Photo for representation only.

New Delhi, December 1

The Border Security Force (BSF) is working on technical solutions to combat the threat of rogue drones along the India-Pakistan International Border, the chief of the force said on Sunday.

BSF Director General V K Johri also said that the force has expanded its “strategic capabilities” by using new technology and intelligence to guard the over 6,386 km long borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Addressing the 55th Raising Day event of the force at a BSF camp here, the DG said the Line of Control (Loc) in Kashmir and the International Border in Punjab have become “operationally sensitive” in recent times.

“We have received reports about the activity of drones along the western border front (along Pakistan) in the recent past and we are working on technical solutions and taking important steps to tackle this issue,” DG Johri said.

He added that anti-India forces are continuously trying to infiltrate across the border and the BSF is alert “all times” to thwart these bids. — PTI

The land, after clearing the trees, will be handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which will be hosting the event.

Lucknow, November 30

Even as Lucknow remains among the 10 most polluted cities in the country, the state government is preparing to cut down 63,799 trees along the Gomti river for the Defence Expo, scheduled to be held in February next year.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) in a letter, has asked the Lucknow Nagar Nigam to remove the trees from Hanuman Setu to the Nishatganj bridge since various programmes in the Defence Expo will be held here.

The LDA, later in a tweet, said: “Not a single tree will be cut during the Defence Expo Lucknow programme near Gomti River Front; only the ornamental/shrubs may be affected which will be repaired immediately after the expo; giving even better shape than the existing one.”

The LDA has further said that new trees are to be planted after the Expo is over and efforts can also be made to relocate the trees that are removed from the site.

The LDA has sought Rs 59 lakhs from the Nagar Nigam for new plantation in the area.

In his letter, LDA secretary M P Singh has said that they had spent Rs 59.06 lakhs on planting the trees along the Gomti River.

The Nagar Nigam had earlier suggested that the trees could be relocated to another site and new plants could be planted on the river side after the event.

Forest officials, meanwhile, said that relocated of trees and plants in this season was not possible.

“If relocated, the trees will die. The plants and the landscaping along the river will also have to be redone later,” said a senior forest official.

The LDA wants the area to be completely cleared by January 15, 2020 so that the land can be handed over to the organisers.

This is the first time that Lucknow is hosting the Defence Expo in which guests from several countries will be invited to witness the country’s defence power.

The Expo will be held from February 5 to 8 and will showcase latest arms and weapons available with the defence forces. – IANS

Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono sits in the cockpit of a fighter jet at the Hindon Air Force Station. PTI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30

Meeting for the first time in a new format, India and Japan set the stage for a summit meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe after a fortnight by resolving to further advance bilateral security cooperation, quickly seal a pact that would permit military vessels to use each other’s ports and conduct cooperative research in emerging areas of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and robotics.

The first-ever meeting of Defence and Foreign Ministers of both countries also reached common ground on the maritime domain around China as well as issues of top security concerns to them – Pakistan and North Korea. Significantly, the meeting took place just two weeks before the Modi-Abe annual summit in India. Japan has several such 2+2 meetings but India has this arrangement only with the US.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, met their counterparts Kono Taro and Motegi Toshimitsu, respectively, for over an hour.

A joint statement after the meeting noted the threat posed to regional security by terrorist networks operating out of Pakistan and asked it to take resolute and irreversible action against them and fully comply with its commitments, including to FATF.

India returned the favour by agreeing in the joint statement to condemn North Korea’s recent launches of ballistic missiles which are “a clear violation” of the relevant UNSC resolutions.

Leaving no doubt about their partnership in the maritime domain, the four Ministers said further strengthening of bilateral cooperation was in the mutual interest of both countries. They planned to further promote cooperation in the field of capacity building in maritime security and maritime domain awareness, including through “cooperation with other countries.”

On bilateral defence cooperation, the accent continued to be on joint operations with the joint statement green lighting the first India-Japan joint fighter aircraft exercise to be held in Japan.

