http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/afspa-removal-figures-in-parrikar-mufti-meeting/84170.html
AFSPA removal
figures in Parrikar-Mufti meeting
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News
Service
Srinagar, May 22
Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar had an extensive review of the security _situation in the
border state of Jammu and Kashmir grappling with infiltration and recruitment
of youth into ranks of militant groups.
Parrikar, who is
on a two-day visit to the state, met Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed and Corps Commanders of 14 and 15 Corps. Parrikar also visited
the Siachen base camp, his first visit to the world’s highest battlefield. He
was accompanied by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh and General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command Lt Gen D S Hooda.
The controversial
Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was also discussed during the meeting
between Mufti and Parrikar, sources said. Prior to meeting Mufti, the Defence
Minister also met the Governor.
“The Governor and Parrikar
discussed various important matters relating to effective management of
internal and external security, particularly in the backdrop of infiltrations
from across the International Border in the past one-and-a-half years and more
recent encounters in the Valley,” an official spokesman said.
Parrikar later met Mufti
Sayeed and the two leaders discussed the political and security issues as
mentioned in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) which works as roadmap for the
PDP- BJP alliance.
“All the issues of the CMP,
including AFSPA, were on the table during the meeting between the two leaders,”
said a PDP minister.
In the programme, the PDP and
the BJP had suggested a way forward on the controversial AFSPA by denotifying
the Disturbed Areas Act in phases. While the PDP was in favour of the removal
of AFSPA, the BJP was against any such move.
An official spokesman said the
Chief Minister also requested the Defence Minister that Tatoo Ground in
Srinagar be vacated by the Army so that civic facilities could be developed
there.
Parrikar began his tour by
visiting the Siachen base camp in Ladakh .
"The minister was briefed
by General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps Lt Gen B S Negi, on the overall
security situation in Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on
the Chinese side and Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistani side,” sources
said.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/lashkar-pak-flags-waved-at-separatist-rally-in-srinagar/84132.html
Lashkar, Pak flags
waved at separatist rally in Srinagar
Azhar Qadri
Tribune News
Service
Srinagar, May 22
Flags of Pakistan
and militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba were waved at a demonstration on Friday in
Srinagar’s old city. The rally ended up in clashes between stone-throwing
protesters and security forces personnel as separatists held a series of
protests in the region.
The white and
black flag of Lashkar and the green and white of Pakistan were waved by
protesters outside Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta locality of the old city here,
immediately after the mid-day weekly congregational prayers ended.
The protesters
marched from the mosque premises and attempted to move out to the road when
they were intercepted by a heavy posse of police and central paramilitary
personnel leading to clashes in the locality.
The police and
paramilitary personnel fired smoke shells to disperse the crowd, which was
attempting to march to the nearby office of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s Awami Action
Committee, an eyewitness said.
Mirwaiz Umar, who
heads the moderate Hurriyat Conference, continues to remain under house arrest
for the past two days after he was barred from commemorating the 25th
anniversary of his father Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq.
The moderate
separatist amalgam in its statement condemned Mirwaiz Umar’s detention and
described it “insulting to the religious sentiments” of the people.
The waving of
militant and Pakistani flags, though not rare in Kashmir, came into focus last
month after one such incident led to the arrest of hardline separatist leader
Masarat Alam.
In several
demonstrations over the recent years, protesters have also waved the black
flags of the Al-Qaida and the Islamic State which had led to detentions and
police investigations. A separate demonstration was also held by members of the
hardline Hurriyat faction of Syed Ali Geelani, who also continues to remain
under detention, to protest against the sentencing of deposed Egyptian
president Mohamed Morsi.
Another
demonstration was held by separatist outfit Kashmir Tehreek-e-Khawateen of
Zamrooda Habib, who demanded that Kashmiri prisoners in jails outside should be
transferred to prisons here.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/iaf-gives-vip-touch-to-mi-17-choppers/84166.html
IAF gives ‘VIP
touch’ to Mi-17 choppers
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News
Service
Chandigarh, May 22
With the Mi-8
helicopters on the last leg of their operational life and plans to induct the
Italian Agusta Westland machines having run aground over corruption charges,
the IAF is modifying the newly acquired Russian Mi-17 V5 choppers to meet the
requirements of ferrying the nation’s top leaders.
