http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131023/main1.htm
Defuse border tension, Shinde to forces
Home Minister
conducts aerial survey of LoC, blames Hafiz Saeed for spike in infiltration
Ravi Krishnan
Khajuria/TNS
Samba, October 22
Union Home
Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, against whom a red corner notice had
been issued, could be training militants and visiting areas on the other side
of the Line of Control (LoC) to facilitate their intrusion into the Indian
Territory.
The Home Minister,
however, asked security forces to initiate all possible measures to prevent
further escalation of tension on the border.
“The information we have
suggests that Hafiz Saeed might have been visiting areas close to the LoC to
facilitate infiltration,” said Shinde after addressing a Sainik Sammelan of the
BSF. “Unless he is handed over to us, he remains a problem,” said the Home
Minister.
On Kashmir, he said New
Delhi’s stand had been clear since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. “Kashmir is an
integral part of India and would remain so. No third-party mediation is
required. If anything has to be decided, it has to be decided bilaterally,” he
said. At the Unified Headquarters meeting at the residence of Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah, Shinde asked the Army and the BSF to prevent further escalation
of tension on the 744-km LoC and 191.5-km International Border.
Regarding ceasefire
violations, he said India would take up the matter at the DGMOs’ meet. “That’s
why I am here. I conducted an aerial survey of the border and saw infiltration
routes. Some infiltration has happened, but we are doing whatever is needed.
Our jawans are more than prepared to face any challenge,” he said.
When reminded about Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah’s yesterday’s remarks that India couldn’t remain at the
receiving end vis-à-vis truce violations, Shinde said, “Sometimes we have to
compromise, but I agree with the CM that we cannot maintain that position all
the time because when injustice is done, aggressive posture is needed. If they
(Pakistan) take an uncompromising position, we will deal with them
accordingly.”
“We can’t become tough only by
talking tough. Actions are being taken whenever they break rules on the border
and we have proved it,” he said.
On fresh migrations from
forward villages, he said villagers were provided night shelter by the state
government and the BSF whenever there was shelling by Pakistan.
When asked why there has been
a sudden spurt in firing along the border, he said, “We don’t know at this
stage, but we are finding out.”
When asked whether India
should hold talks with Pakistan in the prevailing scenario, he said, “There
should be cordial atmosphere to have talks. Let us see how we can do it.”
ShindeSpeak
On terror face
Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed could be training militants and
visiting areas on the other side of the LoC to facilitate their intrusion into
India
On talks with Pak
There should be cordial
atmosphere to have talks (with Pakistan). Let us see how we can do it.
On infiltration
Some infiltration has
happened, but we are doing whatever is needed. Our men are more than prepared
to face any challenge.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131023/main2.htm
Pak pounds 8 posts
along LoC in Poonch
Ravi Krishnan
Khajuria /TNS
Jammu, October 22
Pakistani troops
pounded at least eight Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in
the Poonch sector today, at a time when Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde
was reviewing the security scenario with top officers in Samba and Jammu.
“Pakistani troops opened heavy
fire in Balakote, Mankote and Mendhar sub-sectors today. Around 11.50 am, they
fired mortars and RPGs on three posts in Mankote from their LP, Pir and New HMG
posts. The exchange of fire continued till 2 pm,” said an Intelligence source.
The Mankote sub-sector is
manned by 13 Rajputana Rifles. The source said around 11 am Pakistani troops
opened heavy fire on five Indian posts, namely 490, MST, Kanga, 485 Alpha and
485, in the Mendhar and Balakote sub-sectors from their Kaman, Panjini Forward,
Khori, Mochi Tekri, Goga and Cheel posts. The exchange of fire in these
sub-sectors continued till 1.30 pm, he said.
The Mendhar sub-sector is
being guarded by 5 Grenadiers while the Balakote sub-sector is manned by 15
Bihar Regiment. There were no casualties or injuries to Indian soldiers.
However, the Jammu-based defence spokesperson Col RK Palta said Pakistani
troops opened fire in the Hamirpur Battalion area of the Bhimber Gali sector
from 10.35 am to 11.15 am today.
“In the unprovoked firing,
they used small arms, automatics weapons and mortars. The Indian troops
retaliated effectively using similar calibre weapons,” he said. Meanwhile, the
Pakistan Rangers again targeted Indian forward positions in the RS Pura sector
along the international border.