The sense of the joint statement was that while both sides have made considerable progress in achieving interoperatability between the armed forces, progress has been slow on the transfer of technology, joint production and the promised economic partnership in the north east. There was no mention of the long-pending sale of US2 amphibian aircraft to India, the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Earlier the two visiting Japanese Ministers called on PM Narendra Modi who expressed his satisfaction over the 2 plus 2 meeting that was decided by him and his Japanese counterpart at their last annual summit in October 2018 to further deepen bilateral strategic, security and defence cooperation. He added that Japan was a key component of India’s Act East Policy as well as the vision of a Indo-Pacific for peace, stability and prosperity of the region.

The Indian Army had sent a proposal to the Defence Ministry for approval. The ministry, after approving it, further sent it to the Cabinet for clearance, but due to technical reasons it has not been approved and sent back, sources said. “The Army …
The Indian Army had sent a proposal to the Ministry of Defence for approval. The ministry, after approving it, further sent it to the Cabinet for clearance, but due to technical reasons it has not been approved and sent back to the ministry, sources said.

“The Army needs approval for three posts from Cabinet as these are joint secretary level and above posts,” sources said.

As per the restructuring of Indian Army Headquarters, there is a proposal to create a new post of Deputy  ..

Photo for representation only.

Patna, December 1

An Army personnel, ailing and on a vacation, on Sunday shot dead his wife and her younger sister near here before pulling the trigger at himself after what was apparently a squabble, police said.

The triple killings took place inside a moving car, which the deceased Army man had hired to visit the city, and the driver beside whom two children of the couple were seated pulled up in Paliganj police station area of rural Patna upon hearing the gunshots, the police said.

“The deceased army man, Vishnu Sharma (33), was a resident of Bhojpur district. He was accompanied by wife Damini (32) and sister-in-law Khushboo (25). They were coming to Patna and they died inside the car. Their bodies have been taken for post-mortem.

“Statements of the children, both said to be less than 10 years of age, and the car driver are being recorded,” Paliganj SHO Indrajit Singh told PTI-Bhasha over the phone.

Police sources said Sharma was posted in Gujarat and had come to his home on a holiday. His children have said that they were coming to the state capital to get him treated for some illness and during the journey he picked up a quarrel with his wife and sister-in-law.

It was not yet clear what illness the Army personnel suffered from. According to some accounts, he had contracted dengue while there were unconfirmed reports said that he had been suffering from depression.

Further investigations were on, police added. — PTI

On Saturday, India and Japan, under the new framework of two-plus-two dialogue, discussed a raft of strategic issues. iStock

New Delhi, December 1

Japan on Sunday said it looked at the situation in Kashmir “very carefully” and hoped that a peaceful resolution to the issue will be found through dialogue.

The comments by a spokesperson of the Japanese Foreign Ministry came a day after India and Japan held their first foreign and defence ministerial dialogue under a new framework to further broadbase strategic ties.

“I do not remember the ministers going into the detailed discussion on the specific issue,” Deputy Press Secretary in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Atsushi Kaifu told reporters when asked whether the Kashmir issue figured in the talks.

“But at the same time, I can say we looked at the situation there very carefully. We are aware of the long-standing differences of views with regard to Kashmir. We hope a peaceful resolution will be found through dialogue,” he said.

Asked about uncertainty over the Japan-backed bullet train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad after a new government came to power in Maharashtra, the spokesperson said officials of both the countries are working on it and that challenges occur in large projects.

To a question on China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, Kaifu said freedom of navigation and overflight must be ensured in the region, asserting that Japan does not compromise on security and maritime issues.

“Japan and China now have a lively relationship, but we do not compromise on security and maritime issues including on the South China Sea,” he said, adding that Japan has been trying to engage China in various ways and both countries are working on a bilateral visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Japan next year.

