from taking firm action. This impression can be eroded if too much caution and restrictions are imposed on the military or its use is too frequent.
The other reason for this loss of salutary effect is that, a whole range of police outfits, have, blatantly and against the prevalent law, copied the military’s uniforms, badges of rank and other paraphernalia, making it difficult for the common man to tell the military from policemen. This has led to such a sad situation, as was seen during the flag marches in Haryana, when the army columns carried posters stating that they were from the army.
EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES
In the case of law and order, it is important to deal, and deal firmly, at the very first instance or early signs of disorder, which could lead to breakdown of rule of law. Under normal circumstances, troops can open fire on a mob with the permission of a magistrate. The availability of a magistrate with every military column is seldom possible. Though an officer can order troops to open fire but more often than not such action is followed by long legal battles where the officer may have to justify his action.
The fact that the military is called out implies that the civil administration has exhausted its resources and the situation is well beyond its control. Therefore, for the military to effectively control such an adverse situation, it must have a free hand as under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the authority to use force at its own reckoning with no legal binding. This calls for amending the relevant laws. Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures.
The situation in Haryana was most ineptly handled and allowed to get out of hand completely. It has been an obvious case of breakdown of administration and the mobs were allowed to have a free run. The ministry of home affairs has a large body of central police organisations (CPOs) that should have acted with promptitude and there was no need to seek military’s help. Since the military is called only as a last resort, it must act firmly and restore order. If it fails to control the situation, then anarchy will follow and the state can only wither away.
SKILLS FOR YOUTH
The issue of reservation for Jats needs to be handled with care and foresight keeping in mind the Supreme Court ruling in this case and the possibility of a chain reaction setting in among other sections of society.
A close look at the mobs indulging in arson, looting and rioting would reveal that these are essentially of youth. They are a part of the millions who are uneducated, half educated, without skills and frustrated because of lack of employment for them. India needs to provide jobs to a million of them every month and that appears to be outside the country’s capacity.
Therefore, what is taking place in Haryana is perhaps casting a shadow of events to come.
Given this spectre of lawlessness, who would want to invest in Haryana? Surely what has been taking place in Haryana will impact foreign investment in India on the whole and adversely impact the Make in India drive.
(The writer, a former deputy chief of army staff, is a commentator on defence and security issues. The views expressed are personal)
NEW DELHI: A new study by scientists and army doctors has nailed a long-standing belief among many soldiers that high-altitude posting in places such as Siachen leads to impotence. It also found blood clots to be the deadliest threat to soldiers serving in Siachen, the world’s coldest battleground. The findings are based on research carried out over more than four years involving the medical examination and feedback of about 700 soldiers, who have served on the glacier.
For long, the impotence myth has left many soldiers anxious about a posting in Siachen, where temperatures can plunge below -50 degrees Celsius. Usually, a soldier serves about three months on the glacier where some posts are located at an altitude of more than 21,000 feet.
“The prevalence of impotence was not significantly different from soldiers in the plains. This should put to rest longstanding concerns about Siachen causing sexual dysfunction,” said Lt Gen Velu Nair, one of the military’s top doctors who conceptualised and led the research.
His team consisted of 15 army doctors and three scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation. The sample for the study was first examined in 2012 and continues to be observed for health risks four years on.
The soldiers were examined in five phases: at sea level, 15,000 feet, 16,000-21,000 feet, again at 15,000 feet and then back in the plains. The research found backing from private doctors as well.
“High altitude and cold weather does not cause impotence. It’s a baseless rumour that was around in Siachen even when I served there around 30 years ago” Dr Subhash V Kotwal, senior consultant urology, Sitaram Bhartia Research Institute and Artemis Hospital told Hindustan Times.
The study also showed blood clots account for a third of health-related complications among soldiers on the glacier. The frequency of developing a blood clot on the glacier is 100 times higher than that in the plains, it found. Thirty-seven of them were sent back from the glacier after they developed health complications, including 13 with dangerous blood clots in brain, lungs, limbs and liver. Three of them died due to multi-organ failure caused by the clot. “We have found venous thrombosis (blood clots in veins) to be the biggest health challenge in Siachen. No other medical condition is affecting soldiers more than blood clots,” said Nair, who oversees medical research in the armed forces.
Frostbite was the second leading cause of health risks, affecting six soldiers of the battalion surveyed. In Siachen, 20% of medical cases are linked to frostbite that can lead to amputation of limbs.
SRINAGAR: Two CRPF men and a civilian were killed and 11 securitymen injured on Saturday in south Kashmir’s Pampore when militants attacked a convoy before sneaking into a government-run training centre with more than 100 people inside.
A possible hostage situation was avoided after police and paramilitary quickly evacuated the building though some of those in the J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute building said they were allowed to go by the two heavily-armed militants.
CRPF spokesperson Bhavesh Chaudhary said two soldiers were killed while seven others were injured when militants opened fire on the convoy.
“Four jawans were injured in the subsequent gun fire between militants and security forces,” he added. He said the militants barged into the building, located on the national highway, after attacking the convoy.
The attackers were “holed up” in the main building of the institute and surrounded by security forces, Pampore police superintendent Mohammad Irshad said, adding it was unclear how many attackers were inside.
