Welcoming the statement of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterating his stand on resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, APHC said that the onus of a peaceful resolution and an end to human rights violations in J&K lies with it.
UN should ensure India and Pakistan resolve the issue through dialogue as per the wishes of people of J&K so that people of J&K stop being killed and live with dignity. (KNS)
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday students cannot be promoted without writing the final year or terminal semester examinations, upholding a July 6 directive of the University Grants Commission (UG).
However, states will have the liberty to defer such exams beyond the September 30 deadline in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the three-judge bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan said.
“States cannot promote students based on internal assessment or past performance. If states want to hold exams after September 30, they can approach UGC for the same,” the bench said.
(With agency inputs)
There were other reports of change in tactics by the PLA when they belted-out Punjabi numbers to soften up the Indian troops into dropping their guard in a fiercely contested conflict.
Besides the Punjabi numbers, the Chinese loudspeakers also highlighted in chaste Hindi about the hopelessness of being stationed at these punishing heights in winter season on the whims and fancies of Indian politicians sitting comfortably in New Delhi.
The whole scheme of Chinese PLA troops is to pull down the spirit of Indian soldiers and create anxiety among the troops that they do not always get hot steaming meals and logistics. A snowy winter also lies ahead.
According to a former Indian Army chief, the PLA used the same loudspeaker tactics in 1962 clashes as well during the 1967 Nathu La conflict. “But the Indian troops were foxed about the Punjabi songs on Finger 4. Maybe, the PLA thought that troops from Punjab were holding on to the higher heights of Finger 4 feature,” said the former army chief to HT.
According to experts talking to the EurAsian Times, the Chinese could have ended up playing the Punjabi songs for the Tibetean-origin Special Frontier Force (who barely understand Hindi and would have no knowledge of Punjabi) and the impact could have been hilarious.
Earlier, according to Chinese analysts, the Special Frontier Force (SFF), numbered at most 1,000, was far from being “elite” and was only used by the Indian army as cannon fodder in the border clash against China, reported Chinese state mouthpiece, Global Times.
On the night of August 29, SFF was used to carry out the operation in eastern Ladakh. Reportedly, one member of the force, Nyima Tenzin, died during the confrontation and one member sustained critical injuries.
BJP leader Ram Madhav attended the funeral of Nyima Tenzin. “Attended the funeral of SFF Coy Ldr Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan who laid down his life protecting our borders in Ladakh, and laid a wreath as a tribute.
Let the sacrifices of such valiant soldiers bring peace along the Indo-Tibetan border. That will be the real tribute to all martyrs,” Madhav had written in a tweet which was later deleted.
“Presence of BJP leader Ram Madhav at the SFF commando’s funeral is a mark of respect by the BJP for the contributions of the officer and the SSF, in fact, the highest contribution possible in the battle with China in Chushul,” said Ranade.
“The recognition is a clear message to China that your countrymen are fighting alongside us,” said Ranade talking to Bloomberg. “I don’t remember this force being acknowledged like this earlier.”
After the failed uprising in 1959 in Tibet, Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India as the Chinese troops crushed the uprising. A Tibetan government in exile was set up in Dharamshala.
However, in 2003, India recognized Tibet as a part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. Tibetans have been resisting the Chinese occupation for decades. The movement has now been rekindled after this bloody clash that killed one soldier.
SFF was formed in the aftermath of the 1962 Indo-Sino war. Thousands of exiled Tibetans were recruited (now it has a mixture of Tibetans and Gorkhas). The elite force is used to conduct covert operations.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China firmly opposes any country providing convenience in any form for the “Tibet secessionist” forces’ separatist activities.
“The Indians are sending a message — a very strong message, which they probably have not sent for decades,” said Robbie Barnett, who headed Columbia University’s Modern Tibetan Studies Program until 2018 and has written about the region since the 1980s.
“The involvement of exiled Tibetans and the use of exiled Tibetan icons, images and flags, is hugely significant for China’s interpretation,” reported Bloomberg.
Building frustration of China is visible with Global Times reports warning New Delhi that “playing the Tibet card” will “only make its own situation worse”.
If India openly plays the card of “Tibet secessionism” and launches an all-round confrontation with China, China has many countermeasures to make India feel the pain. After all, China is protecting its legitimate sovereign interests, which all countries would strive to protect at any cost, said a report in the tabloid.
