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Tag: Indian Army

  • Jaishankar holds talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as India keeps a close eye on PLA activities at LAC

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday firmly conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a “negative manner” and rued that there was no forward movement from the Chinese side since the disengagement in Pangong lake areas in February that had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues.

    During a one-hour meeting on the sidelines of an SCO conclave in Dushanbe, the external affairs minister also told Wang that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was “not acceptable” to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh.

    The two foreign ministers agreed to hold the next round of military dialogue at the earliest and that it should discuss all the remaining issues and seek a mutually acceptable solution, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

    The in-person meeting took place in the midst of a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff.

    “The External Affairs Minister (EAM) recalled that both sides had agreed that a prolongation of the existing situation was not in the interest of either side. It was visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner,” the MEA said in a statement.

    Assessing the overall relationship, Jaishankar emphasised that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas has been the foundation for the development of ties since 1988.

    “The attempts to change status quo last year that also disregarded commitments under the 1993 and 1996 agreements have inevitably affected ties.”

    “He emphasized that it was, therefore, in mutual interest that the two sides work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols,” the MEA said.

    It was the first meeting between Jaishankar and Wang after their talks in Moscow on the sidelines of another SCO conclave in September last year.

    In the Moscow talks, both sides reached a five-point agreement to resolve the border row.

    The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

    “Recalling their last meeting in Moscow, in September 2020, the External Affairs Minister emphasized the need to follow through on the agreement reached then and complete the disengagement, resolving the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh at the earliest,” the MEA said.

    It said Jaishankar pointed out to Wang that the successful disengagement in the Pangong Lake Area earlier this year had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues.

    “It was expected that the Chinese side would work with us towards this objective. The External Affairs Minister noted, however, that the situation in remaining areas is still unresolved,” the MEA said.

    It said the ministers agreed that the next round of military talks should be convened at the earliest.

    “They also agreed that in this meeting, the two sides should discuss all the remaining issues and seek a mutually acceptable solution. There was also an understanding that both sides will continue to ensure stability on the ground and neither side will take any unilateral action that could increase tension,” the MEA said.

    In a series of tweets, Jaishankar said the discussions focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

    The MEA said that the two ministers had a detailed exchange of views on the current situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh and also on other issues related to the overall India-China relations.

    “Concluded a one-hour bilateral meeting with State Councilor and FM Wang Yi of China on the sidelines of Dushanbe SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting.

    Discussions focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    He said full restoration and maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas was essential for the development of the bilateral ties.

    “Highlighted that unilateral change of status quo is not acceptable. Full restoration and maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is essential for development of our ties,” Jaishankar said.

    The MEA said the two Ministers had a detailed exchange of views on the current situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh and also on other issues related to the overall India-China relations.

    In the meeting, Jaishankar and Wang noted the agreement between both sides in the last round of talks at the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) on June 25 to hold another round of military talks.

    The MEA said the two ministers also agreed to remain in touch.

    India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

    According to military officials, each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control in the sensitive sector.

    India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

    There has been no attempt by the Indian or the Chinese side to occupy the areas in eastern Ladakh from where they disengaged in February and both sides are involved in talks to resolve the remaining issues in the region, the Indian Army said on Wednesday.

    The Army said it has been monitoring activities by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) including turnover of troops in the region.

    The Army stated this in a statement trashing a media report which claimed the Chinese military has again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at several places and that there has been at least one incident of clash between the two sides.

    “Ever since the disengagement agreement in February this year, there has been no attempt by either side to occupy the areas from where the disengagement had been undertaken. There have been no clashes in Galwan or any other area, as reported in the article,” the Army said.

    It also said that the report mentioning that agreements with China have collapsed is “false and baseless”.

    “Both sides have continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues. The situation on the ground continues to be as hithertofore. PLA activities, including turnover of troops, continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” the Army said.

    To a query about the Indian media report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing that he was not aware of it.

    “I am not aware of the situation you mentioned,” Zhao said.