EDI director MI Parray said all trainees and staff in the building were evacuated
From page 01 CHANDIGARH: The Jat quota agitation in Haryana, which resulted in army deployment and curfew in some areas, led to cancellation or abrupt termination of around 50 trains of the key Ambala railway division, including two Shatabdi Express trains and 22 others having a halt at Chandigarh, on Friday. In all, over 140 trains in the state were either cancelled or terminated ahead of their destination. Road transport was overburdened as a result. Till further orders, now, these trains would remain cancelled as there is no clear sign of the protest and track blockades being removed.
About buses, Haryana Roadways officials refused to confirm any cancellations but there were instances wherein passengers informed of routes being cancelled.
Divisional railway manager (DRM) for Ambala, Dinesh Kumar, said, “All the trains on the Ambala-Panipat-Delhi routes are being blocked; we are helpless even as a number of stranded passengers are calling up to complain. We are worried but the same situation will prevail till the protestors remain on the tracks.” On the road traffic, he said, “As per our knowledge, the highways are all open, but link roads are closed.”
Meanwhile, the InterState Bus Ter minus (ISBT) in Chandigarh’s Sector 17 witnessed hug e r ush late evening on Friday, and there was panic since the bus conductors and drivers said they would not take responsibility if the buses were stopped midway.
One of the passengers, Shifali Chhabra, said, “I have to reach Gurgaon by 8.30 Saturday morning as I have a job interview at 9.30am sharp; but now the bus drivers are saying the buses may be stopped midway. I am going anyway by bus, taking a risk during late hours.”
Besides the trains cancelled or short-terminated, routes of at least four in the Ambala division were diverted.
Those cancelled included the Amritsar-New Delhi Intercity Express (12490), Amritsar-New Delhi (12030), Amritsar-Jaynagar (Bangalore) (14674), Vaishno Devi ( Katra)- Delhi ( 14034), Jammu Tawi to Ajmer (12414), Jammu Tawi- Pune ( 11078), Jammu Tawi-New Delhi (12426), Vaishno Devi (Katra)-New Delhi (12446), Vaishno Devi (Katra)Chennai (16032), Vaishno Devi (Katra)-New Delhi (22462) and Hoshiarpur-Delhi (14012). Others that got cancelled included the Chandigarh-Indore, the Kalka-Howrah Mail, Chandigarh-Yeswantpur, Chandigarh-Madgaon Express, Ambala-Andaura Himachal Express, Chandigarh-Jaipur Intercity, Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi and the Unchahar Express.
The trains that got diverted were Jammu Tawi- Indore ( 12920), Jammu Tawi- Durg (18216), Vaishno Devi (Katra)Mumbai (12472) and Amritsar-Ajmer (19614).
The trains cancelled that specifically have a halt at Chandigarh railway station were the Himalayan Queen, Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi Express, Chandigarh-Indore, and Kalka Shatabdi Express — were cancelled; and the Shatabdi from Delhi for Chandigarh that started at 12.30pm was reportedly halted at Panipat and returned to its origin station.
Ravinder Singh, who was in a long queue at the Sector-17 bus stand, said, “I have a flight to catch for Australia from Delhi at 6am on Saturday, and have to enter the airport by 3am! But the rush is increasing and the bus conductors are saying they won’t be responsible if the bus is stopped anywhere around Panipat area or even before that.”
However, ticket-sellers at the bus stand said no bus had been stopped so far on the GT Road from Chandigarh to Delhi. They added that all the link roads are blocked.
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday rushed 3,300 paramilitary personnel to Haryana and assured chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar of all possible help to maintain law and order as the Jat stir for quota turned violent in the state.
As many as 3,300 paramilitary personnel have been sent to assist the state government in maintaining law and order as there have been several incidents of violence in Haryana following the Jat agitation demanding quota, a home ministry official said.
Concerned over the volatile situation, home minister Rajnath Singh called up the Haryana chief minister, who briefed him about the prevailing situation in the state. The home minister also assured the chief minister all possible help to the state government in controlling the situation, the official said.
Singh later appealed to the people to maintain peace and order and stressed on the need for discussion and dialogue.
He also condoled the death of a protestor today.
“I appeal to my brothers and sisters of Haryana to maintain peace and order in the state,” Singh said in a tweet. “My deepest condolence to the family of the individual who got killed in Haryana violence today,” he said in another tweet.
“The incident of violence in certain parts of Haryana is very unfortunate. In a democracy solution to any problem lies in discussion &dialogue,” he added.
Army was called in today in nine districts of Haryana and curfew was imposed in two districts along with shoot-at-sight orders after one person died and 25 were injured during the Jat stir for quota which turned violent with mobs resorting to widespread arson. Rampaging mobs held some policemen captive besides setting ablaze the house of state’s Finance Minister Abhimanyu and several government and private properties in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Hansi and several other parts of the state.
The agitationists seeking reservation under Economically Backward Classes, also targeted police and private vehicles, buildings housing offices, including two Toll Plazas at Hansi in Hissar district and near Rohtak, both located on the Delhi-Hisar-Fazilka National Highway.
