Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 20

Naik Kuldeep Nainwal of Dehradun, who was grievously injured while fighting terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir during the month of April and was undergoing treatment at Pune military hospital, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.A pall of gloom descended on the Harrawala locality of Dehradun, where martyr’s family is residing. The mortal remains of the martyr are expected to arrive in Dehradun on Monday.The Martyr’s father Chakradhar Prasad Nainwal had retired from the post of hony captain from the Army.Martyr Naik Kuldeep Nainwal had joined the Mahar Regiment in the year 2001 and was posted in Kashmir for the past two-and-a-half years. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had enquired about the well-being of Kuldeep some time back.After suffering bullet injuries in Kulgam the encounter, a grievously injured Naik Nainwal was rushed to Army’s RR Hospital where after undergoing treatment for a while he was referred to        Army hospital Pune, where he finally succumbed to his injuries.

Former Chief of the Army Staff General VK Singh has filed an RTI application seeking the Board of Officers Report on the activities of the ‘shadowy’ Technical Support Divison (TSD) of the Military Intelligence.

In the application, addressed to KL Nandwani, Deputy Secretary, MoD, filed under section 7 of the RTI Act, General (retd) Singh has sought all file notings of Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence on the report.

He has sought to personally inspect the files both at Army Headquarters and the MoD. The General has said since the matter affects his life and liberty, the files should be made available to him in the next 48 hours on receipt of application.

“The applicant may kindly be provided a copy of the report submitted to the MoD by the Indian Army prepared by the three members Board of Officers appointed to inquire into the functioning of the TSD, presided over by Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, DGMO. The inspection of relevant files/records both at MoD and Army Headquarters may also be allowed,” writes Gen VK Singh in the RTI application.

General Singh has also sought relevant files in Army Headquarters and MoD on reports of a ‘coup’ in 2012, saying file notings on the subject both at the Army headquarters and MoD may be provided to him for inspection. The General and his legal team are working on a multi pronged strategy to take on the government on the issue of the leak of the TSD report and a number of other documents – some marked ‘Top Secret’ from the MoD, as it affects “India’s strategic assets,” the General and his legal team insist.

General Singh recently cleared the air on TSD insisting it is wrong to claim it was his ‘personal army’. “The need for TSD was felt during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. It was created on the operational directive of the Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister AK Antony). It was given tasks which its officers diligently carried out to keep India’s borders safe and to maintain internal security along with other agencies. It was not my private army and its activities were budgeted by the Directorate General of Military Intelligence,” Gen VK Singh said in a recent interview.

The General is of the opinion there is nothing that implicates the TSD in the Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia report that was submitted to MoD in March and in turn sent to the National Security Advisor (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon in July for closure.

Sources in MoD refused to comment on Gen VK Singh’s RTI application. “Appropriate action would be taken at the appropriate time,” sources said.

Sanjha Morcha is dedicated towards CAUSE of  welfare of ESM/Widows/Children/Needy at all times

Recently  twin daughters of Lt Col Jasdev Singh (ASC) approached Sanjha Morcha for Financial assistance, who seems to be shaken up.

They are daughters of Lt   COL JASDEV SINGH, (ASC), S/O LT. COL JAIDEV SINGH, (Signals), left them along with their  mother Sukhjinder Kaur for another woman.

The pitiable narration of their hardships as narrated by the twin Sisters is as under for information of Veterans with kind hearts.

“1. Our mother, who was a simple housewife with NO skills to earn any money to support us, we were left at the mercy of maternal grandparents. We both were school going children at the time and were not aware of our father’s motive or his intentions or of his dispute with our mother Ms Sukhjinder Kaur, d/o Late Sarvjit Singh.

2. We only remember and recollect that our father, Lt Col Jasdev Singh, brought us to Patiala. He was serving in 521 ASC Battalion located in field in Changsari in Assam, between Rangia and Gauhati. We were staying in NARANGI cantonment, near Gauhati. One day, from the blue, he brought us to Patiala with which we had NO connection at all. Thereafter he never saw us.

3.  Clearly, his motive was to seek divorce from our mother so he deliberately kept us away for more than two years, while he was seeing another woman, whom he later married within the same month that he compelled my mother to sign the divorce papers.

