THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE CAME ON A PIL BY ADVOCATES TO GRANT EQUAL STATUS TO PARAMILITARY AND POLICE FORCES
NEW DELHI: The status of ‘martyr’ is not accorded to armed forces personnel who sacrifice their lives on the line of duty and hence cannot be given to the paramilitary forces, government has told the Delhi High Court, terming a plea on the matter as “misconceived”.
“The prayer… to grant ‘martyr’ or ‘shaheed’ to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at par with army, navy and air force is misconceived as the very same status is not actually being granted to the personnel of army, navy and air force,” a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Deepa Sharma was informed.n an affidavit, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and other ministries said the word ‘martyr’ was not used in the three services and “no such order/ notification has been issued by the MoD to call martyr, (those) who are killed during duty.
Similarly, no such notification has been issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the CAPF and Assam Rifle (AR) personnel.”
The government’s response came on a PIL by advocates Abhishek Choudhary and Harsh Ahuja to grant equal status to paramilitary and police forces like the armed forces in granting ‘martyr’ status to the deceased personnel.
The response was sought after the government informed the court that it had no such scheme, as sought in the PIL.
The government said “in army/navy/air force, the nomenclature for the word ‘martyr’ is battle casuality and physical casuality. The word ‘martyr’ is not used in the three services.”

The opening of the Kartarpur corridor connecting devotees to their cherished shrine marks a new beginning. Another man-made border has fallen, albeit only for a narrow passage and specific purpose, on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan inaugurated their end of the facilities. The former saw off the first batch of devotees that included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, ministers and others. The latter received them. The twain, expectedly, did not meet, but worked in coordination.

The tremendous enthusiasm among the devotees has left great goodwill, which could well be used as political capital to bridge the vast chasm that exists between India and Pakistan. Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan both spoke on the occasion. The momentum of the occasion, coming as it does on the eve of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, was not enough to set aside differences and discord for the moment, even as Imran Khan raked up the Kashmir issue. In focus was the vast infrastructure built at break-neck speed to facilitate the pilgrimage, and the spirit of the people who were getting a chance to visit the land of their prayers.

The road to the Kartarpur corridor has gone through many twists and turns. It has somehow survived the vicissitudes of Indo-Pak relations. However, the danger of the hijacking of what has become a bridge between two peoples will remain. The security agencies have flagged a number of concerns, and due attention has to be paid to them. The piety of the devotees should be allowed to be a balm that heals the rifts, not be exploited, or allowed to be exploited. Due care will have to be taken by the security agencies, and any attempt to subvert the spirit of Kartarpur would have to be nipped in the bud. The 4-km journey to Kartarpur has taken 72 years to traverse. In consonance with the teachings of Guru Nanak, let it showcase the triumph of hope and goodwill between fellow beings.

Tribune News Service
Dehradun, November 13

Brig KG Behl (retd)———— Maj Gen Lalji D Singh (retd)
Indian armed forces retired personnel in Uttarakhand have decided to intensify their agitation with an aim to build pressure on the Centre Government to amend clauses added to the recently sanctioned one rank one pension (OROP) scheme for them.
The ex-servicemen will hold a meeting of the core committee under the banner of the United Forum of Ex-servicemen, Uttarakhand Chapter, tomorrow to decide whether to return medals to government or not to show resentment against the Government.
Maj Gen Lalji D Singh (retd) said a delegation of the United Front of Ex-Servicemen had already apprised Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar about the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) clause added by the Centre in the OROP notification. He said ex-servicemen would no longer tolerate pension disparity.
Maj Gen C Nandwani (retd), president of the United Front of Ex-servicemen, Uttarakhand Chapter, told The Tribune that nearly 60,000 personnel retired from the Indian defence forces every year and hence OROP would not financially burden the Union Government.
He said the Union Government should form a committee comprising senior and experienced retired defence personnel to resolve the OROP issue instead of forming a one-man committee headed by a retired judge.
Brig KG Behl (retd), a former president of the Dehradun Ex-Services League, said arrears should be given to retired octogenarian defence personnel in one installment instead of four installments.
He added that pension is earned wages for the services rendered by an individual during his service period.
Brig Behl said it was reasonable and logical that two individuals, who had rendered an equal length of service and had handled the same level of responsibility (rank), should be given equal pension, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Brig RS Rawat (retd), president of the Uttarakhand Ex-services League, said OROP sanctioned by the Union Government had not fulfilled their demands yet.
He opposed the clauses added by the government in OROP.
He said ex-servicemen were agitating for OROP as it was a fight for equity and justice for them as well a question of dignity of ex-servicemen.