With inputs from The EurAsian Times
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Uncertainty over the next round of talks between India and China continued on Thursday amid no let up in the tough statements emanating from New Delhi and Beijing over tensions along their common Line of Actual Control (LAC) border in Ladakh.
In New Delhi, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said no force could stop Indian troops from patrolling regions that New Delhi considers part of its territory. This was in response to questions from MPs in the Rajya Sabha about Chinese troops blocking the movement of Indian patrols within the Indian side of the LAC amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
While China has taken the position that the delicate situation on the borders should be handled in a responsible manner, “it is apparent from Chinese activities that their words don’t match their actions,” Singh said in a statement to the Rajya Sabha.
The minister also said starting a war was in “our hands” but ending it was not – in what may be seen as a warning to China against starting hostilities with India. India wanted to resolve its current border tensions with China through dialogue, the minister said but added that the government would take all steps including difficult ones to secure India’s sovereignty and integrity.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stuck to the Chinese position that New Delhi was to blame for the tensions.
The tough exchange came amid question marks over a delay in scheduling dates for the next round of corps commander level talks that were expected this week, following a meeting between the foreign ministers of India and China on 10 September in Moscow. During the ministerial talks the two sides had agreed on five points including “that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side” and that “the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions.”
It was expected that the corps commanders in their sixth meeting, since tensions shot up four months ago, would look at a plan to disengage troops including thousands amassed by both countries just behind the LAC, which would in turn pave the way for de-escalation of tensions.
Arriving at a disengagement plan at the corps commander level talks was seen as a test of Chinese intent to stick to the terms of what was agreed between the two foreign ministers last week.
Troops of the two countries were facing off against each other – with just some hundreds of metres separating the two sides at points — along the north and south bank of the Pangong Tso lake as well as some other areas.
A violent clash between the two sides left 20 soldiers dead on the Indian side and an unspecified number dead on the Chinese side on 15 June in Galwan. And earlier this month, troops from both sides fired in the air on two separate occasions, using firearms for the first time in decades.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang put the onus of ensuring peace on India.
“Chinese border troops have always strictly abide by the agreements between the two countries and are committed to safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he said.
“The most urgent task is for India to immediately correct its wrongdoing, disengage from contact on the spot as soon as possible, and take concrete actions to promote the easing of the border situation,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
On his part, Defence Minister Singh said the Chinese actions so far had reflected a disregard of various bilateral agreements.
“As of now, the Chinese side has mobilized a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas. There are several friction areas in Eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Kongka La and North and South Banks of the Pangong Lake,” he told parliament.
If the Chinese side implemented the agreement reached between the two foreign ministers last week “sincerely and faithfully” then it could “lead to complete disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he said.
This was a sentiment underlined by the Indian foreign ministry later on Thursday.
The Chinese side should sincerely work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas including Pangong Lake as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols on maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.
“We hope the Chinese side will strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and not make further attempts to unilaterally change status quo,” he added.
With inputs from Live Mint
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A World Health Organization (WHO) official warned that the spread of the novel coronavirus in Europe now is worse than it was in March, near the start of the pandemic.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said the spread of the virus should “serve as a wake-up call.”
“In the spring and early summer we were able to see the impact of strict lockdown measures. Our efforts, our sacrifices, paid off. In June cases hit an all-time low,” Kluge said at an online press conference Thursday. “The September case numbers, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all of us.”
Europe has reported 300,000 cases in one week, the highest 7-day total since the start of the pandemic. In total, Europe has reported about 4.9 million coronavirus cases and 226,524 deaths.
“We have a very serious situation unfolding before us,” Kluge said. “Weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March.”
Kluge emphasized that though the rising numbers partially reflect more testing, governments should not reduce their quarantine periods for people who have come into contact with infected individuals.
“Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, they also show alarming rates of transmission across the region,” Kluge said. “The 14-day quarantine period is a conservative estimate of the infectious period.”
With inputs from The Hill
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Chandigarh: China appears to have embarked on a battle of financial and military manpower attrition with India, following their unresolved standoff along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, in a bid to ‘beggar and debilitate’ its neighbour without a fight.
Senior security and military officials claim that having steadily occupied territory that India perceives as its own in Ladakh since early May, Beijing has no wish to further escalate the situation. Hence, it is now entwining New Delhi in an ‘inconclusive domain’ it knows only too well: unending talks and negotiations.
