Wing Commander Pratap Marathe's story is one of dedication, bravery, and humour, a shining example of the spirit of the Indian Air Force. Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes Wing Commander Marathe who passed into the ages last week.
On Saturday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media in New Delhi that the Indian Army has commenced verification patrolling at Depsang, the second friction point in eastern Ladakh.
Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Cabinet Committee on Security on the incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh. "The CCS met today and the army chief briefed us on the Ladakh situation," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting.
In the confrontation in Doklam, where Indian and Chinese soldiers were lined up eyeball-to-eyeball, senior Indian commanders recount they could sense the uncertainty in the Chinese. While Indian soldiers had to be restrained from pushing the Chinese troops back, our chief interpreter heard the Chinese officers threatening to open fire on PLA soldiers who wavered or withdrew, reveals Ajai Shukla.
Sources said the Indian side has prepared very well for responding to the Chinese reaction in view of the action by own troops including a Special Operations unit and Sikh Light Infantry troops there.
China does not have to give up what it took in 2020, it will never give up its claim to Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and other areas, and it has all the time now to plan its next surprise, points out Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
The 19-year-old Miram Taron of Jido Village in Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh was found missing on January 18.
"Chinese engineers have been spotted in areas across Line of Control (LoC) (in PoK)", General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 25 Infantry Division, Maj Gen K H Singh told media persons at Rajouri, 170 km from Jammu, on Thursday.
"The current border situation is overall stable," the Chinese diplomat said.
The army refused to disclose the information saying it was third party information which cannot be shared under Section 8(1)(j) of the Act, which exempts from disclosure the information which is personal in nature.
Citing media reports that China has built shelters in the Depsang area in Ladakh, the Congress on Saturday questioned the government's 'silence' over the issue and asked what steps were being taken by it to ensure status quo ante of April 2020.
'We would have faced many more Galwans had Indian troops not reacted and retaliated the way they did.'
The former Army Chief said India's relations with China will always remain "somewhat tense".
A group of shepherds were asked to vacate the land by troops of the PLA.
Two Arunachal Pradesh youths from the state's Anjaw district have not returned home from August this year when they had set out in search of medicinal plants near the state's border with China.
The US provided crucial intelligence to the Indian military last year that helped it successfully tackle the Chinese "incursions".
This move is seen as part of efforts to strengthen China's ties with Pakistan and safeguard Chinese investments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, particularly related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sent a Chinese national to jail on 14-day judicial remand on blasphemy charges in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after he was arrested on Monday, according to media reports on Tuesday.
Army was "handling" the situation arising out of the latest incursion in Ladakh, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday after Chinese troops prevented Indians from patrolling up to LAC in Finger-VIII area where they have built a road inside Indian territory.
This is the first time Pakistan and Kashmir have been brought into the narrative.
Chinese army on Wednesday reportedly made a fresh incursion in Chumar area and refused to return even as a flag-meeting between the two sides is believed to have made no headway in breaking the deadlock.
'Pakistan is a nuclear country.' 'With the kind of situation that is there in Pakistan today, America will help Pakistan stay afloat.'
Asked about the continued tensions along the border and whether the PLA troops action was anyway related to the disagreements with the Indian government's plan to lure business out of China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said both the countries were in diplomatic contact over the face-off between their troops.
'Given China's past behaviour and their territorial claims, should we be sceptical regarding China's willingness to adhere to these agreements fully? The answer is yes.' 'As Ronald Reagan famously said in the context of the SALT talks, 'Trust, but verify!' India should also do the same.' 'This has already begun with foot patrolling, drones, satellite imagery and so on. India's military deployment did mirror China's and will continue to do so in the future.'
A huge cache of arms and ammunition and 'war-like stores', including AK-74 rifles, Pakistani-origin hand grenades and balloons with 'I Love Pakistan' markings, were recovered along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri Sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, an Army officer said on Friday.
Sources said the Chinese had come heavily prepared but did not expect the Indian side to be well prepared.
Indian Army personnel met their Chinese counterpart in a special border personnel meeting held on the occasion of India's Independence Day at the historic Maitri Sthal, located at an altitude of about 15,000 feet near the strategic Bum La pass near Chian border in Arunachal Pradesh, on Sunday.
"Now there presence is mainly because of infrastructure development. We are aware that the Chinese are assisting in construction of a highway...a large number of dams and infrastructure projects have been developed by the Chinese in PoK as well as the northern areas. These areas are very close to the LoC," General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Army's northern command Lt General K T Parnaik said.
The Indian Air Force will carry out a mega exercise covering the Northeastern region early next month to check its combat readiness, amid a fresh spike in tension with China along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh.
They said various Mandarin language courses are being run at the language schools at the Northern, Eastern and Central commands of the Army.
'Disengagement is merely the first step in a lengthy process of arriving at a new normal along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh and the entire land boundary.' 'The Indian government should insist on the restoration of the status quo ante in Eastern Ladakh.'
After rallying 543 points in the morning session and touching the 40,000-mark, the BSE Sensex surrendered all gains to close at 38,628.29, showing a loss of 839.02 points or 2.13 per cent. Similarly, the NSE Nifty tanked 260.10 points or 2.23 per cent to end at 11,387.50.
Almost five years later, the three services have still not fully understood that joint/theatre commands are not a discussion point; they are the prime minister's diktat on a military reform measure that is in line with what armed forces around the world have implemented, points out Ajai Shukla.
The statement came in the backdrop of rumours doing the rounds that China occupied 20 kms of Indian territory at Tawang sector and 8 kms at Taksing in Upper Subansiri district.
China has increased its antics in Taiwan Strait post the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-governed island.
Senior officers recounted extreme Chinese brutality to the Indian prisoners, with some of them being pushed over cliffs and soldiers' bodies being recovered from the Galwan River.
'China's action towards India really gives you a good insight into how the Communist Party of China is thinking these days'
On development of infrastructure by China in border areas, the Army chief said it is going on unabated.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the media in Beijing on Monday that the two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on expediting the resolution of relevant issues.
Xi is widely expected to continue in power for life.
