http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/pak-army-chief-warns-india-of-unbearable-damage-in-war/130211.html
Pak Army Chief warns
India of unbearable damage in war
Delhi hits back,
says capable of taking every sort of action when needed
Islamabad/New Delhi,
Sept 7
Calling Kashmir an
“unfinished agenda”, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has warned India
of "unbearable damage" in case of a “long or short” misadventure by
the "enemy". In response, New Delhi said the country “was capable of
taking every sort of action when needed”.
Though General
Sharif did not name India in a speech at the Army headquarters yesterday, the
reference was obvious as his remarks came against a statement by Indian Army
Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag who said last week that the Indian Army was
prepared for “swift, short nature of future wars”. “We are acutely aware that
the short and swift nature of future wars is likely to offer limited warning
time… It calls for maintaining high levels of operational preparedness at all
times, something that has now become inherent in our operational strategy,”
General Suhag had said.
In his address at a
special event in Rawalpindi to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with
India, General Sharif said, “Let me reiterate that our armed forces stand fully
capable to defeat all sorts of external aggression. If the enemy ever resorts
to any misadventure, regardless of its size and scale — short or long — it will
have to pay an unbearable cost."
Reacting to General
Sharif’s statement, Union Minister and former Indian Army Chief VK Singh said,
“Many people have this habit of talking nonsense. We should not pay attention
to everything. Let people say whatever they want, India is capable of taking
every sort of action when needed.”
"Armed forces
of Pakistan are fully capable of dealing with all types of internal and
external threats, may it be conventional or sub-conventional; whether it is
cold start or hot start. We are ready," General Sharif said.
He also termed Kashmir
as “unfinished agenda of Partition” and said it should be resolved according to
UN resolution which calls for plebiscite to decide its future. He also warned
that Kashmir could not be kept on the back-burner. The remarks come against the
backdrop of heightened tensions and cross-border firing between Indian and
Pakistani troops along the LoC recently. — Agencies
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/one-killed-in-fresh-shelling-along-loc/130244.html
One killed in fresh
shelling along LoC
Tribune News Service
Jammu/Poonch,
September 7
Two days ahead of
the DG-level talks between BSF and Pakistan Rangers, a civilian was killed and
three others injured as the Pakistan Army pounded Indian posts and forward
villages along the LoC in Sabzian sector of Poonch district today.
A 24-year-old youth,
Abdul Hamid of Kerni Shahpur, was killed while the three others were injured
after a shell exploded in a field where they were working at Bandi Chhaprian
village.
Defence spokesperson
Lt Col Manish Mehta said: “The Pakistan Army opened unprovoked firing in Poonch
around 11 pm yesterday. They fired 82-mm mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
This morning they again opened firing and fired 120-mm mortars to target our
areas.”
Villagers claimed
the Pakistani troops, who have an advantage in Sabzian as their posts are on a
higher altitude, wanted to hit an Army vehicle on the Mandi-Sabzian road. “The
mortar missed the target and exploded in the field, killing Abdul,” they said.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/northern-army-confirms-life-term-to-2-officers-4-soldiers/130243.html
Northern Army
confirms life term to 2 officers, 4 soldiers
Ravi Krishnan
Khajuria
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 7
The Northern Army
Commander has confirmed life imprisonment awarded to six Army men, including
two officers, by an Army court for the killing of three youths in a fake
encounter in Machil, Kashmir, in 2010. The incident had triggered a spate of
violent protests in the Valley.
“General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen DS Hooda, has confirmed the
sentence of the Summary General Court Martial in the Machil encounter case.
Colonel Dinesh Pathania, Captain Upendra, Havildar Devendra Kumar, Lance Naik
Lakhmi, Lance Naik Arun Kumar and Rifleman Abbas Hussain have been awarded life
imprisonment,” said a defence spokesperson.
An Army source said following
court martial proceedings, the sentence of life imprisonment had to be
confirmed by the Northern Army Chief. On December 25, 2013, the Army had
ordered court martial proceedings against the six personnel.
The incident came to light on
April 30, 2010, when bodies of the youths were shown by the Army as those of
militants trying to sneak into the Valley from the higher reaches of
Machil. However, it was established by
the Jammu and Kashmir Police that they were unemployed youths — Mohamad Shafi,
Shehzad Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmed — of Nadihal in Baramulla district.
In July 2010, the police had
chargesheeted nine persons, including the six Army personnel. But the police
had to hand over the probe to the Army after it was assured of a detailed
inquiry into the case. Following an investigation, the Army ordered
courtmartial proceedings against the six personnel. The encounter resulted in
widespread unrest, which left over 120 persons dead.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/go-beyond-training-manual-65-war-hero-tells-iaf-pilots/130207.html
Go beyond training
manual, ’65 war hero tells IAF pilots
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Ambala, September 7
Fifty years after he
shot down a Pakistani Sabre and damaged another in aerial combat, a veteran of
the 1965 war has a time-tested lesson for the present and future generations of
IAF pilots — Go beyond the training manual and be innovative.
“You need to know the training
books, your capability and the capability of your machine backwards, but you
also need to go beyond the books,” Flight Lieutenant Alfred Tyrone Cooke, who
was decorated with the Vir Chakra during the war, said. The 75-year-old air
ace, who is now settled in Australia, was at the Air Force Station, Ambala, to
present his medal to his old unit, No.14 Squadron.
