The Big Story: Big chief, small Centre

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat was in the news again on Thursday, with the headline on the front page of the Indian Expressdeclaring that the army chief believes there is a “need to tell youth azadi will never happen, you can’t fight us”. The interview itself stuck to this sentiment, with Rawat telling the youth of Jammu and Kashmir not to “get carried away unnecessarily”.

The interview was both revelatory and confounding.

For one, Rawat seems to acknowledge that the problem isn’t a military one. “I know that the youth are angry,” he says, adding that, “there isn’t a military solution to this issue.” He claims that he wants politicians, political representatives to go into villages, especially in South Kashmir, to talk to people.

And, most intriguingly, he touched on the demand also made at an all-party meeting in Jammu & Kashmir for an internal security ceasefire, considering the month of Ramzan as well as the Amarnath Yatra is coming up. Rawat said he is “ready to suspend” military operations, but followed that by asking, “who will guarantee that there won’t be fire at our men, at our vehicles? Who will guarantee that policemen, political workers, our men returning home on leave aren’t attacked, aren’t killed?”

Yet, despite this seeming awareness of the political nature of the problem, the army chief went on to make some remarks that betrayed an unhelpful belligerence. The azadi remark for example is both a given – obviously, the Indian Army’s position is going to be against any demand for secession – but also unnecessary, considering any political solution will have to acknowledge the demands for azadi. Similarly, Rawat’s decision to say that his forces have not been so brutal, compared to Syria and Pakistan where “they use tanks and air power” offers little consolation to the many who have lost their lives in Kashmir, and also comes off as a threat.

Rawat acknowledged that something changed after the Hizbul’s Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter in June 2016, and even says, “I am still trying to understand where did all that anger come from”, but he follows that up with a simplistic conclusion, saying “the youth have gotten themselves in Pakistan’s trap. They are being consistently incited to attack us.”

It is possible to argue that Rawat would have to say this, because it reflects what is the position of the Indian Army, not the political establishment. But that brings up the question, why is Rawat speaking at all? At a time when politicians are attempting to find a way through the complete mess that has been the Jammu and Kasmir policy of the last few years, both for state and Centre, why is the Army Chief the one making remarks that are inevitable going to seem provocative for people on the ground.

Rawat has made some truly troublesome statements in the past as well, but after a point it stops becoming a question of what he is saying, and instead one of why he is saying those things. Undoubtedly, Rawat would not have spoken without the Centre’s go-ahead, which leads to the obvious conclusion that the political leadership in New Delhi simply does not have a political answer to this question, and so they would rather have it that the army talk of tanks and air power than try and figure out why people in the Valley have become so angry. In that way, Rawat’s interview might actually end up telling us very little about the Army Chief, and much more about the political leadership that appointed him and now seems to hide behind his uniform.

The Big Scroll:

• “Cold-blooded murder”: Kashmir’s tourism industry is on edge after visitor dies in stone pelting, reports Rayan Naqash.
• View from the Kashmir Observer: Why do people sacrifice their lives to save militants?
• Why Army Chief Rawat’s comments about Assam party should worry all Indians who care about democracy, writes Shoaib Daniyal.

The three grounded heavy-lift copters will get additional 100 flying hours each. File photo

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 17

Even as the Indian Air Force prepares to induct the US-made Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, it has set in motion the process for life extension of the ageing Soviet-origin Mi-26 that has been forming its heavy-lift component since 1985.The IAF has three Mi-26, the world’s largest helicopter, based at Chandigarh with 126 Helicopter Flight. The Total Technical Life (TTL) of two of these machines expired in September 2013 and August 2014 and these have since been non-operational.The IAF has contracted for 15 CH-47 Chinooks, which are expected to start arriving in 2019. The IAF at present is constrained to rely on a single heavy-lift helicopter to carry out strategic tasks. At 20 tonnes, the payload capability of the Mi-26 is almost double that of the Chinook.Two Mi-26s were initially procured in 1986 with two more in 1989. One was lost in a freak accident in 1998, when it toppled over due to a gust of wind. This was replaced by a new helicopter in October 2002. A second Mi-26 was lost in a crash during take-off from Jammu in 2010.Sources say the IAF has approached the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant in Russia, seeking a proposal for ferrying all three helicopters to Russia for overhaul as well as undertaking a special life extension programme.The IAF is looking at extending the TTL of the helicopters by 100 flying hours each, an officer said. As of December 2017, the two older machines had put in a total of about 2,400 flying hours each, which comes to an average of about 85 per annum till the time they were operational.The third helicopter, which has a TTL of 8,000 hours as stipulated by the manufacturer, has logged about 1,450 till December 2017, averaging 96 hours annually. It had been given special life extension for two years during an overhaul and inspection done earlier, sources said.Only one operational