4. My mother was devastated but for fear of damaging our emotional strength, she kept us unaware even when he stopped financial help to us. Our mother kept all what was happening, concealed from us fearing adverse psychological and mental health which would have also have direct impact on our studies. He divorced our mother under pressure and manipulation and made the divorce’s proceeding in his favour. Our simple minded mother, was not aware of anything and was made to sign the divorced papers under duress. He completely absolved himself of any responsibility after offering my ‘Socked’ and ‘Stunned’ mother with a meagre amount as one time settlement

5.Needless to say that on learning that out father deserted us and abandoned us we are a disturbed lot, both emotionally and psychologically. It is more than 10 years that we are staying with our mother and grandparents, with whose support we were able to barely manage our studies. We both are still studying to complete our graduations but due to financial constrains are unable to continue further to ensure our employability. Any marriage prospects also look dim. We own no property.

6.The rising prices are pushing us into depression and poverty. With unfinished studies, there is No chance of getting a reasonable job to sustain ourselves. We continue to stay in a rented accommodation at Patiala. The landlords have often threatened to evict us. We are finding it extremely difficult to continue living like this. We cry in complete desperation, unsure of our future. We often think of taking our own lives

7. Our humble submission is to obtain financial assistance from our father but due to financial constrains and with heavy debt of approx RS 5 Lakhs and paying 5% monthly interest on loan amount is accumulating the Loan amount.

8. It is beyond our comprehension, as to how our father abandoned us. As a biological father how can he ‘wash his hands’ off his hands from liability as a father? We fail to understand what was our fault that our father left us along with our mother? Was it because, mother could not bear a son and that we girls.

9. He married our mother , by cheating as he was already married now he has married for third time.With lot of Struggle after 10 years we traced him at # 415/B, Sector 82, Noida.

Dear Veterans , the above is the reality of painful and hardship faced by two sisters along with their mother , settled in Patiala. Lets come forward and contribute and save well educated and cultured Girls as Family responsibility before they take any extreme step due to burden. Those who EARLIER helped them are now harassing them to return or oblige them. Detail later

The account numbers of both the sisters are as under, the donated amounts can be directly transferred to their accounts.

BANK OF BOTH:::                                                                           

ACCOUNT DETAILS OF BOTH SISTERS

MISS MEHAK KAUR   D/o Jasdev Singh     

ORIENTAL BANK OF COMMERCE     NEW OFFICERS COLONY , PATIALA,    ACCT NUMBER : 03962413000109   

 IFSC CODE:- ORBC0100396     MICR- 147022002

MISS CHEHAK KAUR, D/o Jasdev Singh:      

 ORIENTAL BANK OF COMMERCE   , THE MALL PATIALA

 ACCT NUMBER : 06402413000383,    IFSC CODE:- ORBC0100640                                                                                                                MICR- 147022007

THE VEDIO SHOW HOW DONATION CAN CHANGE LIFE AND CARRIER ::: AS PER TEACHINGS OF GURU GOBIND SINGH JEE.

Karachi, May 5

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has directed its cadres to step up and intensify its ‘Jihad’ in Jammu and Kashmir.Addressing a gathering at its Markaz known as Beteha Masjid in Karachi, JeM commander Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar claimed responsibility for the April 26 grenade attack in the Tral township of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf said in his speech, “During the ongoing ‘Daura Tafseer’, news of JeM cadres fighting at battlefronts (in J&K) was pouring in. On April 25 JeM cadres were engaged in fighting against the enemy and were killed the day after (April 26). Their funeral processions were being carried out and, meanwhile, another team of JeM launched attack to take revenge of killings of cadres on the previous day.”Such statements by JeM from Pakistan have exposed Islamabad’s malicious designs in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf motivated cadres and told them not to forget the real motive for and behind ‘Jihad’. He said, “At the battlefront, there is no dearth of ‘Mujahideen’, who have been waiting in queues to enter into J&K to kill the enemy.The Jaish-e-Mohammed has been banned in Pakistan since 2002, but it continues to train terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and provides them weapons to create troubles in Jammu and Kashmir.Having maintained close relations with the Taliban and al Qaeda, it has carried out several attacks primarily in Jammu and Kashmir.Rauf has asked its cadres to be mentally and physically ready to join cadres at battlefield. “The war of ‘jihad’ is entering into an extremely dangerous phase, where enemies would be trying to eliminate Mujahideen from well inside their own locations. Time is likely to come when Mujahideen and others will have to take shelter in forests and plan strategy of survival.”From January to April this year, 55 terrorists have been killed by the security forces in the Kashmir Valley. A majority of these terrorists were from Pakistan who crossed the border to create disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir.On several occasions, India has accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists and providing them open space to wage ‘jihad’ in the Kashmir Valley. ANI

The issue of Pakistan’s civil-military strife, particularly with regard to Nawaz Sharif’s fate in the forthcoming elections, will continue to bedevil its relations with India.

