The Far East Thread

[riffleman]

No decline in Pak support to terrorists: Army chief

There has been "no decline" in support from Pakistan to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and top militant leaders including Hafiz Saeed are operating with impunity from its territory despite international pressure after Mumbai terror attacks,Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has said.

Pointing to ISI and Pakistan army officials aiding terrorist camps and the functioning of top militant leaders including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen''s Syed Salahuddin from Pakistani soil, General Kapoor said the terrorists "are probably more emboldened".

"The comparison of pre and post 26/11 period reveals that there is no decline or change in the quantum of Pak support to terrorists'' operations in J&K. To the contrary, the terrorists are probably more emboldened by the sustained support enjoyed by them despite international pressure on Pak, post 26/11," he said.

"The support to terrorism from across the border continues even today. The terrorist infrastructure and training camps do exist. These trained terrorists thereafter infiltrate into Indian borders to perpetrate violence."

The assistance is provided for infiltration, incursions, recce, coordination and logistics or intelligence support through establishing launch pads existing along the LoC, Kapoor said in an interview to recently published Manas Defence Yearbook.

"In recent times, Syed Salahuddin accompanied by Pak Army and ISI officials visits launch pads all along the LoC. At the behest of Pak, he is also exhorting his cadres to step up violence in J&K," Kapoor said

[kahn]

China and India dont like each other very much do they....

[riffleman]

Yes it is true,but both countries did't say a word against each other publicly.

[riffleman]

Pakistan seeks benefits from US cooperation

Pakistan is seeking broader cooperation with the United States on Wednesday on a range of areas from trade to military hardware, hoping to reap the benefits of its recent action against the Taliban.

President Barack Obama's administration has cautiously welcomed what it sees as a shift in Pakistan and is looking to convince the country's public, where anti-Americanism runs rife, that it is committed to a long-term partnership.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and General Ashfaq Kayani, head of the powerful army, will hold a first-of-a-kind "strategic dialogue" with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.

"We want to take our relationship to a deeper level," Clinton told Pakistan's Dunya TV on the eve of the talks.

"We can't just wave that magic wand and say we've eliminated the trust deficit," she said, pledging to go to Islamabad for further rounds. "This takes time, and we have to build it step by step."

Qureshi and Kayani met on Tuesday with Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, who authored last year's bill that promised $7.5 billion in aid over five years to build Pakistan's infrastructure and democratic institutions.

Many Pakistanis are distrustful of the United States, remembering how it distanced itself in the 1990s after teaming up with Islamabad to arm Islamic guerrillas who ousted Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

"There is a recognition now in the United States that the cyclical nature of our relationship has benefited neither Pakistan nor the United States," said Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States.

"Everybody talks about the anti-Americanism in Pakistan. It would not have been there if the United States had been seen by the people of Pakistan as a consistent and reliable partner."

The Pakistani side came to Washington with a wishlist for further cooperation, including military hardware and trade incentives, people close to the talks said.

Pakistan is hoping the United States will agree to give Islamabad more unmanned drones to operate itself in lawless areas.

The United States has launched more than 90 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, killing more than 830 people, according to local sources. US officials say they have killed top Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, but the Pakistani government bristles at the undercutting of its sovereignty.

Pakistan is also seeking greater access to US markets, including for its textiles, arguing that US economic aid is insufficient if its goods still face prohibitive tariffs.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell downplayed expectations for major announcements, saying it was a mistake to see the dialogue as "a discussion of requests and replies."

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has launched ambitious military offensives against homegrown Taliban militants, sending about 30,000 troops into South Waziristan last year.

US officials have also praised Pakistan for the recent arrest of the Afghan Taliban's second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

But some have questioned Pakistan's motivations. The former UN envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said the arrest closed secret communications with the Taliban to reach a settlement in Pakistan's northern neighbor.

Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation think-tank said the dialogue was meant to show that the United States has a long-term interest in Pakistan beyond Afghanistan, which joined in three-way talks last year.

"The main problem is that the United States and Pakistan are still far apart in terms of how they perceive the situation in Afghanistan," she said.

"The US is of course seeking to ensure the Taliban cannot return to power, while Pakistan is mainly interested in limiting Indian influence."

The United States seems certain to shoot down one Pakistani aspiration -- recognition and acceptance as a nuclear power.

Pakistan's historic rival India in 2008 signed a landmark deal on civil nuclear cooperation with the United States.

But unlike in India's case, US officials have concerns about Pakistani proliferation. The father of Pakistan's bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has admitted to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks.

Asked by Pakistan's Express TV if nuclear cooperation could assuage the country's chronic energy shortages, Clinton said there were "more immediate steps that can be taken" including upgrading power plants.

all these things will be going to use against india.

