Since Sunday five soldiers, one officer, eight militants and two civilians have been killed in gunfights in the Kashmir valley. Statistics reveal that the conflict is becoming more local and lethal. The new phenomenon has been in the making over the past two years – belligerent crowds would gather and stone the security forces with an aim to disrupt the counter-insurgency operations and enable the militants to escape.  At times, the militants were protected by the human wall of people of all age groups. This trend picked up pace especially after the killing of militant Burhan Wani in July last year. Burhan’s death became a turning point. The fearlessness with which the mobs attacked the security forces’ camps and convoys has shaped the young generation’s audacity. New information suggests more locals are joining the militants’ ranks.  The security forces are caught in a catch-22 situation for they cannot abandon their operation against militants nor can they fire live ammunition on stone-throwers. Obviously, this new mood of the people has not been factored in by the security forces and the government. The rush-and-raid strategy of the past is no longer relevant. Militants making videos of their preparations to face security forces is something unique. The circulation of such videos on social media as also that of large crowds attending the funeral processions of slain militants works up the intense passions of the young.  They are swelling the militants’ ranks. The counter-terrorism strategy has not moved with this changing pace of reality. The original infiltration-guide-militant and the overground-worker nexus is getting supplemented by fast-growing local militancy. The Jammu and Kashmir Government is looking towards New Delhi to initiate dialogue to infuse hope and defuse militancy as also violent protests.  New Delhi is relying on the old approach of getting everything done and achieved through a hammer approach and leaving things to subside on their own. That strategy appears to be backfiring.  An entire population of civilians is getting sucked into the militant’s corner. The portents of a wider conflict are becoming ominously clear.

IT was 1998 and I was commanding my regiment, 63 Cavalry, at Patiala. I was travelling by Shatabdi to Ambala after a brief visit to Delhi. My fellow passenger was a simple man whom I did not know and recognise. He was trying to read a Hindi newspaper and was immersed in his thoughts. He didn’t seem to be well  and looked decidedly uncomfortable. On my request, the train examiner made an announcement for a doctor, but surprisingly, except for an odd neem hakim, no one came forward. At Karnal, I insisted that the old man was given proper medical attention at the next station, Ambala Cantt. The railway staff reluctantly agreed to arrange for a doctor, who examined and treated  him at the next stop.As I took leave of him, he thanked me and invited me to visit Rock Garden, which we did in the form of a regimental picnic. We had the ultimate pleasure of being shown around by the creator and hear his story. My regiment had its share of station responsibilities, which entailed beautification and aesthetics, but there was no financial support. We decided to tap Nek Chand, who most graciously agreed to train a couple of our soldiers in the basics of his art. He visited the regiment to conduct a training workshop. He was thrilled to take a tank ride and got himself photographed in the cupola. After his visit, a number of Nek Chand statues sprang up in Patiala and our Station Commander termed it ‘Nek Chandisation’. For want of a better term, they were referred to it as Nek Chands — like my regiment would say that we have installed a dozen Nek Chands at the Golf Course. The children took a liking for him and called him ‘Rock Star’.My association with the grand old man proliferated his art to places where I served, including Nagaland, Sikkim, Hisar, Babina and Bhopal. Every time we sent a team, he got them skilled, creating a pool of trainers, all ‘gratis’ due to his love for the armed forces. As he aged, his involvement reduced, but he always visited the trainees at least once. Whenever we de-briefed our boys, they were full of praise and sense of involvement of the great artist, who genuinely believed in skilling others. He was also a practical teacher, who innovated new utility-oriented figurines, like traffic cops, to substitute and economise on manpower. His forte remained recycling of discarded waste material, maintenance-free creations at a low cost.Last year, before he passed away, we installed some Nek Chand statues at Shivalik Golf Course in Chandimandir. His figures stand as a testimony to his contribution to functional aesthetics in military stations. To a great friend and real Rock Star, who would have turned 92, here is a ‘General salute’, richly deserved for his contribution to society and special love for the forces.