CHANDIGARH: Haryana director general of police (DGP) Yash Pal Singal on Friday said the BSF personnel returned fire in self defence after an unidentified man in Rohtak mob fired on them from a country-made pistol, injuring a jawan.
Singal said at a briefing here that protesters even held an injured BSF jawan captive. The DGP said the Haryana Police did not open fire on anyone during the incident.
He said that in a separate incident, the mob attacked a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and cops at Mahrishi Dayanand University gate in Rohtak and later took them hostage. The mob also went to circuit house and damaged the car of a DIG and police gypsy, besides setting on fire a police vehicle (Tavera). He said besides calling the army, the state government has requisitioned 20 more companies of paramilitary forces.
PROTESTERS SUBMIT MEMORANDUM TO DISTRICT REVENUE OFFICER; SAY SITUATION COULD TURN WORSE IF RESERVATION IS NOT GRANTED
PANCHKULA: The leaders of the Jat community held a protest march from Jat Bhavan in Sector 6 to deputy commissioner’s office here on Friday.
SANT ARORA/HTMembers of theJat community protesting in Sector 6, Panchkula on Friday.
Cutting across party lines, Jat leaders — Satish Kadiyan, Azaad Malik, Dilbag Singh Nain and Rakesh Gill — led the march and walked up to Majri Chowk.
Heavy police contingent remained present in riot-control gear who prevented them from blocking the Panchkula-Shimla highway. The protesters then went to deputy commissioner’s office and sloganeered for the Jat reservation quota.
Notably, when someone raised slogans against state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, party supporters from the community objected to it.
Later, they presented a memorandum to district revenue officer. The memorandum was addressed to chief minister Manohal Lal Khattar. Kadiyan told that if reservation was not granted the situation could turn worse.
BJP TO PROTEST TODAY
Bharatiya Janata Par ty ( BJP) would protest hold a protest against the Jawaharlal Nehru University row here on Saturday.
The protest would be held at Sector 7/8 roundabout. District president Deepak Sharma said that BJP was a nationalist party and they condemn the Rahul Gandhi’s statement on JNU campus.
District media in-charge-Vikas Paul said that for the protest, workers from all the 7 divisions of the district would “give a strong message to antinationalist” forces.
| Part of the Indo-Pakistani Wars and the Kashmir conflict | |||||||||
 Saichen (white) in a map of Indian-administered Kashmir Siachen Glacier lies in the Karakoram range. Its snout is less than 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of theLadakh Range. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 India |
 Pakistan |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Colonel Narendra Kumar LGen P.N.Hoon LGen M.L.Chibber MGen Shiv Sharma LGen V.R.Raghavan BGen C.S.Nugyal BGen R.K.Nanavatty BGen V.K.Jaitley |
LGen Zahid Ali Akbar BGen Pervez Musharraf |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 3,000+ [2] | 3,000[2] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 846 dead (including non-combat fatalities)[3][4] | 213 dead (including non-combat fatalities between 2003 and 2010)[5][4][6] | ||||||||
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Main article: Siachen Glacier
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The Siachen Conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen War, is a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputedSiachen Glacier region in Kashmir. A cease-fire went into effect in 2003. The contentious area is about 900 square miles (2,300 km2)[7]to nearly 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) of territory.[8] The conflict began in 1984 with India’s successful Operation Meghdoot during which it gained control of the Siachen Glacier (unoccupied and undemarcated area). India has established control over all of the 70 kilometres (43 mi) long Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as the three main passes of the Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the glacier—Sia La, Bilafond La, and Gyong La. Pakistan controls the glacial valleys immediately west of the Saltoro Ridge.[9][10]According to TIME magazine, India gained more than 1,000 square miles (3,000 km2) of territory because of its military operations in Siachen.[11]
The Siachen glacier is the highest battleground on earth,[12][13] where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since April 13, 1984. Both countries maintain permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). More than 2000 people have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of mountain warfare.
The conflict in Siachen stems from the incompletely demarcated territory on the map beyond the map coordinate known as NJ9842. The 1949 Karachi Agreement and 1972 Simla Agreement did not clearly mention who controlled the glacier, merely stating that the Cease Fire Line (CFL) terminated at NJ9842.[14] UN officials presumed there would be no dispute between India and Pakistan over such a cold and barren region.[15]
Following the UN-mediated ceasefire in the 1949, the line between India and Pakistan was demarcated up to point NJ9842 at the foot of the Siachen Glacier. The largely inaccessible terrain beyond this point was not demarcated,[14] but delimited as thence north to the glaciers in paragraph B 2 (d) of the Karachi Agreement.
Paragraph B 2 (d) of 1949 Karachi Agreement states:
(d) From Dalunang eastwards the cease-fire line will follow the general line point 15495, Ishman, Manus, Gangam, Gunderman, Point 13620, Funkar (Point 17628), Marmak, Natsara, Shangruti (Point 1,531), Chorbat La (Point 16700), Chalunka (on the Shyok River), Khor, thence north to the glaciers. This portion of the cease- fire line shall be demarcated in detail on the basis of the factual position as of 27 July 1949, by the local commanders assisted by United Nations military observers.
