http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/afspa-mandatory-for-j-k-parrikar/86823.html
AFSPA mandatory
for J&K: Parrikar
New Delhi/Jammu,
May 28
A day after the
Tripura Government decided to lift the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the
state after 18 years, the Centre today made it clear that there would be
"no Army deployment without AFSPA" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar, in an interview to PTI a few days back, said the Act "is
mandatory for the Army to operate in Jammu and Kashmir". Parrikar, while
speaking at a function in Pune today, said: "We have given clear
directions on protecting human rights and minimising collateral damage."
"But if an
attempt is made to shoot at our soldiers, we will try to kill the attacker
without losing our men," he said apparently referring to the situation in
J-K.
The Defence
Minister said if a state did not need the Army, the law and order situation
should be handled by the police. "If you don't need the Army, the police
should handle the law and order situation. My jawans will not get killed, they
will kill," the minister asserted.
Parrikar also said
in the past five-six months, the "situation in the Northern Command"
was improving and action was being taken on the basis of Army intelligence.
Parrikar, earlier
replying to a question about his ministry's stand on J-K Government's demand to
scrap the controversial law in the state, said: "Mine is not the ministry
to decide about it (AFSPA). It is very simple that if the Act exists in that
particular area, the Army can operate in that area. If it is not there, the
Army can't operate there."
Parrikar's remarks
on J&K assume significance following his recent visit to that state where
he interacted with the Army top brass as well as the political leadership.
During his meeting with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and others from
the ruling PDP, an alliance partner of the BJP, there were demands for revoking
the draconian law.
The Army continues
to be against any move to dilute the AFSPA in J-K. The Army feels if AFSPA,
which it terms as an "enabling Act," is partially withdrawn or
diluted, there are chances that radicalisation and even violence would
increase. The Army deployed in counter-insurgency operations in J-K has
described AFSPA an indispensable tool to combat Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
"There is a spurt in militancy again and March 20-21 terror attacks in
Kathua and Samba are still fresh in the minds of the people. Where is the
peace? If Army has to combat terrorism then the Act has to stay," said a
senior officer of a counter-insurgency force.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/stopped-for-challan-lt-col-punches-policeman-held/86786.html
Stopped for
challan, Lt Col punches policeman, held
The officer is
posted on deputation with the NSG
Tribune News
Service
Chandigarh, May 28
The UT police
today arrested a serving Lieutenant Colonel, posted on deputation with the
elite National Security Guard (NSG), for assaulting a head constable in full
public view at the airport light point this afternoon. The head constable had
stopped the officer’s vehicle for not using the High Security Registration
Plate (HSRP) on his Chevrolet Cruze car when he was slapped and punched in the
face.
The police
arrested Lt Col Vikramjit Singh Pandher (47) in a case under Sections 332, 353
and 186 (assault to deter a public servant from performing duty, voluntarily
causing hurt to a public servant and obstructing a public servant in the
discharge of public functions) of the IPC. He will be produced in court
tomorrow.
A case has been
registered at the Sector 31 police station.
The incident
occurred in the afternoon when Head Constable Narvir Singh stopped the officer’s
Chevrolet Cruze car (CH01 AD 9849) as it was not having the HSRP. Heated
arguments ensued between the officer and the head constable as the officer
refused to part with his documents for issuance of a challan and the head
constable kept asking him for the same. In a fit of rage, the officer then tore
off the challan book belonging to the head constable, grabbed his collar and
slapped him on the face. He then punched him in the eye, face and chest.
After a huge crowd
gathered and high drama prevailed, Narvir’s colleague called senior police
officers following which a PCR vehicle and the ASP (South) reached the spot to take stock of the
situation.
The accused was
then arrested. Lt Col Vikramjit Singh Pandher is posted in the NSG campus,
Manesar. He was on the way to a court in Chandigarh for some official work when
the incident occurred.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/army-examines-hizb-s-hi-tech-communication-gadget/86596.html
Army examines
Hizb’s hi-tech communication gadget
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News
Service
Srinagar, May 28
The communication
device recovered by the police from north Kashmir’s Sopore town last week was
being used by the Hizbul Mujahideen to increase the efficiency of its local
communication network.