• The IAF currently has only one operational heavy-lift Mi-26 to carry out its strategic tasks. The world’s largest helicopter can carry 20 tonne payload
• The IAF has approached a Russian plant to ferry the three copters in its fleet for undertaking a special life extension programme
• US-made CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter will replace the ageing Mi-26. The first of 15 are likely to start arriving in 2019

THE optics of the six-day visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been heady. If the two Prime Ministers walked barefoot in the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa during Modi’s visit to Israel, there was the prolonged hug this time besides forced humour, a private dinner and the Taj visit. Even if Israel did not agree to mention Pakistan in the joint statement, the subtext of Netanyahu’s Mumbai leg will be the 2008 attacks, much to South Block’s pleasure. Once passed off as a Front Office for the US — Israel sold military hardware and surveillance equipment to India that the US could not because of export control laws or fear of upsetting Pakistan — the rather overdone bonhomie signals the desire of the two countries to strike out an independent path of their own. By this time, the two PMs would have realised the honeymoon phase is over. The Indo-Israel relationship is beginning to encounter rough bumps and the complexities of geopolitics. India’s cancellation of a large defence deal and its abrupt restoration a day before Netanyahu’s arrival demands a few answers. India might not have the earlier latitude and comfort in conducting defence trade with Israel because of its expanding ties with China. Israel may have tried to offset that apprehension by offering a step-up in ties with India: initial approval for Indian energy companies to explore for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.The mutual glad-handing also obscures the political gulf between the two nations. The Indo-Israel joint statement did avoid a reference to the “two-state solution” which is anathema to the hardliner in Netanyahu. But the overhang of New Delhi’s vote opposing the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital suggests that when it matters, India and Israel will find themselves on different sides of the fence. Notwithstanding the greater stress on older areas of collaborations, an overdose of bonhomie veils the fact that the two sides are still struggling to move away from a transactional arrangement to establishing the principles of a more durable relationship.

New Delhi, January 16

BJP leader Ajay Agrawal, who fought the 2014 LS election against Congress  leader Sonia Gandhi from Rai Bareli, had a difficult time on Monday in the SC which questioned his locus standi to file a special leave petition to revive the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-offs case.“You need to satisfy us that a third person can file a special leave petition in a criminal case,” a bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra told Agrawal, who went on to argue about threat to national security due to the scam, rather than the legal point raised by the Bench. He accused the CBI of being hand in glove with the accused Hinduja brothers.The Bench pointed out that the CBI had not filed any appeal before it against the 2005 verdict of the Delhi HC and wondered how a person not connected with the case could move the SC. — TNS

New Delhi, April 20

Top Army commanders have favoured a collective approach in bringing the radicalised youth of Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream and focus on minimising collateral damage in anti-terror operations in the state.The commanders, at a six-day conference which began on Monday, also delved into a host of issues, including the situation along the borders with China and modernisation of the force with a limited budgetary allocation, a senior Army official said.Director General Staff Duties Lt General AK Sharma said the commanders confabulated on the prevalent situation in the Kashmir valley and reviewed recent developments affecting the modus operandi of the operations of the armed forces deployed there. “It was felt that priority must be accorded towards ushering in peace by conducting counter-terrorist operations that minimise collateral damage,” he said.Security forces have been facing stiff opposition from Valley residents some of whom had resorted to stone throwing at them in certain areas. Sharma said the commanders felt that radicalised youth must be brought into the mainstream by carrying out de-radicalisation initiatives and favoured a collective approach that focuses on convincing the youth to shun violence and gun culture.He said the commanders also reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and the increase in ceasefire violations there. They also talked about “adequacy of the response mechanisms” to ceasefire violations by Pakistan. He said Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat expressed satisfaction at the way the Army was adapting to dynamic security challenges and stressed the need to lay down judicious priorities to ensure that the allocated resources are utilised optimally. The Army commanders will discuss matters related exclusively to military operations on Saturday. — PTI

New Delhi, January 15In a stern message to Pakistan, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat asserted today that the Army would not allow anti-India activities to succeed in Jammu and Kashmir and it was ready to escalate military offensive to combat cross-border terrorism if Islamabad forced it to do so.Addressing Army personnel on the occasion of Army Day, Rawat said disputes along the Line of Actual Control with China were continuing and the Army was trying to stop the Chinese transgressions.“Ensuring security along the Line of Actual Control (with China) is our main duty,” he said without elaborating further.Talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the Pakistan army has been continuously trying to help terrorists sneak into India along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K.“We will not let these anti-national elements succeed at any cost. If we are forced, then we may escalate our military action and carry out (the) other action,” he said.The Army has been adopting a ‘tit-for-tat’ approach in dealing with ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops as well as foiling infiltration bids by terrorists.“The Army is using its might to teach them a lesson. Terrorists and their handlers are creating various challenges within the country by adopting new tactics,” the Army Chief said. — PTI

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NEW DELHI:  Nine years after it first made a request for more than 1.86 lakh bulletproof jackets, the government today signed a major ‘Make in India’ contract which will see the army finally acquire the life-saving kit its soldiers desperately require during operations.

