Islamabad, June 8

Pakistan has failed to take concrete action to keep a lid on banned militant outfits such as Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which continuously resurface under new names challenging the government’s authority, a media report said today.Under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, it is the job of the Interior Ministry to determine whether any group is to be banned, but it should also keep tabs on such organisations and prevent them from re-emerging, the report said.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd)However, the ministry has failed to take concrete action to restrain actions of groups beyond adding their name to a central list, the daily said.“The ministry presented a list of banned organisations to the Senate in December 2015 with 61 names on it. That list has not been updated since nor has it been made available to the public,” it said.The daily said one of the organisations which circumvented the government’s restrictions was LeT, led by 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Saeed, which was banned in 2002. “The group and Saeed were able to reinvent themselves under the banner of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and expand their operations into a vast charity network,” the daily said. It said despite being sanctioned by the UN, the government had only kept the outfit on “observation” while its chief “Saeed continued to headline events”. — PTI

India’s missile test may complicate issues: Aziz

• India’s recent test-firing of an anti-ballistic missile system may give it a ‘false sense’ of security but could lead to ‘unexpected complications’, Pakistan’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has warned
• Concerned over the May 15 successful test-firing of indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile from a test range off Odisha coast, Aziz said such actions were contrary to India’s policy of a friendly neighbourhood

Pak’ll stop India’s NSG bid: Aziz

Islamabad: Pakistan is lobbying “effectively and pro-actively” in all member countries of the NSG over India’s efforts to join the 48-member exclusive club, Pakistan’s top foreign affairs adviser has said. The adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, told the Senate that Pakistan’s “efforts towards non-discriminatory approach will pay off”. IANS

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 3

To protect civilians living in border areas of Jammu, where 16 civilians were killed and another 71 injured in 222 incidents of cross-border shelling and firing by Pakistan in 2015, the Union Ministry of Home affairs has approved the construction of 60 community bunkers under a pilot project.This was revealed today by the J&K Government in the state Assembly. A pilot project worth Rs 300 lakh has been sanctioned for the purpose and the work on the concrete community bunkers is already in progress.Legislator Gagan Bhagat in his question had sought information and the status of the proposal with regard to the allotment of “5 marla plots” to border residents to help them escape the firing and shelling by the Pakistani troops from across the border.In a written reply by the Chief Minister, who also holds the charge of state Home Affairs, the Lower House was today informed that pursuant to the recommendations by the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs had sought a proposal from the state government for providing financial support for provision of alternative safe shelters to the inhabitants of border areas of Jammu.Accordingly, a resolution was passed by the State Legislative Council on April 9, 2015, for allotment of 5 marlas to the persons living near the international border and the Line of Control in J&K.However, during subsequent discussions with the MHA, it was felt that the construction of community bunkers would be safer than providing land for alternative shelters at safer places as it would have lead to depopulation of the border areas, which would not be in the interest of the state and the nation, the reply further revealed.“Accordingly, a proposal was submitted to the MHA for construction of 20,125 community bunkers for an amount of Rs 1006.25 core in the border districts of the Jammu division,” the Chief Minister stated in her written reply.“The MHA has approved the construction of 60 concrete community-type bunkers in border blocks of Jammu district for an amount of Rs 300 lakh as a pilot project. The work on the construction of these bunkers is in progress,” the reply read.

The plea came up before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath which ordered that the matter be listed before another bench on Thursday. –Delhi High Court premises

A PIL for a public hearing on ex- servicemen’s grievances by the one-member judicial commission on OROP was on Wednesday moved before the Delhi High Court which is likely to hear the matter on Thursday.

The plea, which has also sought directions to the government to extend the duration of the commission headed by Justice (retired) L Narasimha Reddy, came up before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath which ordered that the matter be listed before another bench on Thursday.