You enjoy firing at enemy,
Shinde asks BSF men
“You enjoy firing bullets at
the enemy?” This was the question put up by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar
Shinde to BSF men at the 86 Battalion headquarters on Tuesday. Mingling with
the personnel, the Home Minister lauded them for their determination,
dedication and service to the nation. “Do you feel reluctant to fire at the
enemy”? Shinde asked the BSF men “No sir,” was a prompt and loud reply.
Accompanied by BSF, DG, Subhash Joshi, the Home Minister stopped at almost
every row asking names of the personnel and inquiring about their families.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131023/nation.htm#2
Russian troops ready for tank-firing
competition
Raj Sadosh
Abohar, October 22
Russian troops are
all ready for the forthcoming tank firing competition scheduled on Wednesday at
the Mahajan Field Firing Range in neighbouring Rajasthan. The Russian troops
carried out live firing practice from tanks and infantry combat vehicles in the
ongoing joint military exercise, INDRA 2013.
Indian and Russian
soldiers interacted and familiarised each other’s tank zeroing procedures. The
Russian General Officer Commanding also interacted with the Indian officers and
troops at the firing ranges. To feel relaxed, jawans of both the armies tried
their hand at sports as well.
The Mechanised
Infantry component of the Russian and Indian contingents participated in small
arms firing competition in a newly constructed small arms firing range by HQ
South Western Command. The competition involved firing of a mechanised infantry
section of both the armies, fully controlled by their section commanders.
In the evening, a
volleyball match was held to enhance the spirit of sports and camaraderie
between the troops of both the nations. Indian brigade commander and his
Russian counterpart gave away prizes to both the teams.
The exercise is
aimed at improving bilateral defence cooperation between both the armies and
enhancing their ability to operate as an integrated force within the framework
of UN peace keeping operations.
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistan-pm-nawaz-sharif-says-ready-to-go-extra-mile-with-india-435859?pfrom=home-otherstories
Pakistan PM Nawaz
Sharif says ready to go 'extra mile' with India
Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed Tuesday to go the "extra mile" to make
peace with India, saying the historic rivals can resolve all issues including
Kashmir through dialogue.
Sharif, on a visit
to Washington where he will see President Barack Obama on Wednesday, regretted
that periodic incidents on the international border in Kashmir had set back
peace attempts.
"I wish to
assure this august audience that Pakistan desires to live in peace with its
neighbour. We would not be found wanting in walking the extra mile," he
said at the US Institute of Peace.
"If we sit
down together, if we seriously address these issues, I don't think we will face
any problem," he said.
"Kashmir, of
course, is a very difficult issue and very difficult to resolve but I think, by
sitting and talking, we will be able to find some way of resolving that,
too," he said.
"Because that
is a flashpoint not only in the region, but the whole world," he said of
Kashmir.
Sharif, who swept
back to power in May, noted that he was involved in a major peace initiative
with India in 1999 when his then counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited
Pakistan.
The effort
collapsed within months as Pakistan-backed forces infiltrated the Indian zone
of Kashmir, which has been the source of two full-fledged wars between the
nuclear powers.
Sharif blamed the
1999 Kargil conflict on army chief Pervez Musharraf, who later ousted him from
power, and repeated his past criticism of the focus on military spending.
"Had our
countries not wasted their precious resources in a never-ending arms race, we
would not only have avoided the futile conflicts, but also emerged as stable
and prosperous nations," he said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/army-has-full-operational-independence/article5258302.ece
‘Army has full operational
independence’
Army commanders have been given “full
operational independence,” the Congress said on Monday even as Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said if ceasefire violations on the Line
of Control continued, India should give its neighbour a fitting response.
Stressing that
India was firmly against any third party mediation on the Kashmir issue, a
demand raised by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Congress spokesperson
Sandeep Dikshit recalled the terms of the 1972 Shimla Agreement that, he said,
had underscored the fact that any issue between the two countries has to be
resolved bilaterally. “No third individual, country or force can come in
between, nor we will allow it to come,” he said.
Responding to the
strong line taken by Mr. Abdullah, the Congress spokesperson said: “If the
Chief Minister has some suggestions, it is better he gives them to the Prime
Minister and the Defence Minister. The Defence Minister had stated some time
ago that full operational freedom has been given to local commanders [of the
forces].”
Mr. Dikshit’s
response came shortly after Mr. Abdullah said India could not be at the
“receiving end” of unabated ceasefire violations and should “respond in kind”
if they persisted. At the meeting between two Prime Ministers in New York last
month, Mr. Abdullah recalled, Manmohan Singh was forthright in putting across
India’s concerns.
