The Indian Soldier’s contribution during World War I and II was monumental, yet their legacy often sparks a debate. Intolerant critics seek to marginalise Indian blood which was split during these wars simply suggesting that they fought for a colonial government.

Do Indian leaders who go and lay wreaths on monuments honouring the Indian soldiers on foreign soils honour the soldiers or simply fulfil a diplomatic obligation?

They must clarify.

And the critics must freely comment on these visible double standards: There is no colonial power that they need to fear. They, the critics do live in a free country now.

Over 11 Lakh Indian soldiers served in World War I, with more than 60,000 losing their lives (Indian Blood, the critics be reminded). They fought in diverse theatres, from the Western Front to Mesopotamia, and their bravery earned them numerous accolades.

In World War II, the Indian Army became the largest volunteer force in history, with over 25 Lakh soldiers. They fought as Indian Divisions and played pivotal roles in campaigns across Africa, Europe, and Asia, particularly in the Burma Campaign, with over 87,000 fatalities (All born to Indian mothers, the critics be reminded again),

It is painful to think that some individuals and groups seek to exclude our ancestors from history to further their self-serving aims.

I am writing a Monograph on Guts and Glory on Foreign Soil during World War I & II.
If you have a story, anecdote or a photo of your unit and ancestor, please do share.

Warm Regards

Beijing says both sides have wisdom to maintain peace, time for elephant & dragon to tango

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today said India and China had the wisdom to maintain “peace and tranquillity” in the border areas and the two sides “should never allow bilateral relations to be defined by the boundary question”.

Wang was addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing.

Wang said, “We have enough wisdom and capability to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas pending a fair and reasonable solution.”

He said, “We should never allow bilateral relations to be defined by the boundary question, or let specific differences affect the overall picture of our bilateral ties.”

The minister used a French phrase, “pas de deux” — a dance for two people, typically a man and a woman — to describe the partnership between the two nations, saying “a cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both sides”.

Wang called for both countries to work towards each other’s success. Wang is also Beijing’s special representative for the boundary talks.

The Chinese minister said both sides should cooperate rather than guard against each other. “There is every reason for us to support each other rather than undercut each other, work with each other rather than guard against each other. This is the path that truly serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples,” Wang said.

US President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership this week suggesting talks with the Islamic Republic, which the West fears is rapidly nearing the capability to make…

US President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership this week suggesting talks with the Islamic Republic, which the West fears is rapidly nearing the capability to make atomic weapons.

“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Friday. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.” In the interview, conducted on Thursday, Trump said he sent the letter “yesterday”, indicating Wednesday.

Iran has not yet received the letter, Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said on Friday. There was no immediate response from the foreign ministry in Iran, where it is the weekend, to a request for a comment on Trump’s remarks.

Iran’s Nour News, affiliated with the country’s top security body, dismissed Trump’s letter as a “repetitive show” by Washington.

Asked whether he had sent the letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s fiercely anti-Western Supreme Leader, Trump said, “Yes.” Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel and Gulf Arab oil producers and spark a regional arms race.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Trump has upended US foreign policy after taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow’s three-year-old war in Ukraine.

Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, a year into his first White House term. Last month, Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero. However, he also said he would like to make a deal with Tehran.

It is unclear how Trump’s overture to Iran would be received by ally Israel, a foe of Tehran. Iran and Israel mounted military strikes on each other last April and October.

Called Exercise Sea Dragon-25, the drill will test anti-submarine warfare capabilities

The Quad — a four-nation grouping comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia — has been joined by South Korea for a naval exercise focused on tracking submarines.

Called “Exercise Sea Dragon-25”, the drill will test anti-submarine warfare capabilities, including detecting both simulated and live submarines, tracking their locations around the clock and launching attacks.

The exercise is being conducted off Guam, a US military base in the western Pacific Ocean, and is being hosted by the US from March 4 to 19.

Anti-submarine warfare plays a crucial role in enhancing the Quad countries’ ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted high-altitude trials of the indigenous on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS)-based integrated life support system (ILSS) for the Tejas fighter aircraft. This is a critical component for survival of pilots during…

Tribune News Service

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted high-altitude trials of the indigenous on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS)-based integrated life support system (ILSS) for the Tejas fighter aircraft. This is a critical component for survival of pilots during flying.