    India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

  • Monitoring activities by Chinese military: Army on eastern Ladakh situation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: There has been no attempt by the Indian or the Chinese side to occupy the areas in eastern Ladakh from where they disengaged in February and both sides are engaged in talks to resolve the remaining issues in the region, the Army said on Wednesday.

    The Army said it has been monitoring activities by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) including turnover of troops in the region.

    The Army made the comments as part of a statement trashing a media report that said the Chinese military has again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at several places and that there has been at least one incident of clash between the two sides.

    ALSO READ | Worrying: China is creating permanent structures in Ladakh

    “Ever since the disengagement agreement in February this year, there has been no attempt by either side to occupy the areas from where the disengagement had been undertaken.

    There have been no clashes in Galwan or any other area, as reported in the article,” the Army said.

    It also said that the report mentioning that agreements with China have collapsed is “false and baseless”.

    “Both sides have continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues.

    The situation on ground continues to be as hithertofore.

    ALSO READ | Early completion of disengagement could pave way for de-escalation: India on eastern Ladakh

    PLA activities, including turnover of troops continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” the Army said.

    India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

    The two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

    The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

    There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

  • 17-year-old held for impersonating Army personnel in Bengal’s Bankura

    By PTI
    BANKURA: A 17-year-old boy was held in West Bengal’s Bankura district for allegedly impersonating an Army personnel, police said on Wednesday.

    He made a fake identity card of the Indian Army and used to flaunt it, they said.

    The boy told the elder brother of a friend that he would get him a job in the Army but would need to pay Rs 1.30 lakh to an officer, Superintendent of Police Dhritiman Sarkar said.

    He was detained on Tuesday by officers of the Bishnupur police station on the basis of that man’s complaint, he said.

    The boy even posted photos of himslef in Army uniform on Facebook, police said.

    The owner of a local studio, Prosenjit Mistry, was also arrested for helping him make the fake identity card, they said.

    An army uniform, two identity cards and a motorcycle were seized.

    A case was filed under different sections of the IPC, including 419 (cheating by personation), 468 (forgery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), police said.

    Further investigation is underway, they said.

  • ‘J&K security grid tight, no need to fear foreign militants’  

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR:  The prospects of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan have spooked many as they fear that foreign militants may once again be pushed into Jammu and Kashmir, but security experts feel that there will not be a significant impact on the Kashmir situation.

    Former state police chief S P Vaid said it is possible that militants fighting in Afghanistan will be diverted to Kashmir but he asserted that things had changed in the last 20 years and that there was a much better and foolproof security grid which will not make infiltration very easy.

    “The ground situation has also changed. Border fencing and electronic surveillance equipment have been deployed along the line of control to foil any infiltration attempts from across the border,” he said. Asked about the large scale infiltration of foreign militants in the mid-1990s (see graphic), Vaid said due to the Kargil war lot of army troops had been withdrawn from the LoC, leaving gaps.

    “But now those gaps don’t exist and strong anti-infiltration measures have been put in place to foil infiltration attempts of,” said. Recently, Lt Gen D P Pandey, the commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, said there had been zero infiltration of militants into Kashmir from across the LoC this year.

    Retired general and former 15 Corps commander, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, said when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, there was lot of chaos and a lot of foreign militants, including Afghans, Tajiks, Sudanese and Saudis, were pushed into Kashmir.

    “This process started in 1991. The foreign militants who were left over from the Afghanistan war continued to infiltrate into J&K till 2001-02. But, the retired general said repeating 1991 in 2021 would not be possible.

    “Whatever manpower Taliban has it will be busy in Afghanistan. Pakistan has a lot of interests in Afghanistan and for some time Pakistan will not see towards Kashmir,” Lt. Gen Hasnain said. Another former J&K police chief Kuldip Khoda said there has never been a high presence of Afghan militants in J&K. “There was very little presence of Afghans, the foreign militants are mostly Pakistanis,” he said.

    According to him, Taliban does not show much interest in Kashmir. “Whatever instances there have been in the past, they have been negligible and these, too, have been at the behest of the Pakistan army and the ISI,” Khoda said.

  • Two Pakistani terrorists, as many jawans killed near LoC

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR:  Two Pakistani terrorists and as many soldiers, including a Naib Subedar, were killed in fierce gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri district on Thursday. Incidentally, the Army had on Wednesday foiled an infiltration attempt in Nowshera sector by gunning down a Pakistani militant.