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Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, November 9

On Kartarpur stage, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday warmed Pakistan asking the neighbouring country to stop interfering in Kashmir and Punjab.

He said: “We will retaliate. We are not wearing bangles.”

Capt had on Wednesday also stuck to his stand that India needed to be cautious of the hidden agenda of the Pakistan Army.

Referring to the official song released by the Pakistan government, welcoming Sikh pilgrims, which have posters of Sikh separatist leaders like Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale and Amrik Singh Khalsa, besides Maj Gen Shabeg Singh, in the background, the Chief Minister said: “On one hand Pakistan shows love and on the other they do this. This is very inappropriate.”

A video song, which was on Wednesday released by Pakistan government prior to the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, has run into a controversy as it showed Khalistani separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale amongst other leaders.

The video song had been released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on November 4.

As the video of ex- Adjutant General, Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar’s recent interview to a private news channel was being repeatedly shared on social media, a disgruntled viewer commented if it is the worst time to be a soldier or rather a veteran. AG’s statements have not gone down too well within the fraternity. The last couple of years have been tough for the soldiers of the Indian Army, serving and retired both, for the reasons we all are well aware of. The AHQ seems highly insecure and has ended being up and against its very own soldiers. Why?

Nothing justifies treacherously targeting their brother officers and taking away their hard-earned honour. With seemingly strong leadership, we expected the Indian Army to further strengthen the force to reckon with! An army that believed in itself and its soldiers.

An army where every family felt secure and well cared for! An army where the trust in the organization ran several notches higher than the God himself! But what we get to see is a deeply resentful army. Peeved at the way some decisions have been taken, restrictions issued, without taking into consideration that it would impact the morale of the soldier on the ground; many soldiers have taken to social media to express their disappointments. From demonizing the disabled soldiers to intemperate statements in media to the down gradation of our soldiers who defended the sovereignty of the nation to unfounded allegations to having a code of conduct for our veterans, demeaning our men in Olive greens seems to be the flavor of the season.

In the name of restructuring the army, the soldiers are being hit where it hurts the most. A deep divide is being made between the serving and the retired, the top brass and the junior ranks. Indian army is no longer one big happy family, it used to be. And that is where the biggest damage lies. In times when the country is facing threats from in and outside, shouldn’t it be our priority to be well prepared and comprehensively improve the morale of our soldiers to ensure they come back as winners whenever; whatever the situation is! For this, greater involvement of veterans will come handy. Imagine a group of highly skilled workforce deeply rooted in the military ethos, mutual respect and their commitment towards the organization which goes beyond any financial gain. Shunning them will certainly not help.

No, it is not the worst time to be a soldier. It cannot be. We should not let views of a select few deter us. We cannot. And I will quote the famous Urdu poet Rahat Indori Sahab, here- 

“Jo aaj saahibe masnad hain kal nahin honge

Kiraaydaar hain zaati makaan thodi hai”

We should aim to become a major global military power. Enhancing Defence capabilities should be our focus area.

Soldiers are trained to be a part of something greater than themselves and for them, nothing is greater than their country. The onus lies on the top brass of our coveted organization to stop sending such adverse messages and treat the entire fraternity as a family.

Concerns regarding the honour and dignity of soldiers can certainly not be resolved until the officers in the higher ranks of the Indian Army remain indifferent and apathetic. Together we can and we will become the best military power in the world. Othering each other will only strengthen the enemies of the organization, address the soldiers, address the issue, don’t let it simmer. Let the country before self, be our cementing factor.

Best is yet to be.

Jai Hind.

WASHINGTON: China is a growing military power but countries like India and Japan are also following through in the region by increasing their defence rollout, the US has said as it voiced concern over Beijing’s activities in the disputed South China Sea.