The petition, filed by ex-serviceman S P Singh through advocates Vijender Mahndiyan and Satya Rajan Swain, has sought directions to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the commission “to give an effective public hearing to those affected or aggrieved by implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP)”.According to the petition, as per an MoD letter dated April 13, 2016, “Defence Forces pensioners/family pensioners, Defence Pensioners’ Associations can submit their representation, suggestions/views on the revised pension as notified, to the MoD, through post or by email within 15 days i.e. by April 29, 2016”. The petitioner has contended that this information was not published in the newspapers and, therefore, people were not informed and added that even the time limit given to forward the representations was “very short”. He has also contended that asking those aggrieved to forward their grievances to MoD was “unfair and violative of principles of natural justice” as representations would be against the government. “…the basic lacuna in the whole mechanism is that the representations will go to the One-Member Judicial Commission through the Ministry of Defence; therefore, it is not fair as the representations will be against the Ministry only. Secondly, the affected persons will be hesitant to send their grievances through the ministry,” the petition has said. It had also said that since mechanism adopted for consultation was written representations alone and no oral representation was allowed, it is “violative of the basic concept of effective hearing”. Another grievance raised in the plea was that the government has not shared the correspondence address or contact details of the commission despite making several requests. The petitioner has claimed that “due to non-availability of correspondence address, the aggrieved persons have not been able to share their concerns with the judicial commission, which is expected to finalise its report by mid June 2016”. – See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pil-in-delhi-hc-for-public-hearing-before-orop-commission-2828925/#sthash.erMdR395.dpuf

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

As NDA govt completes 2 years in power, Ajay Banerjee talks to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the nation’s future plans and readiness on security frontAfter assuming charge as the Defence Minister in Nov 2014, how difficult it has been to balance military ties with the US, Russia, China and Japan?If you have an autonomous independent decision-making ability and do not enter the campus (camps or groups), you can maintain good relations with all four.Russia had made public its disappointment over deepening India-US relations.Those are just media reports. Maybe the disappointment was aired during the previous government. This government has maintained balanced relationship with all countries. No one needs to fear unnecessarily.Is India thinking of following the US-style theatre military commands?I have been talking on this for the past one year. It’s wise to debate for people to start finding options.What progress has been made on maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control with China?The border issue will be resolved when both sides will have confidence in each other. It will take some time. A beginning has been made.Amid peace talks, China is building up a Tibetan military command and we are raising a mountain strike Corps. Is there dichotomy in this?I don’t think so. Even the best of friends have some border patrolling. We are not making aggressive postures. We are building up military position as a defensive mechanism, not as an offensive mechanism. We are not adding anything.Will the Logistics Support Agreement (Logistics Exchange Memorandum Agreement) be signed during the PM’s visit to the US in June?I don’t link it with the PM’s visit. If it happens, it will be good. We are trying. A draft has been exchanged and I will receive the file in a day or two. Minor issues remain but we are close to an understanding.Have you taken any steps to address the shortage of fighter jets in the IAF?We will not allow any major dip (in squadron strength, which is now at 34 squadrons of 16-18 planes each against the needed 42). The Design and Development contract for the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) with Russia will be signed soon. It will take 8-10 years. Three squadrons of Sukhoi will reach India. It will be followed by the Tejas and French-origin Rafale.You have cracked down on AgustaWestland. Its mother company Finmeccanica is in the race for other bids in India.We will have to ask for fresh tenders in all such cases. Can’t help it. We have to thank the Congress for this situation. We can opt for a direct government-to-government deal if the national security is affected. But it cannot be a general decision. I will not allow blacklisting at the cost of national security.Is the ministry being bifurcated for a separate procurement cell?A specific cell will be created comprising experts to take care of the acquisitions. It will be within the Defence Ministry, but won’t be an integral part of it. They can do their own work and give an outcome.What is your vision for the next three years?To have a very fit, effective and properly equipped force. I am trying to ensure that it happens.What has been your toughest moment so far?The decision to hit back after 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra regiment were ambushed in Manipur. The decision was not tough, but its execution was.

