Mumbai, October 21

A 45-year-old woman died on Monday after getting trapped in the lift shaft of a building in a Navy residential colony in Colaba in south Mumbai, police said.

Arti Pardeshi, a domestic help, got trapped in the lift shaft and was pinned against a wall between two floors of a multi-storied building in the colony around 12.15 pm, an official said.

“Pardeshi, who works in a third-floor flat, was going out to walk a pet dog when she fell into the gap between the lift and the wall while trying to enter the lift,” he said.

“The police and fire brigade managed to pry open the doors of the lift and rush Pardeshi to Naval hospital INHS Asvini nearby but doctors there declared her dead on arrival,” he said.

An accidental death case has been registered at Cuffe Parade police station and further probe into what may have caused the incident is underway, he informed. — PTI

New Delhi, October 18

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat today said India was committed to peace and stability in the neighbourhood. The Army, he said, would continue to partner with friends to confront any emerging threats.

Addressing a conclave of defence attaches here, he said, “We are one of the leading armed forces, not by virtue of our size but by our extensive combat experience, our professionalism… We are deeply committed to peace and stability in the neighbourhood.” He urged the defence industry to provide solutions for the armed forces.

Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh cited maritime threats such as piracy, which, he said, had “transnational” ramifications. He pitched for having greater maritime cooperation and leveraging “collective military competence” of the world.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called for “jointness” among the three forces and termed it as an operational necessity. He asked the Army to take a lead towards achieving this and cited the soon-to-be-created position of Chief of Defence Staff for having a role in synergising the efforts of the services. On defence preparedness, Rajnath assured there would be no criticalities. However, he also apprised the field commanders on the budgetary constraints. — TNS

New Delhi, October 18

The Indian Army and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will come together in Bengaluru next week to orient veterans to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector in order to tap their expertise and potential by offering them jobs.

The initiative has been planned as several multi-national firms, which have in the past, failed to hire Army veterans, despite their keenness, because of technological and cultural differences with the corporate world. The move, as per experts in the IT sector, will have far-reaching implications in the industry.

The initiative has been taken jointly by the Indian Army, the NASSCOM and US-based multinational financial services firm Wells Fargo which is also being supported by the multi-national e-commerce firm Amazon India.

“NASSCOM is looking for a single-point contact where it can get all details of Army veterans in the IT sector. We are organising a two-day conference in Bengaluru on 22 and 23 October where we can deliberate on how to take this forward,” said Major General Deepak Sapra, MD, Army Welfare Placement Organisation.

A statement from the Indian Army said while Army will assess industrial needs during the two-day event, NASSCOM will help Army in orienting to the modern industrial needs in the IT sector. — IANS

Chandigarh, October 12

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal today gave Rs 25 lakh for construction of a memorial for Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri.

He, along with JP Dutta, director and producer, attended the first death anniversary programme of Brig Chandpuri, Maha Vir Chakra awardee, here on Saturday. The hero of Batte of Longewala passed away on November 17, 2018. — TNS

Top 5 Reforms By General Bipin Rawat

General Bipin Rawat has been one of the countries most well known Army Chiefs. The strong-willed and outspoken leader of the 1.3 million-strong Indian army has not been shy of the media and has displayed the moral courage to speak one’s mind, even when the opinion seemed unfavourable. Indeed, General Rawat marched on spearheading landmark reforms in the Indian Army. From proposing structural reforms in the military’s higher commands to pushing for leaner and meaner teeth driven Army to offer soldierly support to the JCO’s and NCO’s to serve as commissioned officers, here are five of General Rawat’s landmark reforms, in layman’s terms.

1.) Integrated Battle Groups

General Rawat has proactively worked towards developing a leaner and meaner fighting force, shedding the unnecessary flab, lowing down the Indian military machine! Following the review of a detailed internal military study, General Rawat announced the phased implementation of what is being called ‘Integrated Battle Groups’. IBG’s are highly agile, self-sustaining brigade-sized combat formations. These combat formations are tailor-made based on a strategic assessment taking into account factors such as Terrain, Tanks and resources into consideration. These mobile combat formations will be able to rapidly mobilise into a theatre of operation within 12-48 hours, (based on the nature of operations) This is predicted to enhance military lethality with existing resources and manpower.