Later, following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the Simla Agreement in July 1972, the ceasefire line was converted into the “Line of Control” extending from the “Chhamb sector on the international border [to] the Turtok-Partapur sector in the north.“[14] The detailed description of its northern end stated that from Chimbatia in the Turtok sector “the line of control runs north-eastwards to Thang (inclusive to India), thence eastwards joining the glaciers.” This vague formulation further sowed the seed for the bitter dispute to follow.[14] The general description of CFL given in Section 1 of Karachi Agreement is further explained at Page 38 where it states:
“thence northwards along the boundary line going through Point 18402 up to NJ-9842”[14]
The U.N. document number S/1430/Add.2.[16] is the second addendum to the 1949 Karachi Agreement, and shows the CFL marked on the Map of the State of Jammu and Kashmir as per the explanation of CFL in paragraph ‘B’ 2 (d) of the Karachi Agreement.
Title of U.N. document number S/1430/Add.2 which illustrates the CFL as per the Karachi Agreement reads:
Map of the State of Jammu and Kashmir showing the Cease Fire Line as Agreed Upon in the Karachi Agreement, Ratified by the Governments of India and Pakistan on 29 and 30 July Respectively. (See Annex 26 to the third Interim Report of the United Nation Commission for India and Pakistan)[17][18]
Page-1 of U.N. Map Number S/1430/Add.2 to Karachi Agreement 1949 |
Page-2 of U.N. Map Number S/1430/Add.2 showing the CFL |
Page-3 U.N. Map Number S/1430/Add.2 showing the CFL up to Point NJ 9842 |
Present Map of Indian Jammu and Kashmir state including entire Siachen glacier |
A U.N. map showing CFL alignment superimposed on a satellite image depicts the CFL terminating at NJ9842.[19] The extension of this line “thence north to the glaciers” never appeared on any authoritative map associated with either the 1948 or 1972 agreements, just in the text.
In 1949, a Cease-Fire Line Agreement (CFL) was signed and ratified by India, Pakistan and the UN Military Observer Group that delineated entire CFL. In 1956-58, a scientific team led by the Geological Survey of India recorded its findings publicly including information about the Siachen and other glaciers.[20]
After Pakistan ceded Shaksgam Valley to China in a boundary agreement in 1963, Pakistan started giving approval to western expeditions to the east of mountain K2.[20] In 1957 Pakistan permitted a British expedition under Eric Shipton to approach the Siachen glacier through the Bilafond La, and recce Saltoro Kangri.[21] Five years later a Japanese-Pakistani expedition put two Japanese and a Pakistani Army climber on top of Saltoro Kangri.[22] These were early moves in this particular game of oropolitics.
In the 1970s and early 1980s several mountaineering expeditions applied to Pakistan to climb high peaks in the Siachen area due in part to US Defense Mapping Agency and most other maps and atlases showing it on the Pakistani side of the line. Pakistan granted a number of permits. This in turn reinforced the Pakistani claim on the area, as these expeditions arrived on the glacier with a permit obtained from the Government of Pakistan. Teram Kangri I (7,465 m or 24,491 ft) and Teram Kangri II (7,406 m or 24,298 ft) were climbed in 1975 by a Japanese expedition led by H. Katayama, which approached through Pakistan via the Bilafond La.[23]
In 1978 a German Siachen-Kondus Expedition under the leadership of Jaroslav Poncar (further members Volker Stallbohm and Wolfgang Kohl, liaison officer major Asad Raza) entered Siachen via Bilafond La and established the base camp on the confuence of Siachen and Teram Shehr. The documentary “Expedition to the longest glacier” was shown on the 3rd channel of WDR (German TV) in 1979.
The Indian government and military took notice, and protested the cartography. Prior to 1984 neither India nor Pakistan had any permanent presence in the area. Having become aware of the US military maps and the permit incidents, Colonel Narendra Kumar, then commanding officer of the Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School, mounted an Army expedition to the Siachen area as a counter-exercise. In 1978 this expedition climbed Teram Kangri II, claiming it as a first ascent in a typical ‘oropolitical’ riposte. Unusually for the normally secretive Indian Army, the news and photographs of this expedition were published in The Illustrated Weekly of India, a widely circulated popular magazine.[24]
The first public acknowledgment of the maneuvers and the developing conflict situation in the Siachen was an abbreviated article titled “High Politics in the Karakoram” by Joydeep Sircar inThe Telegraph newspaper of Calcutta in 1982.[25] The full text was re-printed as “Oropolitics” in the Alpine Journal, London, in 1984.[26]
Maps from Pakistan, the United Nations and other global atlases depicted the CFL correctly till around 1967-72.[20] The United States Defense Mapping Agency (now National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) began in about 1967 to show international boundary on their Tactical Pilotage Charts as proceeding from NJ9842 east-northeast to the Karakoram Pass at 5,534 m (18,136 ft) on the China border.