Five Mi-17 V5
helicopters are being modified at the Air Force’s No.3 Base Repair Depot
(3BRD), and the project would be completed in about six months time, Air
Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Jagjeet Singh
told The Tribune.
Modification of
the choppers includes refurbishment, air conditioning and soundproofing of the
cabin, installing passenger seats as in airliners, making provisions for a
small toilet and adding other necessary security and communications
paraphernalia.
While seats have
been sourced from Air India, some of the equipment being installed has been
imported. Each item, whether technical equipment or furnishing articles, is
being certified to meet the required aviation standards for stress, fire
resistance, impact survivability and other security concerns.
The modified
choppers would be inducted into the Air Headquarters Communications Squadron
based at Palam, which operates a mix of helicopters and fixed-wing executive
jets for ferrying VVIPs. The squadron’s Mi-8s, which wear a blue livery
distinct from the low-visibility grey drab worn by other IAF aircraft, have
been in service for almost three decades and are at the end of their technical
life, after having undergone repeated life extension certifications. The IAF
had started de-commissioning the earlier versions of Mi-8 helicopters in the
mid-2000s.
The Air Force had
ordered a total of 139 Mi-17 V5 helicopters to replace the Mi-8 and the older
versions of the Mi-17. These were assembled and flight tested by 3BRD, where
technical facilities are also being set up for their maintenance and overhaul.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/settling-border-issue-key-for-india-china-relations-says-nsa/84174.html
Settling border
issue key for India-China relations, says NSA
Tribune News
Service
New Delhi, May 22
Ajit Doval,
National Security Adviser (NSA) and Special Representative for border talks
with China, today made it clear that ‘settlement’ of the border issue is
‘critical’ for India-China relations.
Doval and Chinese
State Councillor Yang Jiechi had last met on March 23 for the 18th round of
talks on the border dispute.
Speaking at the
annual K F Rustamji lecture, Doval dwelt on China’s emergence as world’s
economic power and its ‘special relations’ with Pakistan, saying “both are nuclear
powers and do not have the democracy as we have”.
Though Pakistan
has an elected government, Doval was probably hinting at _how the Army has
controlled the levers of power in Islamabad.
Rustomji was the
first DG of the BSF when it was formed in 1965. Doval, a former Intelligence
Bureau chief, said, “We might have to see China border in a different way once
the boundary issue is settled.”
The border between
India and China is not demarcated on ground. “For bilateral relations with
China, border is a critical and vital issue,” he said speaking on the topic
“Challenges of Securing India’s Borders; Strategising the Response”.
All advancement
made in relationship with China gets centred around border settlement, said the
NSA adding that the bilateral relations with China were looking up and there
was a need to remain at a “very very high alert”. He cited the example of
Eastern India: “We are concerned about the eastern sector where the claims have
been made on Tawang (in Arunachal Pradesh) which is totally in contravention of
the accepted principles”.
With Burma, China
has agreed to the 1914 drawn ‘McMahon’ line and accepted it as border. However,
China disputes the same line with India.
Sir Henry McMahon
was foreign secretary of the British Indian government. In Tawang there is a
settled population and other areas which have been participating in the
national mainstream.
Doval termed the
issues with China as ticklish which needed to be settled through talks. The
comments by Doval came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit
to China asked Beijing to “reconsider its approach on some issues that hold us
back”, an apparent reference to the long-pending boundary issue.