Developed by DRDO’s Defence Bio-Engineering and Electro Medical Laboratory, the OBOGS-ILSS is a cutting-edge system designed to generate and regulate breathable oxygen for pilots during flight, eliminating dependence on traditional liquid oxygen cylinder-based systems.

The ILSS has 90 per cent indigenous content. With appropriate modifications, the system can also be adapted for use in the MiG-29K and other aircraft. The ILSS underwent rigorous testing on the Tejas’ Prototype Vehicle-3 aircraft of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, meeting the required aeromedical standards in varied flight conditions, including altitudes of up to 50,000 feet above mean sea level, a defence spokesperson said.

The appearance of the ‘notice’ and the launch of a major political campaign clearly indicate problems in the higher echelons of the PLA.

Indiscipline, wavering political and ideological commitment of officers and personnel and corruption in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are causing serious concern to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the senior echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and PLA.

The indiscipline and lack of ideological commitment, which includes questioning of the PLA’s “absolute obedience” to the CCP, will worry the CCP leadership more because the PLA is the “party’s army”.

Accordingly, a major new education campaign focussed on instilling political loyalty to Xi Jinping has been launched. This has been accompanied by a raft of measures intended to further tighten discipline.

On February 5, the People’s Liberation Army Daily published a “Notice on Deepening the Education and Practice Activities Focusing on Forging Firm Political Loyalty and Winning the Battle of Hard Work” issued by the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department — China’s apex military body responsible for the political education and ideology of PLA personnel.

It heralded the launch of the “annual major education of the entire army” and asserted that it would “strengthen political guidance.”R

Emphasising the leading roles of Xi Jinping and the CCP, it stressed that “we must unremittingly use Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to unite hearts and build souls” and “must always regard the Party’s innovative theoretical arming as the primary task of building souls and educating people….”

Significantly, the ‘notice’ specifically mentioned the need to strengthen learning and ideological transformation of the “key minority.”

The reference to the “key minority” implies there are officers at senior levels in the PLA who are not in step with Xi Jinping’s thoughts or whose ideological commitment that the CCP leadership has assessed is wavering.

The PLA has been trying to recruit larger numbers of college graduates for more than a decade now, but senior instructors have been complaining that the young graduates question instructions and are not amenable to discipline.

The notice also added: “We must closely follow the needs of cultivating officers and soldiers’ values and growing up, and carry out special education focusing on strengthening the belief in strengthening the army ….”

The CCP Central Committee (CC) General Office “recently” issued the “National Party Member Education and Training Work Plan (2024-2028)” and instructed all regions and departments to conscientiously implement it.

The CMC was also instructed to implement it among party members in the PLA.

The work plan highlights its main theme as “of learning and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”

Also, last week, Xi Jinping signed an order to issue the newly revised Regulations on Internal Affairs of the People’s Liberation Army of China, Regulations on Discipline of the People’s Liberation Army of China and Regulations on Formations of the People’s Liberation Army of China, which

will come into effect on April 1, 2025.

The revised regulations aim to “thoroughly implement Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military…achieve the Party’s goal of strengthening the military in the new era and build the people’s army into a world-class army.”

The regulations emphasise Xi Jinping’s thought and focus on training and discipline.

On March 3, the PLA Daily published an interview with leaders of the CMC Training and Management Department on the regulations.

They stressed that it included “ensuring the military is always in complete ideological, political, and operational alignment with the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, ensuring absolute loyalty, purity, and reliability of the armed forces.”

It added that the regulations further refine the officer-soldier relationship by promoting unity, friendship, harmony, and purity within the ranks and ensuring the military remains strong and cohesive.

Corruption remains a problem in the PLA and China’s civil-military industry. Dozens of senior PLA rocket force officers have been dismissed since late 2023, with at least 13 PLA generals ‘removed’ from the National People’s Congress (NPC) — China’s version of a

parliament.