After all, for 27 years, after China first ‘persuaded’ New Delhi into accepting the LAC in 1993, it successfully duped successive Indian governments – and its military – into assiduously pursuing all five subsequent confidence building measures to perpetuate the un-demarcated frontier.
China’s ploy was to buy time and peace in order to significantly augment its overall economic, technological and military capabilities, a goal in which it has been incredibly successful.
Conversely, the arrangement also suited a naïve and weaker India that bought into China’s deceit, as it freed Delhi from expending blood and treasure along the LAC for nearly three decades, and concentrating instead on the threat it faced from Pakistan.
In effect, both sides were content with the slack arrangement around the LAC that India ingenuously believed would one day be delineated.
But, once again under China’s calculated manoeuvring, at a time when the world remains preoccupied with the COVID-19 pandemic, all that slowly changed May onwards. Over four months later, a ‘new normal’ has emerged in its place for India along the LAC, one that will be hugely manpower intensive and costly for an interminable period.
“China is continually engaging India in an endless round of discursive discussions at the political and military levels, but with no serious intent to either disengage or withdraw the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and restore the status quo ante along the LAC that prevailed in April,” said military analyst Major General A.P. Singh (retired).
It’s merely waiting for the onset of winter, around mid-October, to further ‘degrade’ India’s depressed economy already battling recession, but without relinquishing the territory it occupies at present, he added.
General Singh and other army personnel who have served along the LAC in Ladakh estimate that conservatively, it would cost India around Rs 100 crore per day or Rs 36,500 crore annually to sustain a 25,000-30,000 strong force along a 250-300 kilometre (km) frontage to prevent the PLA from seizing more territory than it has already.
This would include a near-permanent deployment during the six winter months till April that are the severest for the troops, and the dearest to financially undertake.
Some analysts, however, believe that a portion of this large sum could be ‘fixed costs’ of pay and allowances and the overall daily amount to sustain the army, somewhat less. But all such evaluations are a work in progress at present and difficult to accurately enumerate, except to state that these would be ‘awesome’.
The cost of erecting habitations to accommodate troops at forbidding heights of 13,000 feet and above in harsh temperatures, averaging minus 20 degrees celsius and an even greater wind chill factor, too, would be additional and enormous.
As would be that to establish heated garages to house vehicles and armaments like main battle tanks, howitzers missile batteries and ammunition, alongside assorted other infrastructure needed to operationalise such a large force.
In the closest such comparison, the daily cost of maintaining a large brigade of some 5,000 personnel along the 76 km-long 17,700 feet high Siachen Glacier that India captured in 1984, is at present around Rs 6 crore a day or around Rs 2,190 crore per year.
But this is the amount it costs to sustain the Glaciers 102 Independent Infantry Brigade, 36 years after the army has adequately developed the area, rendering it more habitable.
In the process, the cost in soldiers’ lives at Siachen has been unduly heavy.
In July 2018, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed parliament that 869 soldiers, including 33 officers, had died in Siachen since 1984 as a consequence of harsh environmental conditions. It further stated that the ministry had spent Rs 7,500 crore to import clothing and mountaineering equipment for soldiers deployed on the Glacier.
Extrapolating this financial yardstick onto the upcoming LAC deployment connotes expending not only massive amounts in making the inhospitable region habitable and stocking it with industrial quantities of rations and fuel for the six winter months, but also equipping over 25,000 troops with Arctic clothing and equipment.
All of this is currently under ‘fast track’ procurement from Europe at high cost, as the deadline for winter is rapidly approaching.
Additionally, the army will need to instantly import hardware like advanced radars to monitor PLA activity, unmanned aerial vehicles – possibly armed – and a host of related surveillance equipment via the special financial powers delegated to the three service vice-chiefs of staff.
This authorises the vice-chiefs to undertake capital acquisitions worth Rs 300 crore, and stores and ordnance worth Rs 500 crore, at one time, without laborious MoD clearances. The army is also seriously considering acquiring light tanks, thereby incurring another huge expense.
Meanwhile, a senior army official told The Wire that the additional LAC deployment would also ‘seriously derail’ the forces’ plans to downsize numbers and kick-start its long-deferred modernisation, as all its financial resources would thus be ‘soaked up’ by the Chinese threat.
