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Sino-India Standoff: China passes new land border law amid military standoff with India

Asserting that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China is “sacred and inviolable”, the country’s national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas, which could have a bearing on Beijing’s border dispute with India.

3 security men, Pakistan terrorist injured in fresh firing by militants in J&K’s Poonch

Three security personnel and an arrested Pakistani terrorist were injured on Sunday when militants opened fire on a joint search party of the Army and police inside a forest in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Six Indian naval ships arrive in Sri Lanka to boost bilateral defense cooperation

The 4-day visit marks a milestone in bilateral relations’ history wherein for the first time such a large number of Indian Navy ships visited Sri Lanka, Indian High Commission said.

Modi in UP key points: PM slams earlier UP governments for ruining Purvanchal’s image

Slamming the previous govt in Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi on Monday said that they ruined Purvanchal’s image and did not focus on developing health care facilities in the region.

Indo-Bangla ties deeper than any strategic alliance: Shringla

Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sat said the ties between India and Bangladesh were deeper than any other strategic partnership, and that it was a role model for nations that share borders. “India-Bangladesh relations have matured over the years and the two pillars of Indian diplomacy — ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ — find expression in our vibrant ties with Bangladesh,”

Assam: AASU stages statewide protest against NHPC mega-dam

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Monday staged a sit-in protest across the state against the construction of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC)’s 2000 MW Subansiri Lower hydroelectric project in Lakhimpur district along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. AASU is a students’ organization in Assam, India. It is best known for leading the 6-year Assam Movement against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The leadership, after the historic Assam Accord of 1985, formed a political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which formed govt in Assam twice from 1985 to 1989 and from 1996 to 2001.

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The US nearing a deal with Pak on access to Afghan in exchange for help in ‘managing relations with India’

The Biden administration is nearing a formal agreement with Pakistan to use its airspace for military and intel ops in Afghanistan in exchange for US support for Pakistani counter-terrorism missions and helping Islamabad “manage relations with India” according to a CNN report citing classified briefings to lawmakers.

Laboratory blast kills 2 and injures 9 at China’s top aerospace university

Investigations have started to find the cause of the explosion at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. University is China’s top defense research institution and is known for producing cutting-edge aerospace technology.

China does not have any right in choosing next Dalai Lama: Head of Tawang monastery

China does not have any right to even get involved in the process of choosing the next Dalai Lama, only the current Dalai Lama and his followers have the right to decide on the issue, the head of the Tawang monastery said.

The US was losing war so it negotiated: Khalilzad

The former US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said Afghan elites made terrible mistakes, misused elections, democracy and did not treat their security forces properly. The US was losing the war to the Taliban so it chose peace negotiations as an alternative. Khalilzad- if the Islamic Emirate does not form an inclusive govt and does not respect the rights of Afghans, the relationship between Afghanistan and the US will not become normal.

Afghanistan: Passport services to begin in provinces: Officials

Several passport applicants in Kabul complained about irregularities in the Kabul passport department and demanded the officials to end the problems.

Food for work program launched in Kabul

MAIL on Saturday launched a plan to create jobs and fight a potential food crisis amid the continuous rise of poverty and unemployment.

Sino-India Standoff: China passes new land border law amid military standoff with India

TOI- Asserting that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China is “sacred and inviolable”, the country’s national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas, to be enacted from next January, which could have a bearing on Beijing’s border dispute with India.

The law- “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable“, it said.

• The law calls on the state and military to safeguard the territory and “combat any acts” that undermine China’s territorial claims.
• The Land Borders law reflects China’s growing confidence in its capability to manage its frontiers.

The text “the state shall take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries and guard against and combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries”.

The Hindu-China has unresolved border disputes with India and Bhutan: (observers) it would formalize some of China’s recent actions in disputed territories with both India and Bhutan, including the PLA’s massing of troops in forwarding areas along the India border, multiple transgressions across the LAC, and the construction of new “frontier villages” along the border with Bhutan.

Security and economic issues: Article 22 of the law says the PLA “shall carry out border duties” including “organizing drills” and “resolutely prevent, stop and combat invasion, encroachment, provocation, and other acts”.

New Delhi Concern: A significant aspect of the new law includes state support for the construction of border towns, improving their functioning, and strengthening supporting capacity for the construction.

• China in recent years has been strengthening border infrastructure, including the establishment of air, rail and road networks.
• It also launched a bullet train in Tibet which extends up to Nyingchi, the border town close to Arunachal Pradesh (AP).
• China also began constructing several villages close to the border with proper infrastructure in Tibet which have become an essential and effective part of border defense, state-run Global Times reported on October 19.
• The new law calls for the establishment of trade areas and borders economic cooperation zones at the borders.