Sources said the “repeater”
device that was installed on a mobile tower in the Badambagh locality of Sopore
town was used to boost the signal for the wireless communication of the
militant group, which of late has been largely avoiding communicating through
mobile phones.
The J&K Police
on Friday had claimed to have recovered communication equipment installed by
militants on a mobile tower in the Badambagh locality of Sopore town.
The device, which
is being analysed by the Army engineers, had triggered a series of violent attacks
against telecom offices in the area.
Many private
mobile companies have temporarily suspended their operations in north Kashmir.
The device,
similar to a radio set, was modified by militants to work as a signal booster
for a two-way communication by of the group without getting intercepted, the
sources said.
“Militants were using the
battery back-up of the mobile tower for uninterrupted working of the
communication device. They had wired the device to the power back-up of the
mobile tower which led to the exposure,” said a police officer in Srinagar.
“Unlike other militant groups
like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed which mostly rely on Voice Over
Internet Protocol for communication, the Hizbul Mujahideen has been using
wireless communication to avoid detection,” the officer said.
“The device is being analysed
by the Army engineers,” he added.
After the communication device
went missing, sources said, militants on May 1 raided the franchise office of
three private mobile operators and threatened the staff and asked them to
return it. A series of attacks followed in north Kashmir that has so far left
two dead and three others injured.
A police officer in north
Kashmir claimed: “Militants are now targeting the mobile tower owners,
suspecting that they handed over the communication devise to the police.”
An unknown militant group
Lashkar-e-Islam had issued warning to mobile companies to shut down their
operations.
The United Jihad Council, an
umbrella group of nearly a dozen militant outfits, however, had accused
security agencies of carrying the attacks. Kashmir separatists have also
condemned the attacks. The police have detained many suspects for questioning.
“We have identified the gunmen
involved in recent attacks in and around Sopore,” said the police officer.
“ We have even arrested a person
who had lobbed a grenade towards the mobile tower,” he said.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/ministry-s-rider-on-firing-ranges-comes-in-way-of-re-notification/86593.html
Ministry’s rider
on firing ranges comes in way of re-notification
Tribune News
Service
Jammu, May 28
A rider by the
Union Ministry for Environment and Forests of having a 10-km safety zone around
field firing ranges has become a roadblock for re-notification of 10 ranges in
the state.
“The Environment Ministry’s
rider has added to our woes. It is a major roadblock for us in J&K,
especially in Kashmir where constructions have come up rapidly. The PDP-BJP
government also appears reluctant to re-notify these 10 ranges,” said a defence
source.
“Land has become scarce due to
rapid constructions in the past few years in Kashmir. Houses have come up close
to the ranges. How can we have 10-km safety zone around them (ranges)?” the
source said.
The issue, which had been
flagged by Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda before Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar during his visit on May 22 and 23, has become a major cause of
concern for the Army, sources said.
As the firing ranges have not
been re-notified since October last year, the Army has been sending its troops
to firing ranges in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan since January to perfect
artillery fire.
This arrangement of sending
troops with their cannons and ammunition to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has
affected the Army on the Line of Control and hinterland to some extent.
“Though we have sufficient
reserves but we are sending soldiers after pulling them out of
counter-insurgency operations and the LoC,” said the source.
“The field firing ranges have
come down from 140 in 2009 to 66 across the country because we faced similar
problems in other states but J&K is altogether different for obvious
reasons and the issue must be resolved rapidly,” the source said.
The ranges which have not been
re-notified are at Mahe, Tartar and Kulum in Leh, Khurbathang in Kargil, Tosha
Maidan in Budgam, Chorkhud in Poonch, Kalith in Akhnoor, Rajouri, Jhallas in
Poonch and Garhi in Nowshera.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/iaf-war-veteran-snubs-parrikar-skips-function/86760.html
IAF war veteran
snubs Parrikar, skips function
Tribune News
Service
New Delhi, May 28
A decorated Indian
Air Force (IAF) pilot skipped a felicitation function in Pune today to protest
the delay by the Centre in implementing "one rank, one pension"
(OROP) scheme for the armed forces.