Last September, the former Army Chief General Bipin Rawat – now the Chief of Defence Staff or CDS – had in an interview remonstrated against having a “Line of Control (LoC) mindset at the LAC”.
He was referring to the 747 km-long ‘and hot’ LoC with Pakistan, manned by thousands of troops from either side, who almost daily exchange mortar and small arms fire.
General Rawat had also stated that the army’s focus would be to create ‘reserves in depth’ to defend more vulnerable areas, and to deploy better surveillance systems that were not. He had in no way anticipated what lay in store for India along the LAC a few months later.
All General Rawat’s assessments regarding the LAC and his declared intent of reducing troop numbers by at least 100,000 to effect savings, now appear to be an apparition.
Creating troop reserves too seems chimerical, as most of these had over the past three months been rushed to Ladakh to bolster the Leh-based XIV Corps. Army formations from across India were also widely deployed along the remaining 2,500-odd km of the equally vulnerable LAC in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and also in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, leaving no reserves.
Senior officers, meanwhile, said that it is also possible that the army will fast-track the raising of the 90,270-strong 17 Mountain Strike Corps (MSC) for deployment along the LAC that was abandoned three years ago due to a resource crunch.
Approved by the MoD in July 2013, for an estimated Rs 60,000 crore, the MSC – comprising two high altitude infantry divisions of around 30,000-40,000 personnel, including Special Forces – had been scheduled for completion by 2021 with its headquarters at Panagarh in West Bengal.
These forces would have been further supplemented by one artillery division, equipped with the under acquisition BAE Systems M777 155mm/39 calibre lightweight howitzers, two independent armoured brigades, assorted helicopter units and corresponding engineering and ancillary support.
In all, the Corps was to have created some 250 headquarters stretching across the 3,488 km long LAC stretching from Arunachal Pradesh to Pathankot in the northwest, and beyond.
Army sources said some 90 of these headquarters had been raised since 2014-15, but only by diverting personnel from existing formations and materiel from the army’s already depleted war wastage reserves (WWR).
This latter move was severely criticised by the parliamentary defence committee in early 2016, which had observed that the existing WWR levels were inadequate to cater to existing stipulated requirements, leave alone provision a whole new formation. “Milking existing resources, which, in some cases, are not fully up to the authorisation (levels), is suicidal” the report had warned.
Equipping the proposed MSC would, once again, entail additional funds, further depleting Indian resources.
In March 2018, for instance, the army had tellingly informed parliament’s defence committee that the marginal increase in its budget for financial year 2018-19 was barely enough to cater to the rise in expenses on account of inflation. It did not even cater for taxes, the army complained.
In conclusion, it appears that Beijing is adroitly pursuing Chinese military strategist Sun Tsu’s oft quoted axiom: to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
With inputs from The Wire
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
In a letter to Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that the government had constituted an expert committee to look into allegations that a Chinese company ‘monitored’ online activity and data on thousands of Indians, including politicians, bureaucrats and journalists.
Sources said that the letter included details of the committee under the National Cyber Security Coordinator to investigate any illegalities in the surveillance carried out, reportedly by Shenzhen based Zhenhua Data Information Technology Company.
Zhenhua reportedly built a database of dossiers on about 2.4 million people worldwide. The government also said that they had asked Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong to explain the activities of the company but that he had distanced the Chinese government from Zhenhua, calling it a “private company”.
Mr. Venugopal, who had questioned the government in the Rajya Sabha about its actions over the report on Zhenhua’s activities that appeared in Indian Express, also confirmed receiving the letter.
“Replying to my zero-hour intervention on Chinese surveillance, EAM Dr. Jaishankar informed us that the government has taken the matter seriously and constituted an expert committee to assess this within 30 days. We expect quick action on this,” Mr. Venugopal tweeted.
In Beijing, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought to defend Zhenhua’s activities.
“The company said clearly that it’s a private company, and its clients are research institutions and business groups. Instead of collecting data, it only mobilizes data which is open and available online. I’d like to stress that as a staunch defender of cyber security, China opposes and fights all cyber crimes,” said Wang Wenbin, Chinese MFA spokesperson.
With inputs from The Hindu
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
No power on earth can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling along the normal routes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday in response to questions that Chinese troops were blocking the Indian Army patrols along the disputed boundary in eastern Ladakh.