2.) Indian Army Launches Special Human Rights and Vigilance Cells

Under the recommendations of the aforementioned internal study, the Indian Army Chief along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a Special Human Rights Cell and a special vigilance cell. The decision to form an Independent Human rights cell as a result of increasing international human rights reports, alleging gross violations of human rights by the army in the valley and the Northeast. The body is to investigate the legitimacy of the claims and take actions accordingly. The Human rights body has been set up at the Army Headquarters (AHQ) in New Delhi and is headed by Additional Directorate General (ADG), a Major General rank officer. The cell reports directly to the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). The decision to create specialised anti-corruption cell stemmed from increasing allegations of corruption by personnel of the Indian Army. The anti-corruption body will come under the direct authority of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and will be headed by an Additional Directorate General (ADG), who is a Major General rank officer, reporting solely to the COAS.

3.) Young Leaders Training Wing To Train Jawans For SSB Interview

General Rawat in perhaps one of the Indian Army’s most heartwarming initiative has called for reorganising and reforming the Young Leaders Training Wing at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. Gen Rawat’s new initiative aims to help serving Jawaans (Other Ranks, Non-Commissioned Officers and Junior Commissioned Officers) prepare for the gruelling five-day officer selection procedure, known as the Services Selection Board. This initiative will help serving soldiers with ground-level operational experience in their respective trade/speciality to get an opportunity to lead units as commissioned officers. The preparation program, comprising of an intensive personality enrichment course, is designed to enhance a jawan’s odds of selection for pre-commission training at OTA Chennai.

4.) Artillery Revolution

Artillery superiority is one of the single most decisive factors in modern warfare. Accurate artillery fire has been recorded to be the leading contributor of military casualties in 21st-century military combat. Following the political fallout of the infamous Bofor’s scandal in the ’80s, the Indian Army remained majorly handicapped in its procurement of artillery guns. With the Bofor’s artillery guns having run its combat effectiveness, the Indian Army, under General Rawat has pushed for the induction of several artillery systems, most notably the Dhanush, the Vajra K9 and the M777 Howitzer. The Ordnance Factory Board is scheduled to deliver 400 indigenous Dhanush artillery guns to the Indian Army by next year.

Furthermore, the Army is expected to receive the uber advanced United States manufactured M777 Howitzers; the American M777 will be replacing the ageing Bofor’s. The indigenously designed Vajra K9 self-propelled Howitzer will also soon be pushed into service. The induction of the Dhanush, M777 and the Vajra will bolster the Indian Army’s lingering artillery capabilities and enhance its overall combat effectiveness.

5.) A War On Obesity!

General Rawat has made it a requirement that officers and soldiers of the Indian Army remain, and look fit! Senior officers found to be with a paunch will be passed over for promotions and foreign postings. The result of not maintaining a military-level of physical and medical fitness will reflect on the officer’s annual confidential reports drastically affecting his/her career progression in the service. The general has even called for a complete overhaul of the food available at the respective officers, JCO’s, NCO and OR’s mess. with oily, unhealthy food to be mercilessly struck off from the menu under the general’s directives! Young officers undergoing their post-commission training at Mhow will now be mandated to undergo an extremely stringent physical fitness evaluation, and if not found to the standards expected, it will result in these officers not receiving their instructors grating. The lack of being awarded an instructors grading will reflect extremely poorly in their ACR’s and will thus hamper their career progression in the long run.

A Fitting Legacy

With General Rawat’s tenure coming to a close and the search for India’s new army chief underway, the reforms proposed by the flag officer will undoubtedly push the Indian army to reassess itself as a modern military machine, recalibrate and then rise to meet the future security challenges faced by the country. The successful implementation of these reforms shall be a fitting tribute to the general’s forty-plus years of national service in uniform.

Anirudh Gupta
Ferozepur, October 8

The security forces along the India-Pakistan border went into a “tizzy” after drones originating from the Pakistan side were spotted along the Hussainiwala border last night. At one point, a drone ventured a kilometre inside the Indian airspace.

This comes amid recent reports of use of drones by Pakistan-based terror groups to airdrop sophisticated arms and ammunition aimed at fomenting trouble in Punjab.

Sources said troops of BSF’s 136 Battalion spotted high-flying drone-like objects five times between 10 pm and 10.40 pm and later at 12.25 am last night. A drone was first spotted four times on the Pakistan side before it ventured a kilometre inside the Indian territory near border outpost ‘HK Tower’ close to the Hussainiwala joint check post, around 9 km from district headquarters. Before it returned to the Pakistan side, its light and sound could not be traced for a brief period. Another drone was spotted near border outpost ‘Basti Ram Lal’ around 12.25 am on the Pakistan side. The BSF troops with help of Punjab Police conducted a search operation in the area, but couldn’t find anything suspicious.

