[ NATIONAL ]

Indian Army to acquire 200 more K9 Vajra (Thunder) Howitzers post successful deployment in Ladakh — Reports

The Indian government is expected to place an order for 200 new K-9 Vajra (Thunder) 155mm self-propelled howitzers worth over Rs 10,000 crore (approx US$ 1.5 Billion) with Larsen & Toubro.

Kashmiri guides have crossed LoC to help foreign militants infiltrate, says BSF IG

As per the intelligence inputs, 104-135 militants are waiting at “launchpads” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to cross over, but active surveillance along the LoC has foiled several such attempts in recent times, BSF inspector general in Kashmir Raja Babu Singh has told reporters at BSF headquarters on the outskirts of Srinagar on Monday.

India takes on China, Vietnam in electronics manufacturing

India’s counter-attack on China and Vietnam in manufacturing electronics is set to get additional fire-power. On target is $300 billion in output over the next 4 years, including $120 billion reserved for exports; broadening of product basket for incentives; and specially crafted large industrial zones with modern facilities.

Union budget to be presented on February 1 at 11 am

The Union budget will be presented at 11 AM on Feb 1^st, said sources. A day before, President Ramnath Kovind will address the joint session of Parliament. Given COVID-19 guidelines, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will be functioning in staggered timings. The Lower House will function from 4 PM to 9 PM and Rajya Sabha from 10 AM to 3 PM, added the sources.

Assembly elections 2022: SC seeks responses of Centre, EC on freebies

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission of India on a PIL seeking curb on mindless freebies announced by political parties on the eve of elections which potentially could cast a huge financial burden on the exchequer of states, most of which are already under severe debt burden.

Shri S. Balachandran concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to Saint Lucia

Shri S. Balachandran (YOA: 2005), presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Suriname, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to Saint Lucia with residence in Paramaribo.

India announces US$ 200,000 immediate relief assistance to Tonga in the wake of a tsunami

On January 15, 2022, a tsunami hit the Kingdom of Tonga impacting large sections of the country’s population and causing significant infrastructural damage. As a close friend and partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and as a gesture of solidarity with the friendly people of Tonga, the Government of India extends immediate relief assistance of US$ 200,000 to support relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga.

No SC relief for NGOs that lost foreign funding license

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to pass interim order to protect around 6000 NGOs whose FCRA registration did not get renewed. The court asked them to make representation to the Centre which would decide as per law.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Govt flayed in Senate for appeasing terrorists, letting Taliban speak on its behalf

The opposition in the Senate on Mon slammed the government for what it called “a policy of appeasement” towards terrorist outfits, noting that talks with those who challenged the writ of the state had emboldened and encouraged such actors.

Taliban hail Oslo meet as success ‘in itself’

On their first visit to Europe since gaining power, the Taliban held landmark talks with Western diplomats in Oslo on Mon over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a meeting the Islamist regime’s delegation called an “achievement in itself”. The international community has however insisted the Taliban must respect human rights before aid can be resumed to Afghanistan, where hunger threatens more than half the population. Having accepted a controversial invitation from Norway, the Taliban were holding talks on Mon with representatives of the US, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the EU, and Norway.

Two US aircraft carriers enter the South China Sea; Taiwan complains of ‘incursion’

Two US aircraft carrier groups have entered the South China Sea for training, the Department of Defence said on Mon as Taiwan complained of a new Chinese air force incursion at the top of the waterway including a fearsome new electronic warfare jet (as reported yesterday).

US combat jet crashes in South China Sea exercise, 7 hurt-A US Navy F35C Lightning II combat jet conducting exercises in the SCS crashed while trying to land on the deck of an American aircraft carrier, injuring 7 sailors, the military said. The pilot ejected during the “landing mishap on deck” of the USS Carl Vinson on Mon.

The UK opens for travel, removes all restrictions for COVID-19 vaccinated people from Feb 11

The United Kingdom on Mon said it has removed all COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers, including those from India, arriving in the UK from next month. A travel advisory issued by the Department of Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care announced that beginning at 4 am on Feb 11 all testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals, with only a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) now required.

Pakistan slides 16 spots on corruption perceptions index, now ranks 140 out of 180 countries: report

Pakistan dropped 16 places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2021 compared to the previous year, ranking 140 out of 180 countries, Transparency International said in a report on Tue. The CPI, which measures how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by its experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100 where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

Pakistan has introduced a new automated system for Pakistani and Afghan nationals traveling on the Chaman border adjacent to Afghanistan without travel documents.