US, Pakistani and Indian maps in the 1970s and 1980s were consistently showing a dotted line from NJ9842 (the northernmost demarcated point of the India-Pakistan cease-fire line, also known as the Line of Control) to the Karakoram Pass, which India believed to be a cartographic error. However, as early as 1958, some Indian authors have shown Siachen Glacier as part of Pakistan.[27][28][29]
Map showing Siachen Glacier as part of Pakistan |
Map showing Siachen Glacier as part of Pakistan |
In 1977, an Indian colonel named Narendra Kumar, offended by international expeditions venturing onto the glacier from the Pakistani side, persuaded his superiors to allow him to lead a 70-man team of climbers and porters to the glacier.[11] They returned in 1981, climbed several peaks and walked the length of Siachen. This secret trek was spotted by Pakistan. On patrol, some Pakistani soldiers found a crumpled packet of “Gold Flake” cigarettes – an Indian brand – and their suspicions were raised, according to a senior Pakistani government official. Soon, the Indian expedition on Siachen was shadowed by the Pakistanis.[citation needed]
At army headquarters in Rawalpindi, the discovery of repeated Indian military expeditions to the glacier drove Pakistani generals to the idea of securing Siachen before India did. In the haste to pull together operational resources, Pakistan planners made a tactical error, according to a now retired Pakistani army colonel. “They ordered Arctic-weather gear from a London outfitters who also supplied the Indians,” says the colonel. “Once the Indians got wind of it, they ordered 300 outfits—twice as many as we had—and rushed their men up to Siachen”. The acquisition of key supplies needed for operations in glaciated zones marked the start of major combat operations on the glacier.[2]
A memorial at the headquarters of the Dogra Regiment of the Indian Army in remembrance of members of the regiment who died or served in the Siachen Conflict.
April 1984 Operation Meghdoot: Indian Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen. M.L.Chibber, Maj. Gen. Shiv Sharma, and Lt. Gen. P. N. Hoon learned of the plan by Pakistan Army to seize Sia La,and Bilafond La, on the glacier. Indian Army launched an operation to preempt the seizure of the passes by the Pakistan Army. Men of the Ladakh Scouts (a special forces unit of the Indian Army) and Kumaon Regiment occupy Bilafond La on 13 April and Sia La on 17 April 1984 with the help of the Indian Air Force. Pakistan Army in turn learned of the presence of Ladakh Scouts on the passes during a helicopter recon mission. In response to these developments Pakistan Army initiated an operation using troops from the Special Services Group and Northern Light Infantry to displace the three hundred or so Indian troops on the key passes. This operation led by the Pakistan Army led to the first armed clash on the glacier on April 25, 1984.[30]
June–July 1987: Operation Rajiv: Over the next three years, with Indian troops positioned at the critical passes, Pakistan Army attempted to seize heights overlooking the passes. One of the biggest successes achieved by Pakistan in this period was the seizure of a feature overlooking Bilafond La. This feature was named “Qaid Post” and for three years it dominated Indian positions on the glacier. Pakistani Army held Qaid post overlooked Bilafond La area and offered and excellent vantage point to view Indian Army activities. On 25 June 1987 Indian Army under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Chandan Nugyal, Major Varinder Singh, Lt. Rajiv Pande and Naib Subedar Bana Singh launched a successful strike on Qaid Post and captured it from Pakistani forces. For his role in the assault, Subedar Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra – India’s highest gallantry award. The post was renamed Bana Post in his honour.[31][32]
September 1987: Operation Vajrashakti/Op Qaidat: The Pakistan Army under Brig. Gen. Pervez Musharraf (later President of Pakistan) launched Operation Qaidat to retake Qaid peak. For this purpose units from Pakistan Army SSG(1st and 3rd battalion) assembled a major task force at the newly constructed Khaplu garrison.[33] Having detected Pakistani movements ahead of Operation Qaidat, the Indian Army initiated Op Vajrashakti to secure the now renamed Bana Post from Pakistani attack.[34]
March – May1989: In March 1989 Operation Ibex by Indian Army attempts to seize the Pakistani post overlooking the Chumik Glacier. The operation is unsuccessful at dislodging Pakistani troops from their positions. Indian Army under Brig. R. K. Nanavatty launched an artillery attack on Kauser Base the Pakistani logistical node in Chumik and successfully destroyed it. The destruction of Kauser Base induced Pakistani troops to vacate Chumik posts and Operation Ibex concluded.[35]
July 28-August 3, 1992: Indian Army launched Operation Trishul Shakti to protect the Bahadur post in Chulung when it was attacked by a large Pakistani assault team. On August 1, 1992, Pakistani helicopters were attacked by Indian SAM and Brig. Masood Navid Anwari (PA 10117) then Force Commander Northern Areas and other senior assault commanders were killed. This led to a loss of momentum on the Pakistani side and the assault stalled.[36]
May 1995: Battle of Tyakshi Post: Pakistan Army NLI units attacked Tyakshi post at the very southern edge of the Saltoro defense line. The attack was repulsed by Indian troops.[37]
June 1999: Indian Army under Brig. P. C. Katoch, Col. Konsam Himalaya Singh seized control of pt 5770(Naveed Top/Cheema Top/Bilal Top) in southern edge of the Saltoro defense line from Pakistan troops.[31]
Red dotted line is AGPL, right of which is Siachen Glacier controlled by Indian army.