TCA Raghavan

Former High Commissioner of India to PakistanDisaggregating longer term trends from immediate developments is never easy in Pakistan as the drama of the moment often overrides everything else. Nevertheless, two contradictory processes are most evident amidst numerous others jostling to direct events: 1 Civil-military balance: The first is a steady accretion of influence around the army chief representing the continued tilting of the civil-military balance in the direction of the latter. This is a process that began in late 2014 and has gathered momentum since. On the way, it has crippled the PML(N) by deposing its charismatic head as Prime Minister. It is easy to overlook the substantive steps the Pakistan military had to take to achieve this outcome. The actions following the Peshawar school attack against Taliban-type fronts in the tribal areas was a source of public gratification and for most Pakistanis, the army had again proved that it was the country’s final and also ultimate saviour. As public adulation for the army mounted, the civilian government and the PML(N), in particular, found itself between a rock and a hard place. By mid-2017 and with Nawaz Sharif’s deposition as Prime Minister, the process had crystallised. The long cycle that began a decade earlier with Musharraf’s exit, the growing unpopularity of the army as terrorist attacks spread across Pakistan, the OBL raid etc had ended and the circle was complete.2 Nawaz Sharif’s postures: The second process is equally striking and is personalised and animated by the defiance of the PML(N) and in particular of Nawaz Sharif. His postures against hidden forces at work have evoked a public response that is surprising in itself. His accusations of a “judicial martial law’ have in turn spawned a new field of analysis for Pakistan that is being termed the ‘judicialisation of politics’. His claims that he is a victim of a judiciary military concert have a wide credibility. His party seems to be holding behind him and in the forthcoming General Election, it will be in the curious — but politically strong — position of both being the incumbent government as also the party against the establishment. These two then are rival popularities and narratives bouncing off each other — almost as if Pakistan wishes to embrace two contradictory ideas simultaneously and is unable or unwilling to choose one or the other. Is this muddle also part of Pakistan’s 20-year coup cycle — 1958, 1977, 1999….? It is tempting to think so, for who can deny such a possibility given Pakistan’s history.  Yet it is also a fact that in the past two decades, the Pakistan society has changed a great deal and the leap from precedent to the future is now more difficult and tenuous. Many of its institutions — the judiciary, media, military have matured and changed — and conflicting, working and allying with each other as they interface with parties seems to be the direction of change rather than an old-fashioned coup as was the pattern in the 1990s. This may be a reflection of the deepening of roots of democratisation, howsoever inconsistent and non-linier the process may be in the future.But for all this, large question marks about the immediate future remain. Will the General Election return results with a strong PML (N) showing as the present response Nawaz Sharif is getting suggests? Or will the PML (N) be cut to size and a combination of the other national parties rise to the top? A shaky coalition is what the military will be most comfortable with and which would be infinitely superior to a PML(N) thirsty for revenge and keen to rehabilitate Nawaz Sharif. There is going to be no clear answer to these questions for the future is untested terrain in Pakistan, as indeed elsewhere.