“China is a growing military power in this region. That’s natural. It’s a big country. It’s a country that’s trying to develop itself economically,” US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in response to a question from an American soldier in Hawaii on his way back from his Asia trip.

“It’s not the only one. Japan is increasing its defence rollout here, so is India. Many, many countries are asking us to work with them, because they want to be part of this regional architecture that keeps the peace, and we welcome all of them to include China,” Carter said.

As the US and China engaged in a standoff last week over an American guided missile destroyer in Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea, Carter said there is no question that the US has some points of contention with China and objections to things they’re doing.

“We, as many countries out here, are concerned about their activities in the South China Sea. We’ve called on China and others who are doing things in the South China Sea, reclaiming land, militarising features, to hold that permanently, all of them. We think everybody ought to just stop that, and that these are things to be resolved diplomatically,” he said.

“I have certainly said, and will continue to demonstrate, that for our part, the US will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law permits — South China Sea to the Arctic — that’s not going to change,” Carter said.

The US move to send USS Lassen to the SCS brought angry denunciations from China, which said its sovereignty had been violated and warned America not to take “dangerous actions”.

In his remarks, the Defence Secretary reiterated that the presence of the US in the region ensured peace for decades and this played a key role in the rise of China.

“Look what’s happened out here. Japan rose and prospered from the ashes of World War II. Then Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, now China and India.

“They’re able to do that, to follow their own destiny, dream their own dreams, live their own lives, because of the environment of peace and stability, and that has been a very important measure underwritten by the role the United States. We intend to keep going back,” he said.

“That in a sentence is the rebalancing. You, right here, are the heart of that. So you’re playing a role in history that you’ll look back on later in your lives and recognise and be able to tell your children the value of,” he said.

Image only for representational purposes

Srinagar, November 19

Four associates of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who were responsible for carrying out a blast in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, have been arrested, police said on Tuesday.

While investigating the terror attack that took place in the Arihal area of Pulwama in July, police learnt about the involvement of a person, Sharik Ahmad, who had been constantly communicating with a foreign militant and making plans to carry out attacks in the area, a police spokesman said.

“Accordingly, Ahmad with the help of three other JeM associates, identified as Aqib Ahmad, Adil Ahmad Mir and Owais Ahmad, conspired and executed the terror attack in Airhal area,” he said.

On Monday, the module was busted with the arrest of the all four persons, the spokesman said.

He said the investigation into the case revealed that all the four persons are linked to JeM and played their active part in conspiring and executing the terror attack in Arihal area.

Incriminating material was recovered from their possession and it has been taken into records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes, the spokesman said, adding further investigation in the case is in progress. —PTI

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Militants lobbed a grenade in a busy market in the heart of the city, killing one person on Monday, almost three months since the Kashmir Valley shut down in response to the Centre revoking the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

At least 13 people were injured in the grenade attack, the second in less than a month, and were rushed to the nearby SMHS hospital where the condition of two is critical, officials said. The attack took place at 1.20 pm, a time the Hari Singh High Street market was crowded with people and roadside vendors.

On October 12, militants injured five people in a similar grenade attack in the area.

Security forces have cordoned off the area.

Traffic was scarce in the city with the capital of the newly created union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shifting to Jammu for the winter.

On August 5, the Centre announced the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

On Monday, almost three months to the day, normal life remained disturbed.

Shops and other business establishments opened early in the morning but downed their shutters around 12 noon due to fewer customers following shifting of the capital to Jammu as part of bi-annual ‘darbar move’, officials said.

While public transport was off the roads in most parts of the Valley, the movement of private vehicles in the city was less than usual as a large number of government employees have shifted base to Jammu.

A large number of roadside vendors set up their stalls on the TRC crossing-Batamaloo axis in the city but the number of customers was less, the officials said.

Efforts of the state government to open schools have not borne any fruit as parents continue to keep the children at home due to apprehensions about their safety. However, board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 are going on according to schedule.

Landline and postpaid mobile phone services have been restored across the valley, but all internet services continue to remain suspended since August 5.

Most top level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers—Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti—have been either detained or placed under house arrest.

The government has detained Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, under the controversial Public Safety Act, a law enacted by his father and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 when he was chief minister. PTI