The contract has been won by SMPP Pvt Ltd, a small Delhi-based company which has a Research and Development Centre in the Okhla Industrial Area. The Rs. 639 crore order signed today is the biggest order SMPP have ever signed. In a statement, the company, which hopes to complete delivery of all the jackets within three years, has said its body armour meets the most stringent standards of the Indian Army. “These bulletproof jackets have ‘Boron Carbide Ceramic’ which is the lightest material for ballistic protection,” the company said.

The army, which has struggled to acquire body armour for its soldiers because of an oppressively slow procurement system, says the new jackets have modular parts which provide “immense protection and flexibility to soldiers operating in different operational situations ranging from long distance patrolling to high risk room intervention scenarios”. The jackets are designed to sustain the impact of even the latest hard steel core bullets in saving the lives of soldiers in operations.

In 2009, the government accepted an army requirement for 1.86 lakh bulletproof jackets but the order fell through after none of the vendors cleared trials conducted by the army. Only one of the four participants cleared the first round where the jackets had to demonstrate their ability to withstand .30 calibre armour-piercing bullets in a series of tests in different conditions.

he manufacturer which cleared the first round failed in the next where the bulletproof jacket was deliberately degraded to replicate typical wear and tear in real life conditions.

With a glaring lack of bulletproof jackets at its disposal, the army signed on for 50,000 bulletproof jackets as part of an interim emergency purchase in March 2016. This was hardly a solution since these jackets were designed to older specifications and did not meet the standards that the army was looking for. Neither did the order of 50,000 jackets make a serious dent towards meeting the army’s overall requirement of more than 3.5 lakh bulletproof jackets for its soldiers.

With today’s contract out of the way, the top brass of the army will be relieved to know that its soldiers will finally have world class basic equipment. Besides being a significant win for the government’s Make in India initiative, the new body armour “will boost the confidence of the soldier and provide moral ascendency to security forces”.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat. — PTI

New Delhi, January 14

Political initiative must go “hand-in-hand” with military operations in Jammu and Kashmir to bring peace, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Sunday, and favoured ramping up military offensive to pile up heat on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism in the state.Gen Rawat said the armed forces operating in the state cannot be “status quoist” and must evolve new strategies and tactics to deal with the situation, which he feels is “marginally” better since he took over a year ago.In an interview to PTI, the Army chief asserted that there was room for ramping up heat on Pakistan to cut flow of cross border terror activities, clearly indicating that the Army will continue its policy of hot pursuit in dealing with militancy.”The political initiative and all the other initiatives must go simultaneously hand-in-hand and only if all of us function in synergy, we can bring lasting peace in Kashmir. It has to be a politico-military approach that we have to adopt,” the Army chief said.In October, the government had appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as its special representative for a “sustained dialogue” with all stakeholders in J-K.”When the government appointed an interlocutor, it is with that purpose. He is the government’s representative to reach out to the people of Kashmir and see what their grievances are so that those can then be addressed at a political level,” the Army chief said.Asked whether there is room for ramping up pressure on Pakistan to force it to stop sending terrorists to the state, he said, “Yes, you cannot be status quoist. You have to continuously think and keep moving forward. You have to keep changing your doctrines and concept and the manner in which you operate in such areas.”Gen Rawat said the Army will have to evolve new strategies and new tactics to deal with the situation. At the same time, he said an overall approach was required to deal with the Kashmir issue.Since beginning of last year, the Army pursued an aggressive anti-terror policy in Jammu and Kashmir and, at the same time, forcefully responded to all ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control with a tit-for-tat approach.”Military is only part of the mechanism to resolve the Kashmir issue. Our charter is to ensure that the terrorists who are creating violence in the state are taken to task and those who have been radicalised and are increasingly moving towards terrorism are prevented from doing so,” he said.Gen Rawat said some youths continue to be radicalised and are joining militancy. The Army has been trying to maintain pressure on terror groups, he said.The Army’s aim is to ensure that it continues to maintain the pressure on the terrorists and those fomenting trouble there, Gen Rawat said.”But at the same time, we have to also reach out to the people,” he said.Asked whether the situation in Kashmir has improved since he has taken over as the Army chief a year ago, Gen Rawat said, “I am only seeing a marginal change in situation for the better.”I do not think it is time to become over confident and start assuming that the situation has been brought under control because infiltration from across the borders will continue.”The LoC has remained volatile in the last year. According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 the year before.India has also been effectively retaliating to Pakistani firing and even crossed the LoC to punish Pakistani troops on several occasions as part of tactical operations. — PTI