'Mark had such a profound understanding of India, which was, of course, the land of his birth as well as of his death... He loved India, and lived two-thirds of his life here.'
According to an order issued by the director general of police YB Khurania on Wednesday the five police personnel have been suspended on charge of gross misconduct.
Giving details of how she silenced three hostile posts resorting to unprovoked firing on her position during Operation Sindoor, she said, "I had three posts falling in my area. I pinned down the people at all three hostile locations. We hit them with every weapon we had. They were forced to flee their posts."
The DGP, along with additional director general of police (law and order) Vijay Kumar and Jammu zone additional director general of police Anand Jain, visited Jammu-based White Knight Corps and interacted with General Officer Commanding Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva, the army said.
Lt Gen Dwivedi, who was referring to the clash between the Indian soldiers and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, also said that PLA's aggression in eastern Ladakh was met with "swift mobilisation and appropriate force posturing".
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Northern Command, said five of the seven friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA are locked in a standoff since May 2020, have been resolved and talks are underway for the remaining areas.
The Supreme Court will also hear similar pleas related to permanent commission from the Indian Navy, followed by the Indian Air Force and Coast Guard.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India has never attacked any country out of hatred or contempt but if its interests are threatened, 'we will not hesitate to take a big step'.
'With a military-led strategy to counter terrorism emanating from Pakistan, India has clearly signalled that it would respond decisively to future terrorist threats.'
Around 300 terrorists are present in Jammu and Kashmir, while 160 others are waiting on the launchpads for an opportunity to sneak into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan, a top army commander said on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters at his office, Army Day Parade Commander Major General Salil Seth said, "Artificial Intelligence is being used for the first time to identify the best marching contingent. As you know all the marching contingents do drills and do drills correctly."
If Xi Jinping is dethroned in the future, the instrument for that may well be embedded within the PLA, notes former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
'I have been touched whenever I have known him personally as a human being.'
A senior army officer on Monday cautioned youngsters against drug abuse saying, 'The enemy nation is using narcotics as a weapon to destroy our coming generations.'
The Pakistan Army continued shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in four sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, officials said on Thursday. The intensity of cross-border firing was less than Wednesday, when Pakistan Army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting the forward villages in J-K following missile strikes by India as part of 'Operation Sindoor'.
"While jihadis in Pakistan are now fighting the army in Balochistan, Swat and North Western Frontier Province, the same may be brainwashed and made to infiltrate in India," Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj, general officer commanding-in-chief, southern command, said.
Kashmir is at the cusp of a new beginning as the security situation in the Valley is "peaceful and stable" but reducing the footprints of security forces is not recommended at this stage, a top Army officer said here on Thursday.
Asserting that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has seen a "tremendous improvement and stabilisation" since August 2019, a top Army commander said the Union territory is regaining its past glory and peace through sacrifices of the security forces and people.
Referring to the developments in Ladakh in the wake of Chinese aggression, he said disengagement with People's Liberation Army was completed from various areas in a peaceful manner and efforts are on through dialogue for disengagement from other areas.
Naib Subedar Chunni Lal is the only soldier awarded the Ashok Chakra, Vir Chakra and Sena Medal.
He praised the Indian media for handling the issue in a "responsible" manner.
'An important consideration was that we should always be at the top of the escalation ladder. When we reach a military objective, we should try and put a stop to it'
Managing the senior generals has proven to be quite a headache for General Asim Munir, even as he and his team of loyal henchmen labour hard to dispel the sense of unhappiness among the public about the army's overbearing presence and interference in matters 'civilian', notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Whenever tenures of army chiefs were extended in the recent past, prime ministers were subsequently eased out of office by the same army chief, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
General Asim Munir becomes Pakistan's 17th Chief of the Army Staff.
The Indian Army has demanded a fair and time-bound investigation into the assault of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath by 12 Punjab Police personnel. The incident occurred on March 13-14 over a parking dispute in Patiala. The Punjab Police has assured justice and set up a special investigation team to probe the matter. The Army and Punjab Police have reiterated their commitment to maintaining the long-standing bonhomie between the two forces.
'Political protection allow groups to recruit, rearm and operate with reduced operational pressure. That increases their bargaining power and their ability to destabilise.'
Lt Gen Baggavalli Somashekar Raju will take over as the next vice chief of the Army Staff on May 1, the defence ministry said on Friday.
This is the first time that a retired officer has been appointed at this position for which a gazette notification was issued to announce the change in rules for the appointment.
The Army further made it clear that the continuation of a break in hostilities, as decided in the DGMOs interaction of May 12, has no expiry date to it.
Amid the ongoing military standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta will take over as commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps this month-end.
Having control over both digital media and NGOs, it was easy for the US to topple the government and destabilise Nepal -- to undercut Chinese influence and pressure India, argues Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
For the first time, the government on Wednesday delegated financial powers for capital procurement projects worth up to Rs 200 crore to armed forces officials below the level of vice chiefs to help them meet emerging security challenges, officials said.
The Indian Army on Sunday paid homage to and laid to rest its canine soldier 'Axel', who made the supreme sacrifice during an anti-terror operation but not before pinpointing the location of a holed-up terrorist and thereby protecting a mosque in the vicinity.
The Army cancelled the event "due to implementation of the Model Code of Conduct".
How Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa deals with the ensuing reshuffle of lieutenant generals would be interesting to watch, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir are now constructing elaborately-designed underground bunkers deep inside thick forests and elevated ridges instead of taking shelter in local houses, officials said. This tactical shift, fuelled by eroding local support, presents a new challenge to the Army and other security forces.
Lt Gen Kalita also stated that the Army is constantly monitoring the activities across the border and is well prepared to meet any emerging challenges.
The gunfight broke out when a joint security party of the Army and police, acting on a tip-off, launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Naidgham area in the Chhatroo belt, they added.
Developing relations with the Taliban is needed, but plunging headlong into Afghanistan without due thought will be akin to the rooster entering a KFC outlet, warns Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (Retd).