According to FIA Balochistan Director Abdul Hameed Bhutto, about 22,000 people, including a large number of Afghans, cross the Chaman border on foot every day. Before this, there was no formal computerized system for verifying the documents of these individuals, and pedestrian traffic was controlled by the Pakistan Army and FC instead of FIA. Also, FIA officials say the computerized system linked to NADRA could be used to compile records of Afghan nationals entering Pakistan and prevent them from obtaining Pakistani identity cards and passports. According to the FIA officials now with the help of the Pakistan Army, the Intelligence Verification Access System (IVAS) has been installed on the Chaman border, and control of traffic on foot has been handed over to FIA. They have established 21 counters and deployed 60 FC personnel. People are now being allowed to cross the border by verifying documents through the biometric border system, while the already implemented integrated border management system is being used for those traveling on passports and visas. This way, every person entering Pakistan will have an automatic entry on the Afghan identity document ‘Tazkira’ and they will know when a person comes to Pakistan and returns. (Jasarat, Jang)

Indian Army To Acquire 200 More K9 Vajra (Thunder) Howitzers Post Successful Deployment In Ladakh — Reports

The IT- report claimed that the order could be placed by this year with delivery beginning from 2023 and projected to be finished by 2028. A considerable number of these guns will be particularly modified to function in the high-altitude cold deserts of Ladakh and Sikkim, with upgraded engines. 

Report-This deal could be signed with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at Defexpo 2022, the defense ministry’s biennial land and naval systems exhibition, the said.

• The 12^th edition of Defexpo will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from Mar 10-13.  
• In a joint venture with South Korean defense company Hanwha Defense, L&T previously delivered 100 K-9 Vajras worth Rs 4,500 crore to the Indian Army.
• The contract was signed in May 2017, with the army receiving the 100^th cannon in Feb 2021.
• A new order will provide a big boost to the local industry and will be a big step forward in the govt’s ambitions to modernize the armed services. 

More K-9s For Indian Army

• The Indian Army currently has 5 K9 Vajra, self-propelled howitzer regiments each of them with 18 guns and two reserve units.
• The guns acquired by the Army under the initial contract were intended for use in Punjab’s plains and Rajasthan’s semi-desert terrain along the Pakistani border.
• Following the successful trials of 3 K9 Vajra, which were sent to Ladakh earlier last year, the army was mulling to order at least 2 more regiments of the 155mm/52 caliber howitzers that would be deployed in the mountains.

Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane- “These guns can also work in high-altitude areas. We have now added an entire regiment, and this will be really helpful.”

• The Indian Army later deployed the first K9-Vajra regiment in the forward areas in the Ladakh sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
• The latest report also suggests that China’s military deployment along the border could be the reason behind the new order.
• In Oct 2021, The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deployed over 100 long-range PCL-181 light, truck-mounted howitzers along the frontier with India in Tibet. 

K-9 Vajra is essentially a mobile howitzer. It has its own propulsion mechanism for moving towards its firing location and can be used to shell enemy positions from a long distance.  A K9 Vajra weighs 50 tonnes and can fire shells out to over 50 km. K9 Thunder can fire within 30 seconds on stand-by position while in 60 seconds in moving condition.

The crew of the K-9 is protected by all-welded steel armor that can withstand 14.5 mm armor-piercing shots, 152 mm shell fragments, and anti-personnel mines, as well as providing comprehensive nuclear, biological, and chemical protection.

• The projectiles can load the ammunition by an automatic loading system and are ready to be fired.
• The K9 is capable of firing its shells in MRSI mode (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact).
• In MRSI mode, The K9 can fire 3 shells in under 15 sec, each with a different trajectory so that they all hit their target at the same moment. 
• This is especially useful in open-air surprise bombardment techniques against enemy fortifications and strongholds.
• It is also equipped with the K-10, an ammunition resupply vehicle.
• It shares the same chassis as K9, keeping K9’s mobility, and it can keep up with the main artillery battery without lagging.

Kashmiri guides have crossed LoC to help foreign militants infiltrate, says BSF IG

Some guides from Kashmir have crossed over the Line of Control (LoC) to help foreign militants infiltrate into India but their movements are being tracked and their families here are under surveillance, BSF inspector general in Kashmir Raja Babu Singh has said.

Citing intel inputs, he said 104-135 militants are waiting at “launchpads” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to cross over, but active surveillance along the LoC has foiled several such attempts in recent times, Singh told reporters on Monday.

The BSF IG- around 58 infiltration attempts were made along the LoC in 2021, in which 5 infiltrators were killed, 21 returned, and 1 surrendered.