In jet, set, go mode

• We will not allow any major dip (in squadron strength). The Design and Development contract for the fifth generation fighter aircraft with Russia will be signed soon. Three squadrons of Sukhoi will reach India, followed by the Tejas and Rafale.

Security is priority

• The border issue (with China) will be resolved when both sides have confidence in each other. It will take some time. A beginning has been made…Even best friends have border patrolling. We aren’t making aggressive postures.

Fighting-fit force

• In the next three years, I envision a fit, effective and properly equipped force. I am trying to ensure that it happens…A separate procurement cell will be created comprising experts to take care of the acquisitions.

Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the UN over the depiction of Jammu and Kashmir in India’s draft geospatial information bill, but New Delhi made it clear on Tuesday that Islamabad has no say in the country’s internal legislative process.

The draft bill, which triggered protests from India’s internet activists, envisages stringent penalties for the wrong depiction of India in maps, including a fine of up to Rs 100 crore and a jail term of up to seven years. It also proposes to restrict the use of real-time mapping of data.

Pakistan contended India’s official map in the geospatial information regulation billviolated UN Security Council resolutions by depicting the “disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India”.

“Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our permanent representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government’s efforts to introduce a controversial ‘Geospatial Information Regulation Bill’ in the Indian Parliament,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

It described the Indian map as “factually incorrect and legally untenable”.

Hours later, external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi the proposed bill is an “entirely internal legislative matter of India since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India”.

Read: Bill on mapping may make app-based services like Ola, AirBnB costlier

“Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter,” he said. Swarup added the Indian government “firmly rejects Pakistan’s repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan”.

The statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the Indian government intended to “penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions”.

Pakistan’s letter called on the UN to uphold Security Council resolutions and to “urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law”.

“We have urged the international community and the UN to fulfil their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,” the statement said.

India has for long insisted the Kashmir issue must be settled bilaterally and without the intervention of a third party. Pakistan’s current government has repeatedly raised Kashmir at the UN and asked the world community to play a role in resolving the dragging issue.

The term geospatial refers to data and images associated with a particular location and collected through cameras on satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft and balloons.

The Indian government has said the bill’s objective is not to ban services that provide geospatial data but to regulate them for several reasons, including securing the country’s strategic installations.

Many applications give a 360-degree view of key towns and cities around the world which, security agencies believe, could be used by terror groups to plan attacks.

(With inputs from HTC in New Delhi)

Pak sees design in India map

Says Bill that imposes fine for ‘wrong’ map violates UN resolutions on J-K

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

India and Pakistan today exchanged sharp words as India dismissed efforts to “impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally”.The moot point in question is India’s proposed Geospatial Information Regulation Bill. According to the draft of the Bill, the government can impose a Rs 1 billion fine on anyone distributing a ‘wrong’ map, besides sending the offender to jail.Irked, Pakistan’s permanent representative in New York, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has shot off a letter to the United Nations. Pakistan alleges India’s “incorrect and legally untenable” official map is in violation of Security Council resolutions as it displays the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.“We have urged the international community and the UN to fulfil their commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite,” she said.The Pakistan Foreign Office said India intended to “penalise individuals and organisations who depict J&K as a disputed territory”. India was dismissive of Pakistan’s actions. It said, “The Bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India since the whole of the state of J&K is an integral part of India.” 

About Geospatial Information Regulation Bill

• Proposes that any creation or addition of geospatial info about India will need govt permission, nod of security vetting authority
• In its present state, Bill would be affecting every smartphone user, especially applications like Ola, Zomato, Oyo, Twitter, Facebook and others
• Anybody involved in illegal acquisition of geospatial information could be fined Rs 1-100 crore or offence could entail 7-year jail
• Illegal dissemination of geospatial information could invite fine of Rs 10 lakh-Rs 100 crore or a punishment of seven years

• 
  short by Shubhodeep Datta / 09:23 pm on 15 May 2016,Sunday
  Turkey will help Pakistan to modernise its F-16 fleet at a cost of $75 million, a senior Pakistan official claimed on Saturday. Earlier, the US Congress withheld funds to subsidise the sale of F-16 aircrafts and Pakistan were asked to pay the entire amount. Pakistan will arrange the F-16s from somewhere else if the funding isn’t arranged, officials claimed.