“Patrolling patterns are traditional and well-defined. No force on earth can stop our soldiers from patrolling and our soldiers have sacrificed their lives for that. There will be no change in the patrolling pattern,” he said to a question from former Defence Minister A.K. Antony. Face-offs happened because patrols were interrupted, he noted.
“Starting a war is within one’s reach, but its outcome cannot be predicted. India has always sent out a message of peace. However, it is amazed that efforts are being made to disturb that peace,” he said.
As several political parties expressed support to the government in the ongoing stand-off with China, Mr. Singh pointed out that the country had fought many wars and “however big the challenge, we stand united.”
He said he cannot say more due to sensitivities around operational requirements. The morale and motivation of the armed forces was very high. “This time also, our soldiers have chosen patience and courage over aggression.”
Since early may, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops have made an ingress in the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), undertook massive build-ups at several locations and blocked Indian Army patrols from going further. For instance, on the north bank of Pangong Tso (lake),the Indian Army has always held till Finger 4, the mountain spur, while it patrols till Finger 8 upto the Indian claim. Since May, PLA troops have moved in 8 km till Finger 4, blocking India’s movement.
Similarly, there is heavy Chinese presence in the strategic Depsang plains, at a crucial area called the Bulge, and PLA troops have also been blocking Indian Army patrols from reaching the Patrolling Points (PP) 10 to 13 on the Limit of Patrolling (LOP). The Chinese ingress in this area threatens the Indian positions at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) by bringing Chinese troops closer to the 255-km-long crucial Darbuk-Skyok-DBO road. Depsang is also close to the Karakoram pass overlooking the very strategic Saltoro ridge and the Siachen glacier.
Mr. Singh said that China had undertaken significant infrastructure construction activity that enhanced their deployment capabilities in the border areas. In response, the India too had stepped up the budget for border infrastructure development to double the previous levels. As a result, more roads and bridges have been completed in the border areas. “In the coming years too, the government remains committed to this objective. We will not back down from taking any big and tough step in the interest of our country.”
Since the five-point plan for disengagement agreed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10, the situation on the ground has remained calm but tense. The focus now remains on the next round of Corps Commanders talks scheduled to be held soon.
With inputs from The Hindu
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) Thursday criticized National conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for misleading people in the name ‘election boycott’, saying the political process must continue till Article 370 and Statehood is ‘restored’ in its original form.
Talking to reporters, JKAP Vice-President, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said the two parties including PDP and NC cannot make people wait for restoration of the special constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir by forcing them to boycott elections.
He said since the delimitation process is on, elections may not be conducted for next five to six months in Jammu and Kashmir. Manhas, without naming NC or PDP, said those who mislead people in the name of election boycott should bear in mind that freedom or Article 370 and statehood cannot be achieved by staying away from the political process.
“Let’s see who would contest elections and who boycott, we would really appreciate and support anyone who brings Article 370 and statehood back. But that does not mean, we will make people wait and suffer till Azadi is achieved or Article 370 and statehood is restored,” JKAP leader added.
Manhas said restoration of special constitutional position cannot be the precondition for any political party to contest elections in Jammu and Kashmir as the matter sub-judice is pending disposal in the highest judiciary of India.
He said the JKAP’s stand on Article 370 is clear and if any party thinks announcing election boycott can bring the special position of Jammu and Kashmir back, it welcomes the same.
“We cannot wait for Article 370 and statehood for next twenty years to restore. Omar Abdullah is on record to say that expecting restoration of special status of J&K from BJP is futile. Then how could they make it a precondition for elections, our people join the army, police, serve government departments, isn’t this part of the system, we oppose,” he added.
He alleged that some political parties follow Hurriyat Conference which was also asking people to refrain being part of any political process.
“Hurriyat was also asking people to boycott elections and the results are before you. If any political party wants to boycott elections, try to adopt it on ground without fielding proxy candidates like they did in Panchayat and ULB elections,” Manhas said—(KNO)
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader and former minister, Naeem Akhtar was released from house detention on Thursday.
Taking to KNS correspondent, Akhtar said, ” Now I will go around and check the limits of my freedom.”
On being asked whether they are pressing for Mehbooba Mufti’s release, Akhtar said they have not pressed for anyones release.
“We believe Kashmir in itself is a largest prison. There is no liberty or civil rights. Here armed forces kill anyone and next day send his body to his home.”
On Gupkar declaration, he said, “Now there is no politics except politics of unity.” (KNS)