Commenting on Mr.
Nawaz Sharif’s plea for U.S. intervention in resolving the Kashmir dispute, he
asked: “Are the repeated ceasefire violations taking place at the behest of
Pakistani PM or are they taking place as he does not have control over the
situation?”
Simultaneously,
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said on Monday that
Pakistan must realise that certain historical wrongs had been committed and one
of them was its occupation of Indian territory. He recalled that a unanimous
resolution of the Indian Parliament, adopted in 1994, said these territories
must be returned to India, and that any attempt to go beyond the Shimla
Agreement was not “an appropriate step in either substance or spirit.”
He also rejected
the demand for U.S. intervention, saying, “There never will be a case for any
third party mediation in J&K.”
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131020/jsp/nation/story_17473326.jsp#.UmcZElPU0a8
Ceasefire breach
goes beyond LoC
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, Oct.
19: The firing and shelling in Jammu last night indicates that the ceasefire
violations this year have spread from the Line of Control (LoC) to a part of
the International Boundary that Pakistan disputes despite Prime Ministers
Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif agreeing on September 30 in New York to restore
peace.
Army sources said
there was no directive from either the Prime Minister’s Office or the defence
minister to hold a special dialogue of the Directors-General of Military
Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan — an announcement made after the New
York meeting.
Militarily, the
positions seem to have hardened since the meeting. This is because of suspected
Pakistani backing to alleged Taliban militias who intruded across the LoC in the
Keran sector and held off an Indian Army brigade for two weeks.
Other sources
indicated that the Indian military response to the breach of the LoC was
inappropriate, pointing to a command failure in the army’s deployment.
Last night’s
exchanges show that the ceasefire violations have spread south of the Pir
Panjal range to areas that are not mountainous. The army normally expects
violence to increase as the winter sets in. The winter sets in quicker in the
Pir Panjal and north of it than in the south.
The targeting of
citizens in R.S. Pora also reflects how people in the margins are often caught
in the great rivalry over Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
There is an
institutionalised weekly telephone hotline dialogue between the DGMOs of India
and Pakistan. But after the Singh-Sharif meeting in New York, it was expected
that there would be directives for a special dialogue to sustain peace along
the border in Jammu and Kashmir that would go beyond the routine.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1050930/indian-army-chief-leaves-meeting-to-brief-minister-on-loc
Indian army chief
leaves meeting to brief minister on LoC
NEW DELHI: Indian
Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh was on Monday suddenly called by Defence Minister
A.K. Antony to brief him about the ceasefire violations allegedly by Pakistan
on the Line of Control in Kashmir, days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
voiced concern over the handling of Keran operations in the disputed territory.
Gen Singh, who was
chairing a meeting attended by senior commanders, left the conference following
a communication from Mr Antony’s office.
The unscheduled
briefing by the army chief comes after Prime Minister Singh conveyed concern to
the defence ministry over the handling of army operations in Keran area where
the army claimed to have killed 12-13 members of a group of 30-40 suspected
terrorists in an operation that lasted 15 days before it was called off on Oct
8 when not a single body was found.
The defence
minister was briefed by the army chief on the situation on the LoC and frequent
ceasefire violations allegedly by the Pakistan Army, defence ministry officials
said.
Mr Antony will now
hold a detailed review meeting with National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon
and the three services chiefs next week where the Keran issue is expected to
come up for discussion.
It is learnt that
the prime minister expressed concern over the [Keran] incident as a lot of
“exaggerated claims” were made by formations about their success there but the
results did not match the claims.
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/515803/20131022/indo-pak-border-ceasefire-violation-jammu.htm
India Reviews Ceasefire Violations on Indo-Pak
Border
The incidents of
ceasefire violations on India and Pakistan border have been on the rise
especially this year.
At least 136
incidents have been recorded in 2013 said a defence spokesperson according to
Zee News.
The latest was on
Monday night where Pakistani rangers resorted to heavy shelling at 16 posts of
Border Security Force in Samba district in Jammu. Two Indians were injured in
the firing.
Pakistani army has
reportedly fired at least eight times in past 24 hours, using small arms,
rockets and mortars.
The incidents are
being taken seriously by the Government of India as the Chief of Army General
Bikram Singh met Defence Minister A K Antony to brief on the incidents of
ceasefire violation along the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) border.
The firings have
drawn a strong response from Chief Minister of J&K Omar Abdullah who told
the Indian armed forces to give a "befitting response" to these
skirmishes.