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 14

Family members of a missing IAF jawan today met Bathinda SSP and demanded a probe into the matter.They said jawan Vipin Shukla had been missing for the past six days but despite lodging complaints, nothing had been done by the Air Force and police.The family members said Sukhla was selected as airman and was now deployed at the canteen of the Air Force at Bhisiana.The missing airman was living with his wife and children in a government quarter at Bhisiana, they added.SSP Swapan Sharma said a police officer had been deputed to look into the matter.

Sergeant’s wife gets bail in suicide case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 14

A local court today granted regular bail to the wife of a 27-year-old Sergeant of the Indian Air Force in an abetment of suicide case. She was granted bail on the bail bond of Rs 25,000.Her counsel contended that her husband made her nominee for taking all benefits, thus, they had no bitter relation. And why was the FIR lodged after 24 days of the incident by her in-laws. It was further argued that the in-laws had also moved a Maharashtra court, demanding his financial benefits to be given to them. Thus, false allegations were leveled against her for claiming the same amount.Savita Swapnil Ghagare (24) was arrested on February 2, almost seven months after her husband Swapnil Babaso Ghagare, a resident of Maharashtra, committed suicide by hanging himself at his house in Sector 47. The Chandigarh police arrested his wife for abetment of suicide.The victim, Swapan, posted at the 3 BRD Air Force Station had committed suicide in June, 2016. Police officials said the victim had an altercation with his wife before he committed suicide.The victim’s mother had complained to the police that Sawpan’s wife Savita forced him to take the extreme step.After investigating the matter, the Chandigarh police arrested the deceased’s wife and registered a case under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sector 31 police station.

Pakistans National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on December 4, 2016, after attending the 6th Heart of Asia (HoA) Ministerial Conference in Amritsar in India. AFP photo

Islamabad, December 5

India’s efforts to “spoil” Pak-Afghan ties will not succeed, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said as he downplayed the Afghan President’s criticism of Pakistan’s support to terrorism, saying it was meant to “please” India.“Ashraf Ghani’s (Afghan President) statement is regrettable. It shows anxiety in Kabul and is understandable due to deteriorating law and order situation,” Aziz said, adding that Ghani’s “statements were meant to please India”.He said India’s efforts to divide Afghanistan and Pakistan would not go far as “we are next-door neighbours”.“Indian efforts will not succeed to spoil Pakistan ties with Afghanistan, as our ties are religious and cultural. That is why we want that terrorism should end in Afghanistan,” he said on returning home after attending the Heart of Asia meeting in Amritsar.“But our ties with Afghanistan are independent and we need to cooperate on several issues,” Aziz said.He claimed that India was trying to use Afghanistan for its own advantage “but it will not succeed”.Aziz also accused India of not treating the Pakistani media properly at the Heart of Asia meeting and said he was not allowed to have a press conference.“The attitude towards media was not good. I wanted to have press interaction with our own media. But we were not allowed,” he alleged.Afghan President Ghani had accused Pakistan of launching an “undeclared war” against his country by covertly supporting terror networks, including the Taliban, and asked it to use its USD 500 million aid to check extremism on its soil.He had also demanded an Asian or international regime to verify Pakistan-sponsored terror operations.

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Aziz said Pakistan had reassured Ghani that its territory would not be used against Kabul.“I reassured Ghani that we will not allow out territory to be used against Afghanistan. But also emphasised better border management,” said Aziz.Aziz said the Afghan leader had a different idea about the USD 500-million assistance pledged by Pakistan and proposed a trilateral commission with China to utilise the amount for welfare of Afghanistan. PTI