In his memoirs, former Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf states that Pakistan lost almost 900 square miles (2,300 km2) of territory that it claimed.[7] TIME states that the Indian advance captured nearly 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) of territory claimed by Pakistan.[8]
Further attempts to reclaim positions were launched by Pakistan in 1990, 1995, 1996 and even in early 1999, just prior to the Lahore Summit. The 1995 attack by Pakistan SSG was significant as it resulted in 40 casualties for Pakistan troops without any changes in the positions. An Indian IAF MI-17 helicopter was shot down in 1996.
The Indian army controls all of the 76 kilometres (47 mi) long Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as the three main passes of the Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the glacier—Sia La, Bilafond La, and Gyong La—thus holding onto the tactical advantage of high ground.[38][39][40][41][42] “Indians have been able to hold on to the tactical advantage of the high ground….. Most of India’s many outposts are west of the Siachen Glacier along the Saltoro Range. In an academic study with detailed maps and satellite images, co-authored by brigadiers from both the Pakistani and Indian military, pages 16 and 27: “Since 1984, the Indian army has been in physical possession of most of the heights on the Saltoro Range west of the Siachen Glacier, while the Pakistan army has held posts at lower elevations of western slopes of the spurs emanating from the Saltoro ridgeline. The Indian army has secured its position on the ridgeline.”
The Pakistanis control the glacial valley just five kilometers southwest of Gyong La. The Pakistanis have been unable get up to the crest of the Saltoro Ridge, while the Indians cannot come down and abandon their strategic high posts.
The line between where Indian and Pakistani troops are presently holding onto their respective posts is being increasingly referred to as the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL).[43][44]
A cease-fire went into effect in 2003. Even before then, every year more soldiers were killed because of severe weather than enemy firing. The two sides by 2003 had lost an estimated 2,000 personnel primarily due to frostbite, avalanches and other complications. Together, the nations have about 150 manned outposts along the glacier, with some 3,000 troops each. Official figures for maintaining these outposts are put at ~$300 and ~$200 million for India and Pakistan respectively. India built the world’s highest helipad on the glacier at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet (6,400 m) above the sea level, to supply its troops. The problems of reinforcing or evacuating the high-altitude ridgeline have led to India’s development of the Dhruv Mk III helicopter, powered by the Shakti engine, which was flight-tested to lift and land personnel and stores from the Sonam post, the highest permanently manned post in the world.[45] India also installed the world’s highest telephone booth on the glacier.[46]
According to some estimates, 97% of the casualties in Siachen have been due to weather and altitude, rather than actual fighting.[6] In 2012, an avalanche hit Pakistan’s Gayari military base, killing 129 soldiers and 11 civilians.[47][48]
One of the factors behind the Kargil War in 1999 when Pakistan sent infiltrators to occupy vacated Indian posts across the Line of Control was their belief that India would be forced to withdraw from Siachen in exchange of a Pakistani withdrawal from Kargil. Both sides had previously desired to disengage from the costly military outposts but after the Kargil War, India decided to maintain its military outposts on the glacier, wary of further Pakistani incursions into Kashmir if they vacate from the Siachen Glacier posts without an official recognition from Pakistan of the current positions.
During her tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms Benazir Bhutto, visited the area west of Gyong La, making her the first premier from either side to get to the Siachen region. On June 12, 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the area, calling for a peaceful resolution of the problem. In 2007, the President of India, Abdul Kalambecame the first head of state to visit the area. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Siachen on 23 October 2014 to celebrate Diwali with the troops and boost their morale.[49]
The Chief of Staff of the US Army, General George Casey on October 17, 2008 visited the Siachen Glacier along with Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor. The US General visited for the purpose of “developing concepts and medical aspects of fighting in severe cold conditions and high altitude”.[50][51]
Since September 2007, India has welcomed mountaineering and trekking expeditions to the forbidding glacial heights. The expeditions have been meant to show the international audience that Indian troops hold “almost all dominating heights” on the important Saltoro Ridge west of Siachen Glacier, and to show that Pakistani troops are not within 15 miles (24 km) of the 43.5-mile (70 km) Siachen Glacier.[52]
On February 11 2010, an avalanche struck an Indian army post in the Southern Glacier, killing one soldier. A base camp was also struck, that killed two Ladakh scouts. The same day, a single avalanche hit a Pakistani military camp in Bevan sector, killing 8 soldiers.[57]
In 2011, 24 Indian soldiers died on the Siachen glacier from the climate and accidents.[58] On July 22, two Indian officers burned to death when a fire caught on their shelter.[59]
In the early morning of 7 April 2012, an avalanche hit a Pakistani military headquarters in the Gayari Sector, burying 129 soldiers of the 6th Northern Light Infantry battalion and 11 civilian contractors.[60][61] In the aftermath of the disaster, Pakistan’s army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani suggested India and Pakistan should withdraw all troops from the contested glacier.[62]
On May 29, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in a landslide in the Chorbat Sector.[63]