Since Ferozepur border is closely guarded by the BSF and has an Army formation too, the Pakistan agencies were apparently trying to conduct aerial surveillance or were up to some mischief, said an official.

“The information has been shared with senior officials and an alert has been sounded,” said the official. The BSF has started sensitising locals about alerting the police or BSF authorities if anything unusual is sighted near the zero line.

Sources said following the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K, Pakistan’s spy agency ISI was trying to push Khalistani terrorists into Punjab.

Recent seizures

Sept 24   The BSF/STF seize five AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, 200 rounds, a Glock pistol, 22 magazines and 20 rounds from Mamdot area of Ferozepur

Sept 22   Terror module busted and five AK-47 rifles, four .30 bore pistols, nine hand grenades, five satellite phones dropped by drone seized in Tarn Taran

Sept 12    A consignment of four AK-56 rifles, two AK-47 rifles, besides over 10,000 bullets seized from a truck at Lakhanpur in J&K’s Kathua

New Delhi, October 6

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will on Tuesday perform ‘Shastra Puja’ (worship of arms) on the occasion of Dasehra in Paris where he will receive the first Rafale fighter jet, officials said.  “The Defence Minister will perform shastra puja in Paris on the occasion of Dasehra. He has been doing so for last several years, including as Union Home Minister,” said a senior official.

Rajnath will be leaving for Paris on a two-day visit, primarily to receive the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets on Tuesday when Dasehra coincides with the foundation day of the Indian Air Force. The Defence Minister will take a sortie in the aircraft from an airbase in Paris for first-hand experience. The first batch of four aircraft will reach India by May next year.

Officials said top military brass of France as well as senior officials of Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, would be present at the Rafale handing-over ceremony. Sources said a high-level team of the Indian Air Force was already in Paris to coordinate with the French officials on the ceremony. On October 9, Rajnath is scheduled to hold extensive talks with top defence brass of the French Government on ways to further deepen defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

The sources said the first squadron of the aircraft will be deployed at the Ambala Air Force station. The India-Pakistan border is about 220 km from there. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The Rafale jets will come with  India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar-warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems. — TNS/PTI

ON FRANCE VISIT, RAJNATH TO FLY SORTIE

1st aircraft  to be ‘handed over’at Merignac; French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly to attend event

Rajnath will address CEOs of the French defence industry and urge them to participate in ‘Make in India’

First squadron of the aircraft will be deployed at the Ambala Air Force station

India can address its concerns over China’s growing hypersonic missile arsenal by seeking cooperation with Russia in developing similar missiles through the bilateral BrahMos cruise missile programme, a security analyst has said.

As India and Russia’s most productive and beneficial joint venture defence programme, the Brahmos is an ideal vehicle for developing hypersonic cruise missiles, which in turn could further strengthen bilateral ties between both countries, Indian security analyst Pravin Sawhney said in an opinion piece in Indian daily The Tribune.

Hypersonic missiles incorporate the speed of a ballistic missile with the manoeuvring capabilities of a cruise missile. Such missiles refer to weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 (6174 mph) and have the capability to manoeuvre during their entire flight.
Sawhney’s observation about New Delhi’s concerns was made in the context of China recently showcasing its Dongfeng 100 (DF-100) hypersonic cruise missile and Dongfeng-17 (DF-17) medium-range ballistic missile fitted with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV), each with a range of 2,000 km.

“Hypersonic missiles will be the new disruptive, game-changing technology in this century, which would, between India and China, replace nuclear deterrence with non-nuclear deterrence, Sawhney opined.

Apart from China only two other countries – the US and Russia – have made significant strides in creating, procuring, harnessing and exploiting this technology, he said, adding that once in active use, these missiles will “reshape the rules of conventional war-fighting and transform geopolitics.”

Highlighting the differences between ballistic cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles, Sawhney said the former stay within the atmosphere; fly at low altitude to evade ground-based radars at Mach 3 speed (3,704 mph) are powered and guided throughout their flight in a near-flat trajectory till they hit the designated target.

Hypersonic missiles, he said, have a speed upwards of Mach 5 (6,174 mph), follow a defined elliptical trajectory to intercept and neutralise ballistic missile warheads before they cause damage. Their kinetic energy (derived from motion) itself is enough to destroy hardened and underground facilities.