Tej Bahadur Yadav

New Delhi, February 10

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to allow the wife of the BSF jawan, who went public through the social media alleging poor quality food being served to soldiers, to meet and stay with him for two days at the base where he was posted at present.The direction by a Division Bench of Justices GS Sistani and Vinod Goel came after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain informed the court that BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav is not under any illegal confinement and he has been shifted to another battalion, 88th Bn HQRS at Kalibari, Samba, in Jammu.Taking note of the submission, the Bench said if the wife had an apprehension that her husband was under threat, she and their son be allowed to meet the soldier.It also said, “We should not get into logistics of any kind, the wife must be allowed to meet him and let us burst the bubble.”The Bench directed the ASG, who was representing the Centre and BSF, to make all possible arrangements for the wife to meet her husband and there should be no difficulties while she visits the place. The direction came after the jawan’s wife, Sharmila Devi, moved the court by way of a habeas corpus plea, alleging her husband is untraceable.  — PTI

New Delhi, December 18

Opposition parties on Sunday questioned the central government’s decision to appoint Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat by superseding two senior officers.

The development came a day after the government appointed Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the new army chief superseding his two senior officers.

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Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari demanded to know why two senior officers — Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Command chief Lt Gen PM Hariz — were superseded.

“With all due respect to Gen Rawat’s professionalism and no personal animus towards anybody, there is a legitimate question that why has that supersession taken place,” he said, calling the central government’s defence that the grand old party had made similar decisions in the 80s and that latest decision was not unprecedented “complete nonsense”.

“Every situation has its own context and, therefore nothing can be extrapolated out of context in order to justify a supersession. So, therefore the government needs to answer this legitimate question as to why these senior army commanders were superseded,” he said.

“Did the government have anything against them? Was their professionalism in question? What was the reason and I guess the army being a public institution the country deserves those answers,” Tewari said.

CPI leader D Raja also questioned the government’s move.

“Appointments in the army have become controversial, the appointments in the judiciary are already controversial, the appointments of CVCs, CBI director and to Central Information Commission, all these top-level appointments are becoming very controversial,” he said.

Also read:

Bipin Rawat to be Army Chief, Dhanoa to head IAF

Govt names new IB, RAW chiefs

Calling the development “very unfortunate”, Raja said it was not in the interest of democracy and the country.The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said although such appointments were the central government’s prerogative, the ruling dispensation cannot brush aside considerations such seniority, competence and integrity.

NCP leader Majeed Memon said: “The Army Chief’s appointment is a prerogative of the government, but you cannot just brush aside all considerations like seniority, competence, integrity and the degree, services and performances that are expected from a man who is incumbent.”

“The Army chief, RAW chief, CBI chief, these are all vitally important positions where we expect the service to the nation and Indian society must be up to the mark, otherwise we suffer either externally or internally.”

‘Politics’

The BJP has criticised the Congress for questioning its decision and “politicising” the issue.

BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the Congress “looks to politicise everything”.

“Therefore, the Congress spokesperson (Manish Tewari) should resist about it because the chief of the Army has been appointed and this is not the first time that the supersession have been done,” Singh said.

“There are other cases in the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy…also the same thing has happened. So, let’s not politicise each and everything and particularly when it comes to the Indian armed forces. It’s very sad that the Congress is trying to politicise this appointment,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources have stated that Lt. General. Bipin Rawat, who has been appointed as the next Chief of Army Staff, was found best suited among current batch of candidates of Lt. Generals, to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the north, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the North-East.

Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Indian Army’s Eastern Command at Kolkata, and the senior most General to succeed Dalbir Singh, was superseded in the appointment.

And Air Marshal Dhanoa was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1978. He has served in various squadrons, and in the Intelligence Directorate of Air Headquarters. — Agencies