The size of the military delegation to the NPC has fallen and may shrink further. Of the 283 deputies from the PLA appointed to the NPC, there are now only 267. Fourteen have been removed on charges of corruption.

Reports suggest that for the last six months, a quiet purge has also been underway and at least eight senior executives in China’s sensitive defence industrial complex have been removed.

This includes the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), one of China’s top 10 defence groups, that owns some of the most well-known Chinese shipyards which build warships for the PLA navy and China’s aerospace and aeronautics sector.

There are indications now that this purge is likely to expand its remit and sharpen its focus to ensure that senior officials are politically and ideologically aligned with the CCP Central Committee and Central Military Commission, with “Xi Jinping at the core.”

The appearance of the ‘notice’ and the launch of a major political campaign clearly indicate problems in the higher echelons of the PLA.

There are indications of similar problems in the CCP, with Politburo Standing Committee member and director of the CCP CC General Office Cai Qi convening an all-China conference on the “need to continuously strengthen cohesion and forge the Party’s soul” and “enhance the Party’s political building.”

The CCP leadership is likely to take progressively tougher measures to instill the CCP’s ideology among PLA personnel and control corruption, especially as the next party congress draws near.

“Kavach: Ranneeti Ka Rangmanch”, the annual literary and cultural fest of Panjab University’s Department of Defence and National Security Studies, started at the Student Centre on the university premises here today. The department is also celebrating 25th anniversary of its…

Kavach: Ranneeti Ka Rangmanch”, the annual literary and cultural fest of Panjab University’s Department of Defence and National Security Studies, started at the Student Centre on the university premises here today.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday listened to the issues and concerns of ex-servicemen highlighted by Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, GOC 16 Corps based in Nagrota, in his office at Civil Secretariat, Jammu. A spokesperson said some…

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday listened to the issues and concerns of ex-servicemen highlighted by Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, GOC 16 Corps based in Nagrota, in his office at Civil Secretariat, Jammu. A spokesperson said some of the core demands raised with the Chief Secretary included compilation and complete digitisation of the database of all the ex-servicemen of J&K for proper management of the cadre besides preservation and easy maintenance of records for posterity.

They also asked for allowing them to apply for government jobs under ex-servicemen quota in the last year of their service as the recruitment process takes some months in its completion.

In order to bring added efficiency in grievance resolution, the Chief Secretary advised them to utilise the ‘JK Samadhan’ portal for registration of their grievances. He said this platform gives seamless access to the administration and ensures timely resolution of grievances with quality outcomes up to the optimum satisfaction of the aggrieved persons.

Officials say prima facie it appeared to be a case of death by suicide

An Army jawan died of firearm injuries sustained from his service rifle at a forward location in Kamalkote sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, officials said on Wednesday.

Naik B T Rao (25), hailing from Andhra Pradesh, died on Tuesday.

The bullet was fired from the service rifle of the deceased jawan, they said adding the exact circumstances of his death were being ascertained.

The officials said prima facie it appeared to be a case of death by suicide.

However, Srinagar-based defence spokesman did not comment on the incident.

A suspected grenade attack took place near a police post in north Kashmir’s Baramulla late Tuesday night, Jammu and Kashmir Police said. According to a police spokesperson, a blast-like sound was heard around 9.20 pm from the rear side of…

Our Correspondent

A suspected grenade attack took place near a police post in north Kashmir’s Baramulla late Tuesday night, Jammu and Kashmir Police said.

According to a police spokesperson, a blast-like sound was heard around 9.20 pm from the rear side of Police Post Old Town, Baramulla, raising alarm among residents. However, no casualties or damage were reported.

Following the incident, security forces immediately cordoned off the area in coordination with other agencies. During the search, police recovered a grenade pin from outside the post’s boundary wall, leading them to suspect an attempted grenade attack.

“The grenade landed and detonated inside Police Post Old Town in an area where no damage or casualties occurred. The impact crater is yet to be located,” the police said in a statement.

A thorough inquiry has been launched and search operations are ongoing in and around the area. Urging citizens to remain vigilant, Baramulla police assured the public of their commitment to ensuring safety and encouraged reporting of any suspicious activity to the nearest police unit.