Indo-Pak ties

Where does this leave India-Pakistan relations, stuck as they are in the long impasse that developed in the first half of 2016? This was the result of the Pathankot air base terrorist attack, the Kulbhushan Jadhav case and the events that followed the detection and elimination of the Jihadi poster boy Burhan Wani in Kashmir Valley. But important as each of these were individually and collectively, it is perhaps also valid to speculate that the impasse continued longer than could have been anticipated on account of Nawaz Sharif being deposed in July, 2017.The impact of that on India-Pakistan relations should not be underestimated for his is the most powerful voice to have emerged in Pakistan in favour of reset of a fundamentally flawed and troubled relationship. How his party fares in the next election, what will be the architecture of the government and what happens in Pakistan in the interregnum are questions whose answers will impact on the country’s relations with India.In May, 2014, when PM Nawaz Sharif attended the swearing-in of the new government in India, it did appear that the strength of the ruling parties in both countries had enabled the emergence of a viable negotiating space. What could not have been anticipated was that as during earlier governments, foreign policy had no real answer to dealing with internal civil-military turbulence in Pakistan. This issue will continue to bedevil India-Pakistan relations and the frustrations of policymaking with Pakistan will remain our inability to influence the one single factor that has such a major bearing on bilateral ties. Nevertheless, keeping engagement on hold, much like all other policies, has a shelf life. As Pakistan heads to elections, it is also time to keep an eye on other clocks and choose from a menu of options, none of which may be to our liking.

Jammu, April 30

A number of activities were organised by Army Public School, Jammu Cantt, to commemorate the Army Welfare Education Society’s foundation day on the school premises on Monday.To mark the day, a special morning assembly was conducted by Manekshaw House. The programme began with the welcome of chief guest Rita Singh, president, Army Wives Welfare Association, 25 Infantry Division, along with other dignitaries.The main event of the day was the inauguration of an organic garden. — TNS

New Delhi, April 30The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and including Rahul Gandhi, would visit border areas in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh next month to take stock of the situation following the Doklam crisis with China, sources said.The panel has been looking into various aspects of the India-China military standoff at Doklam and has been briefed several times on the issue by the former and current Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.“The panel will visit the border areas in Sikkim and Arunachal to see the ground realities and take stock of the situation on border in these two states,” a source said.The idea is to get a firsthand experience of the situation on the India-China border in the two states and to see, or if possible, visit areas where incursions had happened, another source said.The panel, which might also use a chopper to get an aerial view, could also interact with top security and defence officials deployed there, sources said.Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam in the Sikkim sector from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed tri-junction by the Chinese Army.Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam.Earlier, foreign ministry officials had informed the 31-member parliamentary panel that Bhutan was firmly with India on the issue.During the discussions, Congress president Gandhi questioned foreign ministry officials on China’s objective and why Beijing chose Doklam to create a confrontation, sources had said.Gandhi had also asked about reports of a major Chinese buildup near Doklam, to which officials replied that nothing had been done in the Indian territory. PTI

File photo of Pakistan”s former envoy to the US, Husain Haqqani.

New Delhi, April 15

Pakistan should become a “trading nation” rather than a “warrior nation” while ensuring it does not turn into China’s pawn, Islamabad’s former envoy to the US, Husain Haqqani, has said.

In an interview to PTI, Haqqani said Pakistan also needs to take a call on what is more important – supporting terror suspect Hafiz Saeed or gaining international credibility and respect.

Amid the consolidation of the already-robust Sino-Pak ties, Haqqani, who served as ambassador to the US from 2008 to 2011, stressed Pakistan should not go from being dependent on the US to relying on China and must refrain from becoming a “Chinese pawn”.

“Pakistan needs to build a self-sustaining economy,” he said, warning Islamabad of the pitfalls of aligning with a major power.

Haqqani, who was in India last week for the launch of his new book ‘Reimagining Pakistan: Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear State’, said the country needs to “re-think its overall direction”, including in the economic sector.

Pakistan should become a “trading nation rather than a warrior nation” and start thinking about geo-economics rather than geo strategy, said the 61-year-old former diplomat and author of ‘Pakistan Between Mosque and Military’ and ‘India v Pakistan: Why Can’t We Just Be Friends?’, among other books.

“Trying to take advantage of its strategic location by allowing itself to be used by one major power or another has brought Pakistan to the present situation and if we continue to play the same game, the result is not going to be very different in the future,” he said.

While Islamabad should seek good relations with Beijing, “there is no reason why Pakistan should become a Chinese pawn in the mistaken belief” that this would somehow make it a power in its own right, he said when asked if Pakistan’s dependence on China could prove counterproductive.

His remarks assume significance as in January, the US had suspended more than USD 1.15 billion security assistance to Pakistan, accusing it of harbouring terror groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Afghan guerrilla group Haqqani Network.

After US President Donald Trump had lashed out at Pakistan earlier this year for providing “safe havens” to terrorists, China had defended Islamabad, saying the world community should acknowledge its all-weather ally’s “outstanding contribution” to counter terrorism.