Appointment of army chief should not be politicised, echoes defence community – ANI news

http://Lt General Bipin Rawat Named New Army Chief

http://Congress questions Bipin Rawat’s appointment as Army Chief

External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup. File photo

New Delhi, February 8

Reacting strongly, India on Thursday termed as “figment of imagination” Pakistan’s contention that it is building a secret nuclear city, saying it is a “diversionary tactic” to deflect attention from issues like Pak-sponsored terrorism and harbouring of terrorists.“These are completely baseless allegations. The so-called secret city appears to be a figment of the Pakistan imagination. India has always been in compliance with all its international obligations. This is a very strange statement coming from a country that does not have a separation plan and has a strong record of proliferation which is well known to the world.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“India has very different credentials. So, clearly this shows a lack of comprehension. Furthermore, there is no doubt that this is a diversionary tactic by Pakistan which aims to deflect attention from the real issue at hand – the continued state sponsorship of terrorism by Pakistan and its harbouring of internationally designated terrorists,” External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.He was asked about remarks by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria that “India is building a secret nuclear city… It has accumulated a stockpile of nuclear weapons which threatens to undermine the strategic balance of power in the region.”Questioned about comments by Pakistan Planning and Development Minister of Pakistan Ahsan Iqbal regarding peace talks with India after the ongoing state assembly elections in five states, he said it is not state elections in India but state terrorism by Pakistan which has stood in the way of a peaceful bilateral dialogue.“It is high time Pakistan gets the diagnosis of the problem right. It should not remain in denial on the impact of cross border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Both the problem and its solution are within Pakistan’s reach,” Swarup said. — PTI

The increased threat perception from China on the Himachal Pradesh border countered with increased force level

Please write in with your narratives of war and soldiering to msbajwa@gmail.com or call/WhatsApp on 09316135343

Did the nation seriously think that a single night of multiple cross-LOC raids was enough to deter Pakistan from its war of a thousand cuts? Our adversary has a well-honed machinery for launching terror strikes led by an experienced leadership. The apparatus includes recruitment, training, motivation, equipping, arming, planning, intelligence, infiltration, communications and financing through non-state proxies. Most of all, they have an inexhaustible supply of willing recruits for suicide attacks backed by a campaign of religious fervour programmed in proxy warriors.

HT FILE PHOTOTerrorists armed with Chinese weapons undergoing training at a Lashkar-e-Taiba camp in Pakistan.

What are our options in this war? Defending our civilians, security forces personnel, territory, installations and assets must count as most important. Remember, the enemy will always strike wherever we’re weakest or show any vulnerability. The history of warfare shows that a purely defensive strategy rarely works. Therefore, we must do unto the enemy what he’s doing unto us – in short, take the offensive. Hitting at the enemy’s leaders, personnel, installations and collateral assets through overt and covert means must get increasing priority from now on. The frequency of such strikes must be often enough to act as a deterrent. Lastly, we need to be prepared for the long haul and not get demotivated by casualties. FORCE LEVELS IN THE HIMALAYAS After the 1962 War, a new raising, 33 Brigade Ex-4 Mountain Division was deployed to defend the difficult terrain bordering Tibet in Himachal Pradesh. While the rest of the division moved out to take the offensive against Pakistan in September 1965, the brigade remained in situ because of the threat perceived from a belligerent China. In the late 1960s, the formation moved to the Kangra hills to join the newly raised 39 Division. Its replacement was 51 Parachute Brigade. When the Paras were deployed to defend Ganganagar in 1971, decreased threat perception meant that their replacement was the ad hoc 36 Sector. This consisted of just a battalion each of infantry and scouts supported by a 120mm mortar regiment.

Current assessments indicate a growing Chinese threat revealed by growing force levels and increased logistic support. In response, Indian defences are now manned by a full-fledged infantry brigade properly complemented by supporting arms and services. Additional forces from the plains are also dualtasked to this sector. ENCOUNTER WITH A SKY MARSHAL On a recent visit to 3 Jat, my buddy was a smart young Lance Naik called Dharmendra Dhaka (name changed). Tough, fit and resourceful, he carried himself with an athletic grace. It turned out that he was on deputation with the National Security Guard and had just returned for a promotion cadre. He serves with the NSG’s crack 51 Special Action Group and is deployed as a sky marshal on board civilian airliners. Having completed all the relevant courses and undergone arduous training, he eminently meets the exacting standards of his force. You might think a sky marshal’s job merely involves travelling by air and enjoying the best food and drink. It’s no cushy billet but means being alert for long periods of time involving a high degree of mental and physical robustness. So if, by chance, your co-passenger on a flight is a ruggedly handsome and sturdy Rajasthani, it could very well be the Jat Regiment’s very own ‘Garam Dharam’.