“The enemy pilots were
aggressive, but they had their limitations,” he said. “They went by the book
and their tactics were very structured and indicative of US training, whereas
our training methodology was different, enabling us to pre-empt some
maneuvers,” he said.
Carrying out a combat air patrol
with his wingman over Dum Dum and Kaliakunda in the east on September 7, 1965,
he was directed to intercept an attack by six Sabres. He took on three, while
his wingman took on the others. “Sabres could turn quicker, but our Hunters
were more powerful and faster,” Cooke said. “The fight was fast and furious
with a lot of maneuvers and at times we were so close to each other that I
could read the enemy pilot’s name stenciled on the back of his helmet and so
low that my wingtip brushed the shrubs,” he said.
The aerial combat had lasted
about 10 minutes, which to Cooke had then seemed as a lifetime. “I had fought
on an empty stomach. When I took off for the first sortie, the breakfast van
hadn’t arrived. On landing, I was told that the van had come and gone back, but
no one remembered to save any food for me. So I grabbed a packet of biscuits
before getting airborne again.”
Cooke had more anecdotes from
that day . “A sergeant, on seeing a bent fin with pieces of shrubbery sticking
to it threatened to report me to the commanding officer for flying too low,
while another airman pointed to the black residue on the airframe and accused
me of firing my guns,” he recalled. “On landing, I was still taxing on the
runway when the engine cut out as the last drop of fuel was expended. That’s
how close it was,” he said.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/we-firmly-believe-in-peace-but-won-t-tolerate-unprovoked-firing-says-bsf/130106.html
We firmly believe in
peace but won’t tolerate unprovoked firing, says BSF
Ravi Krishnan
Khajuria
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 7
Amid warmongering by
Pakistan’s Army chief General Raheel Sharif and an uneasy calm in forward
areas, the BSF has put every inch of the 198-km-long international border under
strict surveillance.
The ‘sensitive’
border runs from Paharpur in Kathua to the Chicken Neck area of Akhnoor in
Jammu district.
Despite a spike in
truce violations by Pakistan, both countries are scheduled to hold the Director
General-level talks between the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers from September 9
to ease tension on the border and in the larger interest of their respective
border population.
Since August 15, at
least 10 persons have been killed and 42 injured in Pakistani shelling on the
Line of Control and the international border.
In an exclusive
interview to The Tribune, Inspector General of the BSF, Jammu Frontier, RK
Sharma said the talks were on and the BSF was eagerly looking forward to them.
“Talks are on and we are very positive about them. The situation as of today on
the border appears to be normal during the day but at night there are certain
mischievous activities by some inimical elements on their side,” said Sharma.
When asked if the
BSF anticipated any attempt by Pakistan to scuttle the talks the way it called
off the NSA-level talks, Sharma said: “Pakistan has agreed to hold the talks
and no such symptoms are visible to us which can indicate any kind of
sabotage.”
On truce violations
by the Pakistan Rangers, he said the frequency had increased during the current
year.
“Every third day, there is a
violation. We lost two of our men in the Samba sector this year, one in
shelling and the other in cross-border fire,” he said.
While the frequency of truce
violations is high this year, we have put every inch of the international
border under physical domination, he added. The BSF’s top officer of the Jammu
Frontier admitted that incidents of sniper fire by the Rangers were a cause for
concern.
“Leave aside sniper fire, any
fire on the international border is not ethical and is against the UN
conventions. Being a professional force, we strictly follow the rules and we
hope that Pakistan will also follow them in letter and spirit,” said Sharma.
“We firmly believe in peace and we don’t initiate the first fire. But, if we
are fired upon, especially on our civilian areas, then we reserve the right to
retaliate,” he added.
About militants on the other
side of the border, he said it was not possible to give their exact figures.
“There are terrorists in good numbers on their side who are waiting for an
opportunity to sneak into our territory but the BSF is very alert and alive to
the situation,” he said.
When asked how the BSF had been
guarding against trans-border tunnels, he said since there was no foolproof
technology to detect such underground tunnels, the BSF had put the entire
border under physical domination.
“Every inch of the international
border is under strict surveillance and any activity close to it on the other
side is viewed very seriously by us. We immediately tell Rangers to stop such
activities. To ensure anti-tunnelling activity, we regularly carry out manual
checks on the entire border,” he said.
In 2013, a 540-metre-long
trans-border tunnel was detected in Chalyari village of the Samba sector and on
August 23 last year another tunnel running 50 metres into the Indian side was
detected in the Pallanwala sector.
The paramilitary force has even
deployed women guards on the sensitive border. “We have deployed women
constables on the international border. Primarily, they are posted on the gates
that lead towards Zero Line where farmers have their fields. Since womenfolk
also have to go to the other side of the fence, we have deployed these women
constables to frisk them,” he said.
However, these women constables
also perform other border-guarding duties like their male colleagues.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-army-remembers-soldiers-who-laid-down-life-in-1965-war/articleshow/48861177.cms
Indian Army
remembers soldiers who laid down life in 1965 war
POONCH (JK): Army
today paid homage to the 49 brave soldiers and officers who laid down their
lives while capturing the Raja and Rani posts from Pakistan in the 1965 war.
These two posts were
captured by soldiers of 2 Sikh and 3 Dogra regiments who laid down their lives
to capture these two strategically important posts from Pakistan army. The two
posts were later returned to Pakistan following the Tashkent agreement between
the two countries.
"Lt Gen G S
Shergil, who is th ..
Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/48861177.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
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