On 12 December, an avalanche killed 6 Indian soldiers in the Sub Sector Hanif in Turtuk area, when troops of the 1st Assam regiment were moving between posts.[64][65] In 2012, a total of 12 Indian soldiers died of hostile weather conditions.[58]
In 2013, 10 Indian soldiers died due to weather conditions.[58]
On 4 April 2015, four Indian soldiers died after the vehicle they were in was overturned in an avalanche that struck near Chang La village along the Srinagar-Leh highway.[66]
On 14 November 2015, an Indian captain from the Third Ladakh scouts died in an avalanche in the Southern Glacier while 15 others were rescued.[67]
On 4 January 2016, four Indian soldiers of the Ladakh Scouts, were killed in an avalanche on the Southern Glacier while on patrol duty in Nobra Valley.[68]
On the morning of 3 February 2016, ten Indian soldier including one Junior commissioned officer of the 6th Madras battalion were buried under the snow when a massive avalanche struck their post in the Northern Glacier at a height of 19,600 feet, on the Actual Ground Position Line.[69] Pakistani officials offered their help in search and rescue operations 30 hours after the incident, although it was declined by Indian military authorities.[70] During the rescue operations, the Indian army found Lance Naik Hanamanthappa alive, though in a critical condition, after being buried under 25 feet snow for 6 days. He was taken to Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi. His condition became critical later on due to multiple organ failure and lack of oxygen to brain and he died 11 February 2016.[71]
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, February 16
The state Home Department has sanctioned over Rs 14 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of Army men martyred or rendered physically disabled in counter-insurgency operations.With reference to a communique from the Northern Command Headquarters on January 8, the Home Department has sanctioned an ex gratia relief of Rs 14,30,000 for Army personnel who were killed or permanently rendered disabled.Apropos of a government order, the Home Department sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each in favour of the next of kin of the five Army personnel who got killed on duty and Rs 65,000 each in favour of two Army personnel and Rs 75,000 each in favour of four Army personnel, who got permanently disabled during action against anti-national elements in the state.The martyrs have been identified as Rifleman Shishir Mall and Naik Srichitra Saikia, both from the 32 Rashtriya Rifles under the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Sepoy Jagdish Prasad of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles under the 15 Corps, Lance Naik Govind Singh Mehta of the 9 Para Special Forces and Lance Naik Shankar Lal Bochliya of the 6 Rajput under the Nagrota-based 16 Corps.Similarly, in the category of permanently disabled Army personnel, the Home Department sanctioned Rs 65,000 each to Major Sandhir Kotwal of the 6 Rashtriay Rifles and Sepoy Rashpaul Singh of the 24 Punjab.Four other soldiers, who have been sanctioned Rs 75,000 each, have been identified as Lance Naik Ashok Kumar of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles, Sepoy Ajit Kapoor, Sepoy Sidheswar Pradhan and Sepoy Naveen Kumar of the 22 Rashtriya Rifles.After verification of particulars, payment to beneficiaries shall be made through the respective commanding officers of the local units.On May 20 last year, then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had also sanctioned an ex gratia relief of over Rs 21 lakh to Army personnel injured and rendered permanently disabled in counter-insurgency operations across the state.
J&K increases cash reward for killing militants
Army Capt Shikhar Deep who went missing on February 6, came to Kotwali police station in Faizabad, UP, early this morning. —ANI
Tribune News Service,New Delhi, February 13
Army Capt Shikhar Deep, who went missing after boarding a train from Bihar on February 6, showed up at Kotwali police station, Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh this morning, the state police said.The young Army officer said he had been kidnapped.
“I have talked to Captain Shikhar Deep over phone. He is in Kotwali police station of Faizabad district and he is fine. The army personnel took him to Dogra cantonment (in Faizabad),” Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) Jitendra Kumar Mishra told PTI.
Mishra said Shikhar Deep called his sister on her mobile in Katihar this morning and informed her that he was at Kotwali police station of Faizabad.She then informed their father Anant Kumar, a Lt Col-rank officer posted at Ranchi, who in turn told the SRP about his son’s sudden appearance at Faizabad.Mishra said Shikhar Deep told him that he got off Mahananda Express at Patna Junction to drink water and lost consciousness thereafter.When he regained consciousness, the Captain said he found himself tied to a chair at an unknown place. He managed to free himself, ran a few kilometres and then took Kamakhya Express.However, the SRP said, the Army officer could not tell him the place where he boarded Kamakhya Express and where he got down from the train.The Captain said he somehow reached Faizabad and went to Kotwali police station where he introduced himself.The Army had initiated massive efforts to trace the officer, who was missing since February 7.A native of Purnia district in Bihar, the officer was posted at the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu region and was returning from leave to resume his duties.Captain Shikhar Deep, 25, is the son of a serving Army officer, Lt Col Anant Kumar, currently posted at Ranchi.The captain was on 30-day leave from January 11 to February 10 and was returning to duty via Mahananda Express from Kathihar in Bihar to Delhi on February 6.His luggage had been traced by Railway and Army authorities in Delhi and nothing except cash from a wallet was missing from his luggage. An FIR was lodged by the officer’s relatives with the Railway Police, Katihar, on February 8. — With PTI inputs
GAZIANTEP, Turkey — As waves of heavy Russian airstrikes edged closer to the Turkish border on Thursday, a Syrian research group issued a report saying the impact of five years of war in Syria has been more devastating than already thought.