Wing Commander
Suresh Damodar Karnik (retd) was one among several war heroes who were to be
honoured at the function, also attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The event was hosted by a
welfare body, Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare.
Among his feats,
the IAF veteran had bombed the Chittagong airbase in East Pakistan during the
1971 war, thus stopping the advancing enemy. He has also been awarded the Vir
Chakra.
In his letter
turning down the invitation, Karnik wrote, "When this invite came, the
first though that came to me was I should attend the function as the Defence
Minister will be there. But then it prevailed upon me that we are being
ill-treated. Despite repeated assurances, the OROP still remains a dream for
us."
OROP has been a
long-standing demand of the over two million ex-servicemen of India. It seeks
to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to the defence personnel retiring in
the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of
retirement.
The scheme is
estimated to cost around Rs 8,600 crore initially and subsequently several
crore rupees annually.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/formalities-over-one-rank-one-pension-will-be-implemented-defence-minister-manohar-parrikar-766838?utm_source=ndtv&utm_medium=top-stories-widget&utm_campaign=story-2-http%3a%2f%2fwww.ndtv.com%2findia-news%2fformalities-over-one-rank-one-pension-will-be-implemented-defence-minister-manohar-parrikar-766838
Formalities Over,
One Rank-One Pension Will be Implemented: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said his ministry had completed all formalities in
respect of the one rank-one pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen and nobody
should try to "politicise" the issue.
"My ministry
has completed all formalities and OROP will be implemented," he said,
adding that the executive process takes some time.
Speaking at a
function in Pune to felicitate city-based war veterans, Mr Parrikar said this
issue should not be "politicised".
"People still
do not know financial implications of this. The Defence Ministry has completed
its calculations and there was a unanimous agreement with the Armed Forces on
the formula," he said.
After he took over
as Defence Minister the figure of scheme provision had touched about Rs. 22,000
crore, he said.
"The
government is committed to taking care of your families. I am also working out
a mechanism by which proper compensation can be given in case of battle
casualties along with education to the children of the martyrs," the
minister added.
Lt Gen B Pandit
(retd), who spoke on behalf of the veterans, said delay in the implementation
of OROP was causing anxiety among the fraternity.
"It is the
sacred responsibility of the state to create conditions to keep the morale of
the Armed Forces high," he added.
One of the
gallantry award winners and 1971 war veteran Wing Commander Suresh Karnik told
PTI that he was boycotting the function in protest against delay in
implementation of OROP and "lip service" offered by the government to
the cause of ex-servicemen.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-army-forced-to-train-jk-soldiers-in-other-states/articleshow/47450981.cms
Indian Army forced
to train J&K soldiers in other states
NEW DELHI:
Thousands of men in fatigues can be seen swarming into the Jammu Tawi railway
station these days. These soldiers are not there to counter any fresh terrorist
threats or challenges of infiltration up north, but to board special trains
bound for Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan where they will get to practise firing.
With the Mufti
Mohammad Sayeedheaded Jammu & Kashmir government dragging its feet on
renotifying the lease of firing ranges, the Indian Army is forced to send the
..
Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47450981.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-05-29/Bury-the-Bofors-ghost-153945
Bury the Bofors
ghost
The gun’s prowess
was proved beyond doubt during the Kargil conflict 15 years ago. But for many
years, no government dared enter into a defence deal for fear or scandal. The
inventories of armed forces are full of obsolete weaponry
President Pranab
Mukherjee is absolutely right in saying that no Indian court has proved any of
the allegations made with regard to the 1986 deal for the FH 77 guns signed
with the erstwhile Swedish firm AB Bofors. While referring to media reports of
the alleged pay-offs in the gun deal, he cautioned against the expression
“media trial,” used by interviewer from Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter”
that, along with the Swedish Radio, had then broken the story. Perhaps,
conscious of serving from the highest office in the country, he refrained from
accusing political parties that actually fed the media, only to recycle news
reports to bolster their case in Parliament against the Rajiv Gandhi
Government. Twenty-nine years after it rocked the nation, the expression “media
trial” is being aired in a seeming fit of amnesia, to revive the issue.