[riffleman]

India, Russia set up a USD 600 million aircraft Joint Venture

India and Russia are to invest USD 600 million to set up a joint venture (JV) to produce a medium lift transport aircraft for their armed forces.
While Bangalore based state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will fork out USD 300 million, Russia's United Aircraft Cooperation (UAC) will invest a similar amount for the joint venture which will start rolling out the aircraft by 2017.
The Voice of Russia radio said that the joint venture coming up with fifty-fifty equity would develop the aircraft at Aviastar-SP plant based in Ulyanovsk city on Volga. The Indian Air Force is expected to order at least 35 and Russian Air Force as many as 100 medium lift transport aircraft.
In its basic configuration the new transport aircraft will have a payload capacity of 18.5 tons of cargo and can fly up to a a distance of 2500 km in any climatic conditions.
The aircraft is being designed to also operate from high altitude mountain airstrips, according to information posted on UAC website. India hopes that the new medium lift transport aircraft will replace its ageing fleet of 104 AN-32 aircraft.
Though India has signed a contract worth USD 398 million for the upgradation of these aircrafts between this year to 2017, the new plane will replace it.

[Spooky Lynx]

It is said in some publications that India was operator of BMD-1 (other was Iraq). But I haven't seen any photos of them or any information about. Are they still used in Indian army?

[riffleman]

i did't have any idea but now i will check that as iam from indian army bacgroud.by the way check this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Sn..._BMD_Resources

[riffleman]

Raipur, Apr 6 (PTI) In the deadliest attack on security forces, Naxals trapped and gunned down 73 security personnel during a joint "Operation Green Hunt" offensive by forces this morning in the thick forests of Mukrana in Dantewada district of Chattisgarh, one of the strongholds of Maoists. The incident took place between 6 AM and 7 AM when nearly 80 personnel comprising CRPF and state police were returning after opening a road for the troops to begin an operation against Naxals.
While 72 of those killed were CRPF personnel, including a deputy and an assistant commandant, one was a head constable of the district police. Dantewada Superintendent of Police Amresh Mishra said the Naxals first blew up a vehicle carrying the CRPF personnel near Chintalnar-Tarmetla village in the district.
Immediately after the blast, the CRPF personnel and a few police personnel tried to take cover when they came under heavy fire from hundreds of Naxals, well entrenched on the adjacent hillock. The CRPF team had been camping in the interiors of Tarmetla jungles for the last three days as part of a combing operation and area domination exercise, Mishra said.
The attack shook the Centre and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Home Minister P Chidambaram over telephone to make an assessment of the situation. Both of them expressed shock over the attack and grief over the loss of lives.
While the Prime Minister called it "horrific" incident, Chidambaram said it showed the brutality and savagery of the Maoists. Rattled by the "very high" casualty, Chidambaram said something must have gone "drastically wrong" in the joint operation as the personnel seemed to have walked into a trap.
Bodies of the 73 personnel have been recovered from the site of the attack suspected to have been carried out by about 1000 Naxals, Inspector General R K Vij said. The Naxals had planted IEDs which blew up an anti-mine vehicle killing the lone occupant, the driver.
This was followed by heavy exchange of fire between the remaining CRPF personnel and the Maoists. Eight of the injured CRPF men have been evacuated for treatment from the forest area, he said.
.

very shocking incident for CRPF personel,when will this end.now goverment will take a strict action against NAXALS.

[riffleman]

sorry for double post
UK town to install statue to honour Indian soldiers

Moves are afoot to install a statue in a prominent location in the East Midlands town of Leicester to honour the contribution of Indian soldiers to the British Army during the First and Second World Wars.
A committee, called the Leicester United Group's War Memorial Committee, set up in 2009 to decide how the statue would look and where it would be placed, has identified the Peace Walk in Victoria Park in the town.
Local Indian-origin councillor Culdipp Singh Bhatti, who is a member of the committee, has a personal interest in the statue – his father-in-law, Captain Chajja Singh Kler, joined the British Indian Army at 16 and retired at 52.
Bhatti said, "There are lessons to be learnt about fighting together against ideas which threaten the way you live your life and I think it's important to get those across with the statue. We thought an appropriate location would be Peace Walk, near the current memorial, this would also show unity and the fact that everybody fought together."
Committee secretary Raj Mann, whose two great-grandfathers fought for the British Indian Army, said, "I am pleased one of the main aims of the project is to educate our youth about the collective international sacrifice in the Great Wars".
Leicestershire county manager for the British Legion Richard Foster said, "As far as the Royal British Legion is concerned we give them our full support. Anyone who fights and dies for our country deserves to be honoured, our debt of gratitude is owed to everyone who fought for us."
Created in 1859, the British Indian Army existed until Indian Independence in 1947. The committee plans to ask Design students at local universities to draw up designs, which will be presented to Leicester City Council.
Committee spokesman John Coster said an important aspect of the memorial was including local people and materials. He said, "It's about celebrating our diverse city and showing the communities that live here have earned the right to call it home".

my grandfather also serve British Roayal Army in 2ND World War,good intiative by UK.

[tiket]

Good thing to remember brave soldiers ,but UK take decision after 70 years.