    The defence spokesperson in Jammu said based on information regarding infiltration and movement of militants in Sundarbani sector, the army had launched extensive search operations from June 29. The information was corroborated and a search patrol of army spotted the militants in Dadal forest area.

    “The militants were challenged and they opened fire and lobbed hand grenades towards the security men. The fire was returned by the troops, triggering a fierce encounter,” the spokesperson said. In the ensuing gunfight, two Pakistani militants and two army men were killed. The martyred soldiers were identified as Naib Subedar Sreejith M and Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Reddy. 

    “Two AK-47 rifles and ammunition have been recovered from the deceased militants,” the defence spokesperson said. While search operation was on till the last reports came in, additional troops were rushed to tighten the siege. 

  • Military reform process demands cohesion

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Difference of opinion on the biggest military reform in the country turned into a public spat on Friday, when Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria were caught in a debate over the role of the Air Force. Experts this newspaper spoke to felt airing differences in public has created an unhealthy situation. They think it also means not enough consultation has taken place.

    Longtime advocate of higher defence management reforms, Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) said: “Other nations attempting national security reform faced similar situations opposition to change and infighting over air power issues. However, they were forced by their governments to sit down and resolve differences.” The world’s most powerful US military took four years before a bill in the parliament was forced upon the military commanders. Even the UK faced similar problems, with services on divergent paths having tussles, arguments and counter arguments.

    There had been two prominent instances when the Indian armed forces were seen lacking cohesiveness. When the Indian Peace Keeping Force was formed, a joint command was tried and it did not succeed, leading to confusion, said an expert who did not wish to be named. In Kargil also, a similar scenario appeared, added the source. Resolution of these matters took time. Without going into details of the CDS-Air Chief spat, Admiral Prakash said: “It is too important an issue to rush through with half-baked solutions. They have to find consensus even if it takes time.”

    Major Gen SB Asthana (Retd), Defence Expert, said in the US, lawmakers played an important role by initiating a highly educated debate to change the structure. “India may have to wait before such erudite debates take place on complex matters.” Sources said since the beginning, IAF has been flagging the issue of dilution of the powers of the Chief of Air Staff. Today, India is facing two threats it is in a standoff with the largest military in the world, while the other adversary is devising new ways to disturb peace through drones/terror attacks.

    Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd) says discussions are for solutions. “Air power, within a hundred years of the first manned heavier-than-air flight, has graduated to pole position in war execution. With it’s virtual presence far from where it is positioned, air power can coerce and dissuade adversaries. In India’s case, the situation is similar and the IAF would carry the war deep into adversary territory. It is imperative that the government ensures the IAF’s bite does not get blunted due lack of resources. The IAF would be a major player in the joint application of power in any future conflict.”

    Modern war is swift and will need a joint approach. The present system of the 17 commands of the Army, Air Force and Navy spread out geographically may not work. With the aim of restructuring, the present government went in for the biggest post-Independence military reform. General Rawat was made CDS in January, 2020. The brief for him was “Facilitation of restructuring of Military Commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint/theatre commands.”

    Theatre commands are to strengthen cohesion, pool in resources, cut duplication and redundancies. Seamless integration among the land, sea and air forces is expected to lead to better coordination and response. Also, this reform will clear the chain of command for better response in case of any exigency. Three services, under the new arrangement, will plan, train and practice joint warfare. The command of all the resources under one theatre will lie with one Commander, cutting time lag.

    India, as explained by the CDS, is planning to have five theatre Commands — Air Defence Theatre, Maritime Theatre, Eastern Theatre (China will be under it), Western Theatre (Pakistan) and Northern Theatre (Line of Control and Line of Actual Control together with counter-terror operations). Across the world, most militarily powerful nations have theaterised their armed forces. These include the US, UK, France, Russia and China. Even Pakistan is moving to reconfigure into this format. 