Hypersonic missiles also fly at low altitudes and are challenging to detect by terrestrial or land-based radars because of their ability to change course rapidly.

“There is a need for India to urgently review its nuclear deterrence capability vis-à-vis China,” Sawhney said, adding that in spite of the huge infusion of funds for indigenous ballistic missile defence, (the investment ) has “unfortunately not demonstrated satisfactory results.”

slamabad: A major right-wing religious party in Pakistan announced on Thursday that it will begin its ‘Azadi March’ on October 27 to oust the “incompetent” government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, blaming him for the economic woes of the cash-strapped country.

This was announced by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, two days after the leadership of top Opposition parties, PML-N and PPP opposed any “solo flight” for the ouster of the government and decided to hold a conference of all parties to develop consensus among them.

They agreed that the “incompetent and incapable” government of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that has completed one year in power must be ousted.

“The government is the result of a fake election,” Rehman, flanked by his close party aides, told a press conference on Thursday.

“We will gather at D-Chowk,” he said, adding, “We are not ones to disperse easily.” D-Chowk, also known as Democracy Chowk, is a large square located in Islamabad which is often used for political rallies and public gatherings.

“The country is under economic crisis due to the government’s incompetency,” Rehman said. “The current government is the result of a fake election and fake results,” Rehman added.

The JUI-F chief said that all Opposition parties had rejected the July 25 elections and had called for fresh elections.

He said that JUI-F delegations from across the country would converge on the federal capital on October 27 to “rid the country of incompetent government” of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which, according to him, has destroyed the economy.

“As a result of this illegal government and its incompetencies, the country’s economy has sunk […] traders have shut down businesses as a result of heavy taxation. The Muslims of Pakistan are in anguish over the state of religion in the country,” he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.

The Pakistan government’s biggest challenge was to save an economy facing a balance of severe payments crisis.

Within the first eight months, Khan has made visits to long-time allies China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, securing some USD 9 billion in loans to shore up the economy.

But the economic woes persists as growth continues to be slow, the rupee plummeting and inflation rising beyond 10 per cent.

Opposition parties have alleged that Khan, the 66-year-old cricketer-turned-politician won the 2018 general election with the tacit backing of the powerful military, which plays a dominant role in politics in Pakistan.

“All Opposition parties agree that fresh elections should be held to find out who has the real mandate of the people,” he said.

The cleric said all Opposition parties have consensus on the fact that the incumbent government has come to power as result of a rigged election and that it has to go.

The JUI-F chief rejected the impression that he was “going solo” and said that the party is “in touch with all the other parties and making decisions in consultation with them”.

“We met Bilawal Bhutto sahib today and some very positive developments took place during our meeting. Yesterday you must have seen the PML-N delegation speak. Some positive developments took place then, as well,” Rehman was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

When asked by reporters whether the Pakistan Peoples Party of Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz will also participate in the sit-in alongside JUI-F or only the march that day, Rehman responded by saying: “The entire country is showing up. The trader community will be there. Doctors, lawyers are coming. We are in direct contact with people from all walks of life. I can speak for the readiness all these people have shown.”

To a question regarding the one demand from which the party will not budge during the sit-in, Rehman stressed that the protest will continue “until the government steps down”.

He said the party will also work towards bringing in election reforms so a more transparent process is carried out for the “new elections”.

Security personnel stand guard during shutdown, in Srinagar on Thursday, October 3, 2019. PTI

Jammu, October 3

Political leaders under house arrest in Kashmir will be released in a phased manner after proper analysis of every individual, the Jammu and Kashmir administration said on Thursday.

Replying to a question on the future course of action regarding the detention of Kashmiri leaders after leaders in Jammu were released, the governor’s adviser Farooq Khan said, “Have hope. They will be released one by one, after proper analysis of every individual and proper review.”

On Wednesday, leaders of non-BJP parties in Jammu claimed that the administration has lifted the nearly two-month-long restrictions ‘imposed’ on them.

Jammu Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma, however, said these leaders were never detained and were free to participate in political activities.

“We never restrained them… They were under self-imposed restriction,” he had said.

Over 500 leaders and political activists have been under house arrest for more than 50 days, following revoking of provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Khan also ruled out that militancy has increased in Jammu and Kashmir after scrapping of special status in the state. — PTI