Prime Minister of
India Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif met in US last
month and agreed that the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of
both the nations will hold talks to address the situation of ceasefire
violations and arrive at maintaining peace on the Line of Control (LOC).
However, the
reports of skirmishes have been on the rise.
Sharif had then
appealed to US seeking an intervention to resolve the border issue between
India and Pakistan, which was refused by both US and India saying that it was a
bilateral issue.
Home Minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde visited a few areas along the border on Tuesday to review
the security situation in the wake of the ceasefire incidents.
Indian army had
also launched an anti-infiltration operation in Keran along the Indo-Pak border
last month to prevent militants from entering into the Indian Territory from
Pakistan.
India and Pakistan
inked a ceasefire agreement in November 2003 post Kargil Conflict.
The territorial
issue of Jammu and Kashmir dates back to 1947 since independence. India and
Pakistan have fought two wars in 1965 and 1971 over the two states. The
skirmishes since 1984 led to a full scale Kargil Conflict in 1999.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/def-min-officials-convicted-for-graft-113102200889_1.html
Def Min officials
convicted for graft
Two former Defence
Ministry officials and a retired armyman were today convicted by a Delhi court
for causing a loss of over Rs 7.3 crore to state exchequer by inducing payment
for the material which were never supplied to the Ministry from 1994-97.
Special CBI judge
J P S Malik held guilty Lt Col (Retd) P R S Rao, Deputy Director in office of
Deputy Director General of Ordinance Services (Inventory and Budget Section), A
K Sharma, the then Assistant Audit Officer in the office of Director General of
Audit (Defence Services) and I B Uppal who retired from Indian Army in 1991.
The three convicts
had caused a loss of Rs 7,31,95,480 to the government.
The trio were
among 12 persons booked by CBI in 1998 for causing wrongful loss to the
government by clearing bogus bills against which no consignment was ever
demanded or received.
Barring the three
convicts, the nine other accused were senior auditors, account officers and
clerks in the office of Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA) and they were
discharged from the case in 2005 by the court.
The court noted
that Uppal had retired from the Army in 1991 but did not surrender his identity
card so that he could gain easy access to defence establishments.
He then raised
bogus bills by posing as the proprietor of certain firms like M/s SriKrishna
enterprises, Rishi Enterprises and the bills were forwarded by Rao to the
concerned section of CDA for clearance, it noted.
Convict Sharma,
who was the Assistant Audit Officer during 1994-95, came to know about the
illegal activities of Rao, and accepted illegal gratification of over Rs 9 lakh
from him for not disclosing about the cheating.
The court
convicted Uppal for cheating, criminal conspiracy under the IPC and also under
the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Rao has also been convicted
under similar offences.
Sharma has been
convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/no-information-to-be-given-on-online-rti-application-army-435753
No information to
be given on online RTI application: Army
Army has refused
to provide responses on RTI applications received through recently introduced
government website that enables citizens to file them online, saying it is a
security threat.
"We will
provide information on RTI application only after receiving signed copy of the
application...We have taken up issue with the DoPT," Army Central Public
Information Officer Col Prashant Saxena said.
Col. Saxena was
replying to a query on an RTI application seeking details on controversial
Technical Services Division through the recently introduced government portal
--rtionline.gov.in.
The RTI applicant
had sought details from the Defence Ministry, which had transferred the
application to the Army.
Col. Saxena
refused to supply information till a signed copy is received along with
personal ID of the applicant which negates the website's purpose of a hassle
free processing of application, reducing paper work and increasing efficiency.
The government
website rtionline.gov.in allows citizens to file their RTI applications online.
Since the payments are made by the applicant through Internet banking, credit
card and debit card, it has a database of the person making a request. This
also helps in checking the genuineness of the applicant and avoids
impersonation.
The web site also
allows RTI applicant to have password secured account where they can see
replies and also get them on their email accounts so that no third person
receives the information.
The Army, however,
does not agree with this system saying it is a security issue as anyone can
make an email-id and seek information. It wants applicant to attach a personal
ID card as well as signed copy of the application.
Anyone can make an
email id and seek information. We need a signed copy of the RTI application so
that the identity can be established. It is a requirement under law, Col. Saxena
said.
When asked how
would Army confirm the genuineness of a person who signs an RTI application as
anybody can purchase a postal order and send it, Col. Saxena had no answers.
The Army had
recently denied information on killing of soldiers on LoC, a record which is
already in public domain through statements made by Defence Ministry in
Parliament.
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