http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131225/main1.htm
India, Pak DGMOs
agree on new peace mechanism along border
Tribune News
Service
Attari (Amritsar),
December 24
After a year of
hostility along the border in Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan today
agreed to have in place new mechanisms to ensure peace and tranquility along
the border.
A decision to this
effect was taken at a three-hour meeting between the Director Generals of
Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries on the Pakistan side of the
Wagah-Attari border today.
The meeting, which
was convened to draw up a “peace protocol” for the two armies, discussed ways
to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure that the 2003 ceasefire in
J&K was honoured.
The ceasefire
along the 198-km section of the International Border and the 749-km Line of
Control (LoC) in J&K has been breached several times over the years.
Indian Army’s DGMO
Lt General Vinod Bhatia termed the meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Maj
General Amir Riaz as “cordial, constructive and fruitful”.
The two military
officers discussed ceasefire violations. “We are looking forward to sustaining
ceasefire and have decided to strengthen existing mechanisms for holding the
ceasefire,” General Bhatia told mediapersons after the meeting.
Major General Riaz
walked up to the zero line along with the Indian officer as courtesy. The two
delegations also had lunch with menu picked from shared culinary history of the
two nations.
On whether the
matter of killing of five Indian soldiers was taken up during the meeting, Lt
General Bhatia said: “We have discussed issues and we are moving forward.”
The new mechanisms
include two additional flag meetings at the level of Brigadier of either side
in operational areas along the LoC. The number of points for flag meetings will
remain unchanged.
A joint statement
issued later said: “A consensus was developed to make hotline contact between
the two DGMOs more effective and result-oriented. It was also decided to inform
each other if any innocent civilian inadvertently crosses the LoC in order to
ensure his/her early return.”
The Indian side
had taken along figures of the 195 ceasefire violations that had taken place
during 2013. The aim was to substantiate the fact that there was an attempt by
Pakistani troops to counter any upcoming event in India by resorting to
cross-border firing in Jammu and Kashmir.
The dates showed
increased activity ahead of major events, including political, sporting and
cultural, in India.
Sources said the
Pakistan DGMO reiterated his country’s old stand of allowing United
Nations-appointed observers along the LoC to monitor peace. The Indian side
turned down the request and the matter was not raised again.
The United Nations
Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was set up in 1949
following the Karachi agreement and New Delhi believed it had become redundant
following the 1972 Simla Agreement, which talked about “bilateral resolution of
all pending issues”.
Today’s meeting
was an outcome of talks between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif
in New York in September at the height of tension triggered by the LoC
flare-ups.
Fresh initiative
* The two sides
decided to hold two additional flag meetings at Brigadier level in operational
areas along the LoC
* Make hotline
contact between the two DGMOs more ‘effective and result-oriented’
* Inform each other
of inadvertent crossing of the LoC by any civilian to ensure his early return
"We are
looking forward to sustaining ceasefire and have decided to strengthen existing
mechanisms for holding ceasefire" - Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, dgmo, indian army
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131225/nation.htm#9
No let up in
militancy in Assam’s Bodo heartland
Bijay Sankar Bora
Tribune News
Service
Guwahati, December
24
It seems that
militancy will never be wiped out of Assam’s most troubled spot, as the
Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC) areas comprising four
districts even after repeated peace overtures initiated by the union government
to bring all Bodo tribe militant groups to the political “mainstream”.
The tumultuous
days of 1990s and early 2000s, when militancy was at its peak phase in Bodo
heartland in Assam, culminated into Bodo Peace Accord signed in 2003 with Bodo
Liberation Tiger (BLT) ultras and the government of India. The accord led to
formation of the BTC under the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution is
now being ruled by Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a political party formed by
the leaders and members of the now disbanded BLT.
However, the Peace
Accord was not all encompassing as another formidable militant group National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB) still remained at large “fight” for a “sovereign
Bodoland”. However, a split occurred in the NDFB after the outfit under the
leadership of self-styled chairman Ranjan Daimary allegedly detonated the
serial blasts in Assam on October 30, 2008, in which about 100 persons were
killed and over 400 injured.