  • Five LeT terrorists, Army jawan killed during encounter in Jammu and Kashmir: Police

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hanjin village in Rajpora area of the district, following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

  • Army jawan killed in encounter with militants in J&K’s Pulwama

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: An Army jawan was killed in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, police said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hanjin village in Rajpora area of the district, following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

    He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated.

    One soldier was injured in the initial exchange of firing with militants, the official said, adding that the jawan succumbed to injuries at a hospital here.

    He said three to four ultras were believed to be trapped in the encounter.

  • ‘Need to factor this in our strategy’: Army chief thinks drone warfare will be on the rise

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  A few days after a drone attack on the Indian Air Force base near Jammu, Army Chief General MM Naravane said that these will be used more often in future.

    “Drones will be increasingly used in all sorts of combat in the future, both by the state and non-state actors and we will have to factor this in all our future plans,” General Naravane said on Thursday.

    On June 27, in a first of its kind incident, two drones dropped payload on a building in the air base.

    Talking about challenges, the General said easy availability of drones increases the complexity and challenges the armed forces have to face.

    The Army has planned measures to handle this. “All our troops on ground have been sensitised to this evolving threat and we are developing capabilities to deal with it, both in the kinetic and non-kinetic realms,” said General Naravane.

    Talking about the situation in Kashmir and along the Line of Control, the Army Chief said things have got better.

    “Ever since the ceasefire understanding between the two DGMOs in February this year, the situation in J&K has seen a marked improvement.” 

    There has been little or no infiltration from across the Line of Control and the number of terror-related incidents in the Valley has also seen a considerable decline, General Naravane said.

    “I am sure some inimical elements would not like peace to prevail in the Valley.”

    Asked about the situation along the Line of Actual control in Eastern Ladakh, the Army Chief expressed hope that all issues will get resolved.

    “The situation on LAC has been normal for quite some time, ever since the disengagement took place in February this year from the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso and as well as the Kailash Ranges. Since then, both sides have strictly adhered to the disengagement in letter and spirit.”

    In February this year, troops from both sides had moved back along with their tanks, artillery and men and had dismantled structures created during the standoff period.

    India and China are engaging at various political and diplomatic levels and also engaging military to military talks at various levels.

    There are more than 50,000 troops deployed along the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh, with ongoing standoffs at the Gogra, Hot spring and Depsang.

    “Talks between us are going on. This has helped build trust between the two sides and going ahead, we are sure that we will be able to resolve all remaining issues,” said General Naravane.

  • Air Marshal VR Chaudhari to take over as IAF’s new Vice Chief of Air Staff

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force and Army will see new faces at the top rung assuming charge from Thursday. Apart from the other important appointments, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get its new Vice Chief and the Indian Army will get its new Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), a new vertical created last year as part of Army restructuring.

    Air Marshal VR Chaudhari is taking over as the new Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCOAS) on Thursday, July 1 with the retirement of Air Marshal HS Arora. Air Marshal Chaudhari was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOCinC) of Western Air Command from 01 Aug 2020. He was commissioned into Fighter Stream of the IAF on 29 Dec 1982 as a fighter pilot and has served nearly 39 years. He has flown a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft with a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs.

    Air Marshal BR Krishna who till now was the Director-General Air Operations of the IAF will be taking over as the new AOC in C Western Air Command on Thursday.  Air Marshal PM Sinha will be replacing him as the new DG Air Operations.

    Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth, who was the Air Officer in-charge Personnel of the Air Force will take charge as the AOC in C Central Air Command.

    With Lt Gen Sanjeev Sharma assuming charge on Thursday Army will see a new face as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) which is seen to be important and specially created as part of the restructuring of the Indian Army Headquarters. The first DCOAS (Strategy) Lt Gen Paramjit Singh retired on Wednesday.

    The post of DCOAS (Strategy) is a crucial appointment created last year as a third new vertical created to oversee Army’s operations, plans and logistics. The other two DCOAS are DCOAS (capability development and sustenance) and DCOAS (information systems & coordination)

    Lt Gen SK Sharma, an alumnus of Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983 and was the DG of Military Intelligence prior to assuming this key appointment.

    Lt Gen SP Goswamy will assume the charge of DG of Corps of Army Air Defence (AAD) as Lt Gen AP Singh retired on June 30.