Doval also
suggested to the BSF to look at borders in a new way and develop long-term
studies on patterns on infrastructure, road and people’s behaviour across the
border. “Come out of the narrow border guarding duties and prepare data that
will help Indian policy formulation”, he said. The BSF is deployed on the
borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/creating-border-infra-need-of-hour-rajnath/84173.html
Creating border
infra need of hour: Rajnath
Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh today said the government was giving top priority to
creating border infrastructure, while the BSF was planning to install a system
consisting of the latest sensors, communication and surveillance devices along
the borders it guards. The system is called the Comprehensive Integrated Border
Management Solution (CIBMS), sources said.
There are also
plans to install a similar system along the India-China frontier for the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
Rajnath Singh said
there was a need to create more Border Outposts (BOPs). The existing BOPs will
be strengthened to provide all the basic facilities for the troops staying
there. The minister said development of the border infrastructure had never
been given the priority it deserved. Development includes improving the road
network for faster response, fencing, flood lighting, hovercrafts and more
speed boats for riverine areas.
The Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) had released an Expression of Interest for the CIBMS in
2012, according to the sources. “It remained in cold storage until October last
year when the BSF sent a proposal to the MHA for installing CIBMS along the
borders it guards (India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders). The government
is currently working on it,” said the sources.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/g-mohan-kumar-is-defence-secy/84175.html
G Mohan Kumar is
Defence Secy
New Delhi, May 22
G. Mohan Kumar, an
Orissa-cadre IAS officer of the 1979 batch, was appointed as the new Defence
Secretary here today. Kumar, who hails from Kerala, will take over from RK
Mathur, who superannuated after a two-year tenure.
Kumar is working
as Secretary, Department of Defence Production and is India’s points-man in the
Defence Technology and Trade Initiative with the US. Ashok Kumar Gupta, a Tamil
Nadu-cadre IAS officer of the 1981 batch, will take over as Secretary,
Department of Defence Production, replacing G. Mohan Kumar. — TNS
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/parrikar-to-begin-two-day-j-k-visit-on-friday-115052200373_1.html
Parrikar to begin
two-day J&K visit on Friday
Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar will begin his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
Col. S.D. Goswami,
spokesman of the army's Udhampur based northern command said the defence
minister, who will be acompanied by the Indian Army chief, General Dalbir
Singh, will visit all the three regions of the state.
"This will be
Manohar Parrikar's second visit to the state since he took over as the defence
minister in November last year," Col. Goswami said.
Parrikar will
first visit the Ladakh region.
Lieutenant General
D.S. Hooda, chief of Indian Army's Northern Command, and Lieutenant General,
B.S. Negi, commander of the army's Leh based 14th Corps will receive Parrikar
at the Leh airport on Friday morning.
Defence sources
told IANS that Parrikar will discuss the situation along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) that forms the de facto border between India and China in the
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
A briefing is
scheduled to be given to the defence minister regarding the situation on the
LAC that occasionally hits news headlines because of incursions by the Chinese
army.
"The defence
minister will reach Srinagar in the afternoon where he will hold discussions
with Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. He will
spend the night in Srinagar," sources in the state government said.
Lieutenant General
Subrata Saha, commander of army's Srinagar-based 15th Corps will brief Parrikar
about the situation on the line of control (LoC) and also about the
anti-militancy situation in the hinterland, according to defence sources.
Parrikar will
visit the Jammu region on Saturday where he is likely to interact with the
soldiers on the forward positions in Poonch district.
During his Jammu
visit, Lieutenant General K.H. Singh, commander of army's Nagrota based 16th
corps will accompany Parrikar.
Before concluding
his visit on Saturday, Parrikar will pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishnoo Devi
Shrine in Reasi district of Jammu region.
Reports also said
in order to get a firsthand account of the extremely hostile weather and
terrain conditions under which soldiers are guarding the country's frontiers,
the defence minister may also visit the Siachin Glacier in Ladakh region.
Situated at 5,400
metre above the sea level, Siachin is the world's highest battlefield.
On April 13, 1984,
the Indian army snatched the control of the Siachin Glacier from Pakistan army.
Naib subedar, Bana
Singh, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir received the country's highest bravery
award, the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for leading the Indian army's Siachin
operation from the front in 1984.
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