The NDFB which was
preparing to hold talks with the Government of India then expelled the faction
led by Daimary and renamed itself as NDFB (Progressive). The NDFB (P) started
formal negotiation with the government of India in 2009 with Daimary and his followers
still remaining at large. The cadres and leaders of the NDFB (P) led by Govinda
Basumatary are now lodged in truce-time designated camps.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131225/nation.htm#12
BSF chief arrives
in Pak for talks
Tribune News
Service
Attari, December
24
A high-level BSF
team headed by Director General Subhash Joshi today crossed over to Pakistan
for a bi-annual meeting with his Pakistani counterpart through the Attari-Wagah
land route here.
The five-day
meeting commenced at Lahore from today. The delegation includes DG special
(western command), Chandigarh, Rajdeep Singh, besides IGs of four frontiers
Punjab, Jammu, Rajasthan and Gujarat and an IG rank officer from the BSF
headquarters at New Delhi. The delegation was welcomed by sector commander
Satluj Rangers Pakistan at the zero-line.
The delegation
would discuss various issues pertaining to border management, including drug
trafficking, infiltration, smuggling of arms and counterfeit Indian currency,
besides inadvertent border crossings and construction along the international
border.
Joshi is scheduled
to hold discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Major General Rizwan Akhtar,
DG Pakistan rangers, Sindh. The delegation will return on December 28.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131225/nation.htm#13
Fishing trawler
sinks after collision with Navy warship
New Delhi,
December 24
A fishing trawler
sank after colliding with Navy's frontline frigate INS Talwar near Ratnagiri
district of Maharashtra injuring four of the 27 persons on board the civilian
vessel, Navy officials said today.
This is the fourth
mishap involving a naval warship this year including INS Sindhurakshak accident
where the vessel sank inside the Mumbai harbour after an explosion in its
torpedo section.
INS Talwar
collided with an unlit fishing trawler near Ratnagiri coast in Maharashtra
around 2130 hours last night in which all the 27 occupants of the civilian
vessel fell in the sea, the officials said here.
All the persons in
the trawler were pulled out by INS Talwar and dropped on the shore after being
provided required medical attention, they said. Four of the civilians, who are
fishermen, suffered minor injuries in the mishap, sources said. The Navy has
ordered a Board of Inquiry to ascertain the reasons behind the incident,
sources said. — PTI
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131224/DEFREG03/312240003/Pakistan-Indian-Army-Commanders-Meet-Kashmir?odyssey=nav|head
Pakistan, Indian
Army Commanders Meet On Kashmir
ISLAMABAD —
Leading army commanders from Pakistan and India met Tuesday for the first time
in 14 years in a bid to reduce tensions in the disputed region of Kashmir after
a year of intermittent clashes.
The directors
general of military operations (DGMO) from both nuclear-armed neighbors held
face-to-face talks at Wagah border post, near the eastern Pakistani city of
Lahore.
The past year has
seen some of the worst violence in a decade along the Line of Control (LoC),
the heavily militarized frontier dividing the Himalayan region of Kashmir,
which both countries control in part but claim in full.
The two sides
agreed to make contact between the two DGMOs on their special hotline
"more effective and result-oriented", a joint statement released by
the Pakistani military after the meeting said.
The release said
the atmosphere of the talks was "cordial, positive and constructive.”
"It is the
first (such) meeting between the senior army officials since Kargil,"
senior Indian defense ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said, referring to the
brief war between the two nations in divided Kashmir in 1999.
The meeting comes
less than a month after General Raheel Sharif took over as Pakistan's new army
chief.
A deadly flare-up
along the LoC in January brought a halt to peace talks that had only just
resumed following a three-year hiatus sparked by the 2008 attacks in Mumbai
that killed 166 people.
Fresh skirmishes
erupted on the LoC after five Indian soldiers were killed in a raid in August.
Delhi blamed that
ambush on the Pakistan army, but Islamabad denied the claims and has repeatedly
called for restraint and dialogue.
The prime
ministers of both countries pledged to ensure calm in Kashmir when they held
talks in New York in September, the highest-level talks between the two sides
for three years.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Government-grounds-Army-parasailing-plea/articleshow/27871328.cms
Government grounds
Army parasailing plea
BHUBANESWAR: The
state government has turned down the Army's request for parasailing and running
practice on Rangeilunda airstrip in Ganjam district. It argued that parasailing
would destroy the Phailin-battered runway.