Mutual hostility between two nations that have in the past shared a common heritage, culture and history is self-defeating. A united subcontinent can be a formidable force. Can two poor nations so situated afford to be in perpetual conflict?

Why not talk to each other?: From right: G Parthasarathy, Anatol Lieven, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri & Ahmed Rashid, at a session on Pakistan moderated by (extreme left) Suhasini Haider at a literary festival. PTI

From L): Justice Gurnam Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab in 1967, the Governor of undivided Punjab , Evan Jenkins & the head of the Unionist Party, Sikandar Hyat Tiwana.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. — Abraham LincolnTHE partition of Punjab between India and Pakistan in 1947 is perhaps the most important event in the history of modern India, second only to its Independence. We are reaping its consequences in terms of geopolitics, erosion of civil liberties, communalism of politics and poverty.The end of World War II marked the start of the cold war between the Soviet Union and the West. A Russian presence in the Indian Ocean was seen as a threat to the Middle East and its oil under western control. Therefore, the declared British policy was to transfer power to a strong united India to prevent a Russian entry therein. The failure of the Congress and the Muslim League to reach a settlement made Partition inevitable. The demand for Pakistan did not originate from the Muslim-majority provinces of Punjab, Bengal, Sind and the Frontier but from the United Provinces (UP).  In UP, the Muslim minority feared an existential threat from Hindu organisations such as the RSS, the Hindu Mahasabha and the right wing of the Congress. Punjab was ruled by the Unionist Party, a coalition of Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus led by Sir Sikandar Hyat Tiwana, who dismissed the concept of Pakistan as “Jinnahstan”. His successor Khizr Hyat broke with Jinnah on this issue. In 1946, Jinnah and his Muslim League managed to communalise Punjab politics by painting a doomsday scenario where the Punjabi Muslims would be at the mercy of the Hindu majority in India once the British left.  The same argument was used by the Hindu and Sikh leaders in reverse. Hence the Partition.The Governor of Punjab, Sir Evan Jenkins, repeatedly warned that the partition of Punjab as proposed would result in widespread massacre and damage to property. His warning went unheeded. A million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were brutally murdered and another 15 million forced to migrate from the land of their forefathers. Millions lost their properties and thousands of women were raped, abducted and forcibly converted to another faith. The damage of Partition is permanent. It altered the geopolitics of this region. China is strategically located as a Pacific Ocean power. It borders Russia, Central Asia, South Asia and South-eastern Asia. In contrast, India’s strategic location has been greatly reduced. Undivided India would have bordered the Islamic world and been an influential interlocutor on the world stage. This advantage shifted to Pakistan and China. Pakistan’s strategic alliance with China to balance India has allowed the Chinese armed forces to establish a strong military presence in the subcontinent for the first time in history.The Kashmir conflict which is directly related to the partition of Punjab has made the subcontinent amongst the most dangerous, bloodiest and costly places on earth. Pakistan inserted Pathan tribal insurgents and their copycats into India as an extension of its military strategy. The Pathans have since evolved into the Mujahideen, the Taliban, regional ISIS and Kashmir jihadis. Two armies who fought as one in the world wars face each other with hostility. Both are nuclear powers with the capacity for mutual destruction. The apprehension of a nuclear device falling into “Islamic jihadi” hands is real.The violence and chaos caused by the holocaust in Punjabinfluenced the Constituent Assembly into creating a strong executive armed with draconian powers and weak legislatures. Gurnam Singh, a retired High Court judge and Chief Minister, felt that India did not evolve into a traditional liberal democracy. It was a hybrid system, half-democratic and half-colonial where power was transferred from nominated British officials to an elected Indian executive without accountability.  He cautioned Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that the system was open to abuse of power, corruption and intimidation of opponents by implicating them in false cases or branding them as antinational. Little wonder that in a system with weak checks and balances, Prime Ministers can take major decisions like “notebandi” by an executive fiat, without reference to the public, legislature or even the Cabinet. In Pakistan, Jinnah promised a nation where all citizens were equal and there was “no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another”. Partition ended such sentiments.  Inevitably, a state founded on sectarian violence and fear of a large Hindu neighbour turned to the military and the clergy for its identity and survival. This system has little space for non-Muslims, liberal democracy and social reform. India and Pakistan are a house divided against itself. They are an anomaly: Both are sovereign states and also an integral part of each other by their origins, history and culture. Both states can pay heed to the three Franco-German Wars (1870-1945), which cost a hundred million lives. Today, the one-time enemies are close allies and economic partners to their mutual benefit. For the same reason, India and Pakistan need to be friends not enemies. Punjab was the cradle of Hinduism, Sikhism and the evolution of Islam in India. It had seen many invasions and religious conflicts. However, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh elites were integrated by a common language, culture and shared economic interests. The forced migration of Hindus and Sikhs radically changed the religious, social and intellectual structure of West Punjab. However, 70 years of separation and conflict cannot totally erase millenniums of shared bonds.  The way forward is for the people of both Punjabs to rediscover their roots and common interests by free interaction as a first step towards reconciliation between the two nations.  Secondly, the RSS Chief has a choice between an “Akhand Bharat”: a confederation of India and Pakistan he advocates, or politics of division to win elections. As long as the Muslims feel insecure there can be no peace in the subcontinent. Thirdly, the Muslim clergy must rise above dogma and meet the concerns of their own and other communities.  So far it has refused to come to terms with the damage it has caused. No doubt any radical departure from the status quo will meet with strong resistance and even violence on both sides. However, our politicians and opinion makers must appreciate that great issues are settled by statesmanship, courage and common sense in the face of seemingly insurmountable hurdles.  The writer, an educationist, is the President of the Guru Nanak Education Trust, Ludhiana.