Who gains?
Mukherjee is to begin shortly a state visit to Sweden, a friendly nation with
whom ties were damaged by the controversy. Rajiv and then Swedish premier Olaf
Palme were friends. That factor was used to whittle down the price. It was
India’s biggest deal till date. India had purchased the best available gun at
the best price (Rs 1,687 crore for 400 pieces). Rajiv government’s cardinal
mistake lay in not acknowledging possible wrongdoing and ordering a probe.
Instead, it wrongly viewed it in that Cold War era as a move to “destabilise
India”. Rajiv paid for this and subsequent mistakes after his own finance
minister V P Singh joined the critics, eventually to become the prime
minister.
Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar is not the first BJP leader to cautiously ‘certify’ the gun as
‘good.’ One of his predecessors and party seniors, Jaswant Singh, himself a
retired artillery officer, as member of a parliamentary committee, had operated
the gun and praised it. Some other lawmakers ‘felt’ the gun, as if purchasing
kitchen utensils, and refrained from ‘certifying’ it. Late Devi Lal, who became
deputy PM under V P Singh, had told his Haryana electorate that the gun “fired
on the reverse”, killing Indian soldiers. The gun’s prowess was proved beyond
doubt during the Kargil conflict 15 years ago. But for many years, no
government dared enter into a defence deal for fear or scandal. The inventories
of armed forces are full of obsolete weaponry.
Prominent defence
journal ‘India Strategic’ writes: “Many Army Chiefs in the preceding years had
announced that the jinx post-Bofors was over and the process for the renewal of
the artillery inventory was just about to begin. But each time, their words
proved hollow. Because of the strongly expressed allegations in the 1980s, and
hounding of officers instrumental in the deal, neither the political masters
nor the bureaucracy ever found courage to initiate even periodic replacement of
outdated or old guns.” Mukherjee has spoken when the present government has
decided to use the designs supplied in 1986 as part of the technology transfer
to develop the gun’s Indian version called ‘Dhanush.’ Can lessons be learnt, at
least by hindsight?
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/army-not-sacrifice-without-afspa-deployment-not-possible-parrikar/article1-1352412.aspx
Parrikar: Army not
only for sacrifice; deployment in disturbed areas not possible without AFSPA
Stressing that the
controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will not be abrogated,
defence minister Manohar Parrikar said that army deployment in disturbed areas
will not be possible without the law.
Speaking in Pune
on Thursday, Parrikar said the army will not be there if AFSPA is repealed,
sending a strong message to political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, that have
been demanding its cancellation.
“Do you want army only for
sacrifice. The army will not be there if the AFSPA is revoked,” Parrikar said
during the program to felicitate war veterans.
The defence minister said,
“without the AFSPA, army deployment is not possible. If anyone doesn’t need
army, then we have no problem even if you repeal the AFSPA. But then if there
is an internal trouble, these people wanting AFSPA to be revoked should ask
police to maintain the law and order situation.”
Underlining the importance of
human rights protection, the defence minister said, efforts should be made to
ensure that there are no human rights violations. The minister was referring to
accusations about the misuse of AFSPA through human rights violations.
The 1958 controversial Act
grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in disturbed areas including
Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. Many political parties including PDA, Hurriyat
Conference have advocated the revocation of AFSPA alleging that defence forces
have misused the power.
On the issue of One Rank One
Pension (OROP), Parrikar said his ministry is working on the issue and soon the
retired military personels will get OROP. “First time in 15 years that defence
ministry and Armed Forces have worked out a formula. I assure everyone that
OROP will be given soon.”
The minister criticised those
protesting against the delay in the implemenation of OROP saying there are few
who are trying to draw political mileage over the issue.
Unhappy over the delay in the
implementation of OROP, wing commander (retd) Suresh Karnik, a 1971 war
veteran, declined to be felicitated by the defence minister.
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