On Saturday, India and Japan, under the new framework of two-plus-two dialogue, discussed a raft of strategic issues, including the threat posed to regional security by terror groups operating from Pakistan, latest developments in the disputed South China Sea and evolving security scenario in the Indo-Pacific region.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation while the Japanese was headed by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Minister of Defence Taro Kono.

Asked whether the 5G spectrum issue figured in the talks, Kaifu said it was briefly touched upon in the context of cooperation in the digital sphere.

Beijing has been urging New Delhi to make an independent decision on allowing its telecom giant Huawei to participate in  India’s 5G trial.

The US has banned Huawei, the world leader in telecom equipment and the number two smartphone producer, over concerns of security and Washington has been pressuring other countries to restrict the operations of the company.

On India’s decision to not join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the spokesperson said the countries of the grouping were trying to resolve New Delhi’s concerns as decided at its meeting in Bangkok last month.

Asked whether Japan was keen on carrying out development projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Kaifu said both India and his country were keen on rolling out connectivity projects in the North Eastern region.

Careful deliberations are on about possible areas of engagement, he said.

China has been opposed to any foreign-funded projects in Arunachal Pradesh as it claims the state to be part of its southern Tibet.

Kaifu said Saturday’s talks also laid the ground for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India this month for annual summit level talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Referring to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s visit to India few days back, he said the island nation is a key country for maritime security cooperation and that Japan was also trying to expand cooperation with it.

Talking about growing Indo-Japan ties, the Japanese foreign ministry spokesperson also said that both countries can join hands to carry out projects in African continent. PTI

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat at Northern Command headquarters, Udhampur, on Saturday. Tribune photo

Jammu, November30

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Saturday visited the Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir and urged troops to be alert against any inimical design of the enemy and stay aggressive in their approach.

“The Chief of Army Staff interacted with the troops and conveyed his appreciation to the soldiers for their steadfastness and high morale, which were reflective of their unwavering commitment and selfless dedication to the nation,” a defence spokesperson said.

He said the Army chief “urged the troops to be alert against any inimical design of the enemy and be aggressive in their approach”.

Gen Rawat also lauded “the synergy and cooperation” between the northern command, Air Force, para military forces, civil administration and the central police organizations operating in the region, the spokesperson said.

He said the general exhorted all ranks to continue carrying out their task in a professional manner for creating a secure and peaceful environment for the ‘Awaam’ (people) of Jammu and Kashmir. — PTI

160 participants from 9 countries l Opening at Sultanpur Lodhi l Winning team to get Rs 25L

Stadium ready for International World Kabaddi Cup at Sultanpur Lodhi. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

The state government will host the special edition of the International Kabaddi Tournament-2019 to mark the 550th Parkash Purb from December 1 at Guru Nanak Stadium, Sultanpur Lodhi.

Sports and Youth Services & NRI Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said the kabaddi extravaganza would be represented by over 160 players from nine countries.

“Eight countries, besides India, which are taking part in the tournament, are Australia, Canada, England, Kenya, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and US,” the minister said, adding that the Canadian team had got an NOC from the Union Government while the approval to Pakistan team is awaited and hopefully it would be issued soon. The minister announced that the winning team would be given a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh while the runners-up and the team clinching the third position would get Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively.

Divulging the tournament schedule, Rana Gurmit said the opening ceremony would be held at Guru Nanak Stadium, Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, on December 1 and the closing ceremony will take place at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district on December 10.

He said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh would be the chief guest at the closing ceremony and distribute prizes to winners. The other matches will be played at Guru Nanak Stadium, Amritsar, on December 3, Guru Ram Das Stadium, Guru Harsahai, Ferozepur, on December 4, Outdoor Sports Stadium, Bathinda, on December 5, Polo Ground, Patiala, on December 6. The minister said the semi finals would be held at Charan Ganga Stadium, Sri Anandpur Sahib, in Roop Nagar district on December 8 and finals would be played at Dera Baba Nanak on December 10.