ARMY life is full of adventure, and, at times, even colourful.  I remember a memorable anecdote which I experienced as a young officer in my unit (4 Horse) at Pathankot in 1974.An officer on joining, was put through a rigorous orientation training. Till such time he completed his Young Officer’s course, he was not even given a tank troop to command. Very few talked to him, and he was supposed to listen, and learn, spending most of the time with troops in the garage,  maintaining tanks. I was also put in the athletics team, and every morning, ran 10-12 km in the sands of Chakki bank, along with the athletes.There was another sword of Damocles hanging on my young head — to pass the regimental history test. Until I passed it, I could not leave the premises of the unit, what to talk of leave or an out pass.  Howsoever hard I tried, I would fail every time (perhaps done intentionally as part of grooming). I would spend hours in the mess, and silver room, mugging up the details, but to no avail. It was nearly three  months, and I had not been to  Pathankot city. I was feeling suffocated, and badly wanted a change.One day, I decided to bunk at night. I put on a good dress, quietly sneaked out of the unit, came on the main road to Pathankot, and jumped in the first available vehicle passing by. I reached the city, and felt like a free bird. I decided to go to the best hotel for a meal. First, I ordered a large drink. Lo and behold! The cabaret dance had also begun. A shapely girl danced to my favourite number, “Sheeshe se pee ya pemane se pee”. I had another drink. After some time, the girl started moving around, and came towards my table. As she caressed my cheeks, smiling and singing, I forgot all about the seniors’ bullshit, guard checks, and the history test. Now, it was only bliss, which continued till about midnight, when the bar closed. I enjoyed a good dinner, and came out of the hotel, fully rejuvenated.It was 1 am, and the streets were empty. From where I was, the unit was a good 13 km away. It was very cold. I said to myself what use was the commando course, if I couldn’t run back 13 km. After all, I had been a Battalion Under Officer in the academy, coming in ‘excellent’ in cross country. I took off my leather Oxford shoes and started running towards the unit, barefoot, along the road. I didn’t care about who was seeing me or not. It took me about an hour and half to cover the distance and reach the regiment. It was now about 3 am, everyone was fast asleep. I sneaked into my room. Had a bath, and then slept.The next morning, I was in the PT ground. My senior subaltern, Lieut RS Kanwar, asked me, “RD, where were you last night?” I stood in attention, and replied softly, “Sir, went to see a cabaret dance in Pathankot.” He was too good an officer. He smiled and said, “I will talk to you later.” Of course, I was checking night guards for the next one week. Fiqar not!

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 13

Even as India and China talk about maintaining peace along the disputed 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), the defecto border, Beijing has elevated the rank of its Military Commander who looks after Tibet, sending signals of increased military activity.The Military commander of Tibet will be now under the under the leadership of the People Liberation Army (PLA) and is likely to be a four-star general, one rank up from existing Lieut General-rank person heading it.Currently, the Tibet Military Command is under the leadership of China’s Western Theatre Command headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.China’s state-run newspaper the “Global Times” in a front page report today quoted the China Youth Daily as having said: “The Tibet Military Command’s political rank will be elevated one level higher than its counterpart provincial-level military commands, and will come under the leadership of the PLA Army… adding that the promotion marks a “new journey for the Tibet military command’s construction”.The Tibet Military Command is under the leadership of the PLA (China’s ground forces) which suggest that the command may undertake some kind of military combat mission in the future, Global Times said.“The promotion shows China is paying great attention to the Tibet Military Command, which will significantly improve the command’s ability to manage and control the region’s military resources, as well as provide better preparation for combat,” said a Beijing-based military expert.“After the military reform, the Tibet Military Command’s priority is the management of military resources, as well as the region’s national defence mobilisation,” he said, hinting at a threat to India.