The report from the Syrian Center for Policy Research said that at least 470,000 Syrians had died as a result of the war, almost twice the 250,000 counted a year and a half ago by the United Nations until it stopped counting because of a lack of confidence in the data.
Life expectancy has dropped 14 years, to 56 from 70, since the war began, with an even deeper plunge for Syrian men, says the report, which the group compiled from its longtime base in the capital, Damascus. It put the war’s economic cost at $255 billion, essentially wiping out the nation’s wealth.
The report stood out because it shows a state in collapse in many ways even though it comes from an organization that was, until recently, based in Damascus, the seat of a government that seeks to control tightly how it is portrayed. The report was released on a day that world leaders met in Munich, where the United States and Russia agreed on a cease-fire plan, though it remained to be seen if the parties on the ground would abide by it.
Early Thursday, antigovernment activists and insurgents reported intense Russian airstrikes in the town of Tal Rifaat, the next target for pro-government forces advancing into rebel-held territory in northern Aleppo Province. Video posted online showed clouds of smoke over a jumble of concrete roofs, pancaked houses with their contents spilling into the streets and fighter jets overhead.
The airstrikes on Tal Rifaat, 17 miles south of the Turkish border, came a day after Bouthaina Shaaban, a longtime adviser to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, told Reuters that Syrian troops would take back control of the Turkish border and reclaim the city of Aleppo. She rejected any talk of a cease-fire as an effort to aid terrorists.
Also advancing on the rebel-held northern countryside of Aleppo were fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F., a coalition the United States is backing to fight the Islamic State.
A group that is part of the S.D.F., called Jaish al-Thuwwar, or the Revolutionaries Army, took Minakh air base, which Islamist insurgents abandoned after Russian airstrikes. There were conflicting reports over whether the S.D.F. forces clashed with the insurgents or simply took ground that they had left undefended.
Those advances created the confusing picture of one American-backed force taking territory from allies of another American-backed force. Minakh was held by Islamist groups that had fought alongside the rebel groups deemed moderate enough to take part in a covert C.I.A. program providing salaries and weapons in cooperation with European and Middle Eastern allies.
That entanglement poses an increasingly thorny problem for Syrian insurgents and the United States, as Russia continues to reserve the right to hit not only Islamic State fighters but any group it sees as hard-line Islamists or that it deems affiliated with them.
Rebel groups accused the Kurdish-led S.D.F. of siding with the government and taking advantage of Russian airstrikes. But the group — dominated by fighters aligned with a Kurdish political party that recently opened an office in Moscow — issued statements saying that it was not working with the government but that it was seizing the land to prevent it from being taken by government forces.
The group told Syrian opposition outlets that it was helping civilians from rebel-held areas to pass through Kurdish-held areas to relative safety. Kurdish groups have generally sought to maintain a détente with all sides, focusing mainly on establishing semiautonomous zones along the Turkish border.
Also on Thursday, Russia accused the United States of bombing a clinic in Aleppo and blaming Russia. An American military spokesman said the allegation was fabricated and that no United States airstrikes had been carried out in Aleppo Province in the last day.
Army jawans pay tributes to General Sham Singh Attariwala
Tribune News Service,Amritsar, February 10
The Punjab government has spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on memorials to immortalize the unparalleled role played by great heroes and martyrs in shaping the course of the human history.Stating this during a state-level function to mark the 170th Martyrdom Day of General Sham Singh Attariwala here today, Cabinet minister Gulzar Singh Ranike gave a clarion call to the younger generation to tread the path shown by great martyrs and contribute to make a healthy society.Ranike paid floral tributes to the legendary General along with former Arunachal Pradesh Governor and Chief of Army Staff, Gen JJ Singh (retd), descendants of General Attariwala — Col Harinder Singh Attari, Col Kuldip Singh Sidhu — besides Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam.Recalling the unequaled sacrifice made by the General in the first Anglo-Sikh war at Sabraon on February 10, 1846, Ranike said Sham Singh Attariwala was one of the greatest warriors of India, who preferred death to slavery. By his own example the General made it clear to his countrymen that nothing was more precious than freedom from the foreign repression, he added. He said his superb example was a beacon and a source of inspiration to numerous freedom fighters, who fought against the British from 1846 to 1947.While addressing the gathering, Gen JJ Singh (retd) said the sacrifice made by General Attariwala had also been admired by Britishers. He said General Sham Singh Attariwala, who fought against the British forces till last breath and did not leave the battlefield, would always be a source of inspiration for generations to come.Gen JJ Singh (retd) also visited the museum at Attari, the native village of General Sham Singh Attariwala. Office-bearers of General Sham Singh Attariwala Trust also presented a memento to General JJ Singh (retd) after a Bhog ceremony.The former Chief of Army Staff also presented mementos and lohi (woolen shawls) to descendants of General Sham Singh Attariwala.Earlier, Ranike announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh to the General Sham Singh Attariwala Trust for the maintenance of the monument constructed at Naraingarh in the memory of General.GOC 15 Infantry Division, Major General Sanjay Thapa, laid a wreath on behalf of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Commnand, Lt-Gen KJ Singh on the occasion.