• At least 31 infiltrators managed to cross over, which is much lower than in previous years.
• Since the reiteration of the ceasefire along the LoC by the armies of India and Pakistan in last Feb, there has been “a general peace along the LoC”.
• BSF is exclusively deployed along 96 km of the LoC, while it is jointly deployed with the Army along 196 km.
• Intense surveillance and regular area domination will make infiltration difficult.
• BSF is aiming at zero infiltration and with the synergy of different forces, it is possible.
• Drones were noticed along the LoC last year but they didn’t venture into our territory.
• Around 138 to 145 youths were “indoctrinated” to join different militant outfits last year, but the shelf life of a militant had reduced to anywhere between six to eight weeks, he said.
• You are witnessing successful operations in the hinterland by the police, Army and CRPF.
• BSF has also recovered around 17.3 kg of heroin worth Rs 80 crore in 2021 and officials said there is a zero-tolerance policy for narcotics smuggling.
• BSF has organized several trips across India for the youth in Kashmir as part of its public outreach programs.
• Public outreach programs in border areas are very important to bring the population into the (national) mainstream and ensure their well-being as well.

Meanwhile, BSF troops in Jammu have been put on high alert ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. BSF is carrying out an extensive anti-tunneling drive, special patrolling, and depth area domination, despite hostile weather conditions along the border to scuttle any nefarious attempts.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Govt flayed in Senate for appeasing terrorists, letting Taliban speak on its behalf

Speaking on an adjournment motion on the rising tide of terrorism, opposition senators also voiced concern over talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which were being held through a govt that was not recognized by any country of the world.

They said that the recently unveiled National Security Policy be discussed in parliament and that an internal security policy, as well as the Afghan strategy, should be framed in light of that discussion.

Senators claimed the govt was devoting all its energies to stifling dissent and cornering its political opponents while ignoring its responsibility to protect the lives of the people.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed – negotiations with the banned group had stalled because their demands were unreasonable, warning the opposition of a potential terror threat if it went ahead with its proposed long march and asked them to consider rescheduling it.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) sought an explanation on how a sitting PM can decide who is the leader of the opposition— a reference to PM Khan’s recent statement (he had no respect for Shehbaz Sharif and didn’t consider him an opposition leader).

PPP said the people of Pakistan no longer knew where to turn in their hour of unprecedented misery as crisis after the crisis was unleashed on citizens.

PPP “He is making a laughing stock of Pakistan by threatening his own country, but also sending a message to his selectors, who are now clearly fed up with this amateurish show. … You can’t have a rule by tantrum. Pakistan will not be sacrificed to anyone’s ego.”

• But defending his party chief, Leader of the House in the Senate Dr. Shahzad Wasim said that the PM was merely holding up a mirror to the opposition.
• Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani said the state had been patronizing extremist right-wing forces and religious groups, adding that TTP was said to be reorganizing in Afghanistan.
• He said that the TTP kept on violating a ceasefire agreement, but the government still says its doors are open for talks.
• Senator Tahir Bizenjo (National Party) – over the last 10 days, 8 terrorist attacks had taken place across the country.
• Nawabzada Umar Farooq Kasi said that negotiating with terrorists only encouraged them.

Mushtaq Ahmad (Jamaat-i-Islami)- regretted that terrorists and target killers ruled the roost and demanded that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf be brought to Pakistan and tried for his surrender before the US and the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Responding to the opposition, Sheikh Rashid said no talks were currently being held with the TTP since their demands were considered to be against the country’s security interests.

He claimed India does not want good relations between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan, adding that evidence suggested RAW was behind many terror attacks in the country, which were carried out by local criminals hired by the Indian agency.

US combat jet crashes in South China Sea exercise, 7 hurt

A US Navy F35C Lightning II combat jet conducting exercises in the SCS crashed while trying to land on the deck of an American aircraft carrier, injuring 7 sailors, the military said.

• The pilot ejected during the “landing mishap on deck” of the USS Carl Vinson on Mon. The pilot was recovered by a military helicopter and is in stable condition.
• A US Pacific Fleet spox said he had no more details on what caused the crash, which remains under investigation, or whether the multimillion aircraft could be recovered.

Two American carrier strike groups with more than 14,000 sailors and marines are conducting exercises in the SCS, which the military says is to demonstrate the “US Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force’s ability to deliver a powerful maritime force”.

As China has pressed territorial claims in the SCS and increased pressure on Taiwan, the US and its allies have stepped up exercises in the region, calling freedom of navigation in line with international law.

• As the Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln strike groups began their dual-carrier operations on Sun.
• As reported yesterday, China flew 39 warplanes toward Taiwan in its largest such sortie of the new year, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.
• Chinese pilots have been flying toward Taiwan on a near-daily basis, and it was unclear if Sun’s flights were a response to the American exercises.
• China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to comment.
• Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China claims the island as its territory.
• Beijing has used diplomatic and military means to isolate and intimidate the self-ruled island, but the US has continued to support Taiwan.