The Army Air
Defence College at Golabandha near Gopalpur had sought permission for the
practice from the general administration (GA) department. "The runway of
the airstrip has to be maintained for smooth landing of aircraft. It has
developed potholes after the cyclone. Parasailing will further destroy
it," said joint secretary (GA) P K Khuntia in a letter to the college.
He said Rs 1.72
crore would be spent on repairing the runway and the boundary wall, which
collapsed in the cyclone. "A bitumen coat on the runway would cost around
Rs 1.27 crore and another Rs 45 lakh would be spent on erecting the boundary
wall," said a GA official.
A proposal has
been sent to the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), seeking funds to take up
the repair work. "We have submitted a tentative estimate to the SRC. The
works department will be asked to begin the work once funds are
sanctioned," the official added.
Earlier, a
four-member team of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) visited Rangeilunda
to carry out a feasibility study for developing it into a low-cost airport.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/four-major-acquisitions-for-the-navy-and-the-army-approved/article5494688.ece?homepage=true
Four major
acquisitions for the Navy and the Army approved
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the
Ministry of Defence on Monday gave the go ahead for four major acquisitions
worth nearly Rs. 16,000 crore for the Indian Navy and the Army.
The shopping list
approved for the forces includes two deep sea rescue vessels, an indigenous
anti-submarine craft programme, procurement of more Israeli Barak missiles and
41 advanced light helicopters.
In order to
improve the country’s response to any disaster at sea, the DAC — headed by
Defence Minister A.K. Antony — approved the procurement of two deep-sea rescue
vessels by the Indian Navy. The approval comes in the wake of the August 14
mishap involving INS Sindhurakshak submarine in which 18 personnel were killed.
The incident
appears to have acted as a catalyst in providing a speedy approval to the
Indian Navy to procure two Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRVs). A sum of
Rs. 1,500 crore has been sanctioned for the project by the DAC.
Defence sources
said the DSRVs would help improve the Navy’s response in time of any disaster.
Capable of performing even in the deep seas, these vehicles would ensure that
the force is able to respond effectively in a time of crisis. INS
Sindhurakshak, incidentally, is still sitting on the sea bed off the coast of
Mumbai ever since it sank following multiple explosions in August.
Anti-submarine
warfare
The DAC has also
approved of a Rs. 13,000 crore project that would enhance the anti-submarine
warfare capability of the Indian Navy. The committee has approved indigenous
development of 700 ton Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft that would
take on submarines operating in coastal waters, within 200 nautical miles of
the base port.
These vessels
would watch over foreign submarines operating close to the Indian coastline and
would also be capable of laying anti-ship and anti-submarine mines.
The crafts would
be built by a public sector undertaking, the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and
Engineers Limited (GRSE), that would work in close coordination with the Navy
on the design.
Barak comes out of
deep freeze
After remaining in
deep freeze for five years due to an ongoing probe by the Central Bureau of
Investigation, the Israeli Barak missiles have found favour with the Defence
Ministry that cleared procurement proposals worth over Rs. 16,000 crore on
Monday.
The proposal to
procure 262 Barak I missiles for Rs. 880 crore was cleared by the DAC.
This has paved the
way for the deployment of the 9 km range air defence missiles on India’s two
aircraft carrier — the INS Virat, and the INS Vikramaditya — which at the
moment is on its way to India from Russia. The Navy had been using these
missiles but due to the suspension in the procurement process had been left
with just 150.
Before arriving at
the decision to give the go ahead for the advanced missile system, the Ministry
of Defence had also weighed the opinion given by the Attorney General in the matter
and that of the independent group it had constituted at the last DAC meet to
take a final call on the deal.
Earlier, the
procurement of the missiles had been put on hold after allegations of bribery
in the deal had surfaced and the CBI had initiated a probe in 2006. With the
case now in the final stages and the premier investigating agency due to file
its closure report soon, the Ministry decided to go ahead with the deal.
Army to get 40
ALH, Navy one
The DAC has also
given its nod to the Army to go ahead with the acquisition of 41 Dhruv advanced
Light Helicopters. The choppers would be acquired at a total cost of Rs. 300
crore and one of them would serve the Navy.
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