Asked if America’s tougher stance against terror would push Islamabad into a robust military alliance with Beijing, Haqqani said the more America and India came close, the more Pakistan would try to strengthen its ties with China.

“But, for Pakistan’s own sake, it would be useful to have relationships with multiple partners. Dependence on the US did not prove useful for Pakistan in the 50s and 60s; dependence on China will not necessarily be the key to Pakistan’s progress in the 21^st century,” said Haqqani, who lives in the US, where he is Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

Haqqani was removed as Pakistan’s envoy to the US for his alleged role in what is known as the ‘Memogate’ controversy, which revolved around a memorandum seeking help from the Obama administration after the killing of Osama bin Laden to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in his country.

Asked if the suspension of American aid had brought about a change in Pakistan’s attitude, Haqqani said the establishment had not changed its world view and was still hoping that logistical and other considerations would make the Trump administration soften its stance.

On the possibility of power blocs being formed in the region, he said a “new Cold War” in which Pakistan aligns with China and India with the United States was not going to be positive for South Asia.

“I think that aligning with one major power against another is not the recipe for economic growth and success for a country like Pakistan,” said Haqqani, who also served as the Pakistani envoy to Sri Lanka from 1992 to 1993.

The former diplomat, who is often critical of the Pakistani military, rued that the power structure in the country had not changed fundamentally and national security and foreign policy remained in the hands of the Army.

Pakistan has made distinctions between terror groups that have acted against it and those that have acted outside the country, and that distinction had not worked to its advantage, he said.

Islamabad’s insistence on “mainstreaming terrorists” rather than marginalising them was going to be counter-productive for the country, he held.

Haqqani also said the Kashmir issue could be put on the back burner to build normal Indo-Pak relations.

“It is also a reality that the problem of Kashmir has not been solved in 70 years. And if Pakistan insists on solving the Kashmir problem before moving forward on normal relations with India, then it may have to wait for another 70 years,” he said. PTI

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

Chennai, April 12

Within a week of the new tender from India to get 110 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured foreign companies that they would “not spend a decade on it”.The obvious reference has come as the foreign industry is skeptical that the tender is a re-run of the scrapped tender to buy 126 fighter jets. It was started in 2004 and scrapped in 2015 after years of trials, discussions and cost negotiations.Speaking at the ‘def-expo-2018’, the Prime Minister mentioned the long-drawn process of fighter jets and took a dig at the previous UPA government saying “issues which should have been long addressed are being resolved now”.“We have not only taken bold action to meet immediate requirement (purchased 36 Rafale jets) we have started a new process for 110 jets, he said, adding, “We will not spend 10 years without any tangible outcome.”Taking another dig at the UPA, he said the ‘policy paralysis’ that had set in the defence sector is a thing of the past. “It shall not happen again.” He cited how the issue of bulletproof jackets to soldiers was kept hanging for years.Addressing concerns of the industry, he said, “Our goal is not merely to tinker but to transform. We want to move fast, but with no shortcuts. I am aware we need to do a lot more; we are committed to doing so. Our dream is to develop an eco system.”The PM said the government would undertake extensive consultation with all stakeholders with Indian and foreign companies for the defence production policy (a draft has been released and 100 suggestions have come) and also the defence procurement policy. “Our aim is not just to discuss but to draw right lessons. Our intention is to listen and not merely lecture,” Modi added.It is strategically imperative “to make in India, Make for India and supply from India”.He suggested the setting up of a defence industrial complex which would have room for public sector undertakings, Indian and foreign firms. “I understand it’s not that simple. Many pieces of this puzzle need to fit together”.Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the ‘def-expo’ showcased the best of equipment and military ammunition by leading producers.She said, “Not only are we going to buy from various manufacturers. Fifty per cent of this expo today has Indian manufacturers.” On the defence production corridor, Sitharaman said, “We hope to go with great speed to have these activated and performing so that India realised the dream of being a manufacturing hub.”“We have allowed great flexibility for foreign companies and more policies are being relaxed,” she said.The programme was telecast live to 35 Indian embassies in Nepal, Bhutan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, among others.Modi launched the innovation of defence excellence (IDEX), a new scheme that looks to work with start-ups doing technology.