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 15

The Supreme Court today upheld Indian Air Force’s denial of permission to two Muslim personnel to grow beard, holding that the two orders were in compliance with Regulation 425(b) which applied only to “personnel whose religion prohibits the cutting off the hair or shaving off the face of its members”.The petitioners failed to show that they were entitled to exemption under the relevant regulation, a Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices DY Chandrachud and LN Rao ruled.The policy letter dated May 8, 1980, did initially permit an airman professing Islam to sport a beard of a prescribed length. This was revisited by the Air Headquarters on August 10, 1982, and a distinction was made between the cases of Muslim personnel who had already sported a beard at the time of joining service (in whose case no permission was required) and cases where personnel desire to sport a beard after joining service (in which case a formal application informing the Commanding Officer was required to be submitted).The policy was again revisited on February 24, 2003. This time, a limited protection was granted for those who had a beard prior to January 1, 2002, at the time of enrolment but the policy also stated that no person would be allowed to maintain a beard after joining service. This position was clarified on June 9, 2003, by stating that personnel whose religion demands sporting a beard would be allowed to do so provided they were granted permission prior to the date of the letter or had grown a beard at the time of joining the Air Force. The apex court ruling came on appeals by Mohammad Zubair and Ansari Aaftab Ahmed.

Policy revisited several times

• May 8, 1980: An airman professing Islam permitted to sport a beard of a prescribed length
• August 10, 1982: No permission required for Muslim personnel who sported a beard at the time of joining service; Commanding Officer’s permission needed to keep a beard after joining service
• February 24, 2003: Limited protection granted for those who had a beard prior to January 1, 2002
• June 9, 2003: Personnel whose religion demands sporting a beard allowed to do so provided they are granted permission prior to the date of the letter or had grown a beard at the time of joining the IAF