While India-China border disputes cover 3,488-km along the LAC, the China-Bhutan dispute covers about 400 km, the new law was adopted amid the continued stand-off.

LAC hot, new battalions for ITBP likely: The process of authorizing new battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, (secures the Indo-China Border), is in the final stages and the govt is committed to providing it with full logistical support and modern gadgets to do its job, junior Union home minister Nityanand Rai said on Sunday.

Tunnels, roads, bridges, chopper bases: Modi govt gives a big push to Arunachal infrastructure

India is ramping up its infrastructure, though proposed previously in AP to counter an aggressive China — from speeding up work on new tunnels that provide all-weather connectivity to critical border areas to building new roads access, bridges, forward helicopter bases, and underground fortified ammunition storage.

• However, despite the quicker construction, sources in the defense establishment admit that “in terms of infrastructure, we are behind the Chinese by a decade”.
• Sources admit that there is a sense of urgency now which has spread all along the LAC and is not just limited to eastern Ladakh.
• Traditionally, the 832-km-long LAC in Ladakh is looked after by one division of the 14 Corps, and the 1346-km LAC in Eastern Command has 2 corps (3 divisions each) assigned, making it one of the most heavily guarded areas in the country.

However, with tensions mounting at the LAC, multiple changes have been made in the troop deployment patterns, with the induction of more soldiers in eastern Ladakh. Both the eastern and northern commands have also got an additional offensive corps each now.

The authorities are looking at completing the all-important Rs 700-crore Sela Tunnel (1555+ 980m) project ahead of schedule next June: This strategic project along with the Neciphu tunnel on the 317-km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road, that leads to West Kameng and Tawang districts of AP will ensure that both defense and private vehicles will have all-year mobility, above 13,700 feet at sea level.

• The tunnels are designed in such a way that all Army equipment, including Bofors, tanks can easily travel through it, away from the eyes of the Chinese while also cutting downtime and having year-long access.
• The nearly 180-km-long western axis, which plans to connect Shergaon-Rupa-Tawang, is the other important project for both military and civilian use.

Helicopter bases, underground ammunition storage: Besides the tunnels, nearly 2 dozen bridges are being constructed, some of which have been completed. These will provide crucial connectivity to all kinds of military equipment, sources explained.

• Moreover, the Army is focusing on ensuring that there are forward helicopter bases in higher numbers for swift troop movement when needed.
• The focus in the Eastern Command is on technology rather than more boots on the ground.
• India is also investing in a more technology-driven security grid that monitors the movement of the PLA activities not just at the LAC but also in-depth on a 24×7 basis.
• Sources said efforts are also on to set up fortified underground ammunition storage.
• The underground and fortified tactic is also being extended to the LAC, where the Army has set up integrated localities for both defensive and offensive operations.

Migration from border villages is a concern: Besides larger military infrastructure, China has also been focusing on building new border villages, which will eventually end up having dual military and civil use.

This ongoing project was also flagged by Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Pande, who said the development has been taken into operational planning.

ThePrint (sources)- In sharp contrast, there is a migration issue in Indian villages close to the LAC: people have moved out from villages close to the LAC to the cities due to the terrain and lack of infrastructure.

• “But things are changing. A lot of development is happening and people are happy with this,” a source explained.
• There are about 600 villages within the 10 km radius of the 1046-km LAC that Arunachal Pradesh shares with China-controlled Tibet, sources said.
• An Arunachal Times column last week highlighted that civilians can’t gain access beyond certain points.
• The issue of border migration in Arunachal Pradesh was flagged even in 2013.
• Besides basic infrastructure like medical and clean drinking water supply being an issue, other necessities like cell phone connectivity are also unavailable in border areas.
• Mobile phones instead pick up Chinese networks in border areas.
• Soldiers on the front lines are strictly directed not to switch on their phones so as not to allow the PLA to know the exact numbers of deployment.

Man shot dead in Kashmir as security tight for minister’s visit

AFP: Militants shot dead a civilian in Kashmir on Sunday (Oct 24), residents said, as the authorities tightened security across the disputed territory for a visit by a top Indian minister.

• The victim, a milk seller in the southern Kashmir Valley, is the 12^th civilian killed by militants or security forces this month as attacks increase in the Muslim-majority region.
• New Delhi has about 500,000 (?; its at the most 0.1 Mn) troops and paramilitaries in Kashmir seeking to contain a rebel movement agitating for independence or the region’s merger with Pakistan.

However, New Delhi blames Pakistan’s deep state behind the recent civilian killings, which suddenly increased in this month, after cesefire, Since this Feb.

• Police said the man was hit in “crossfire” during “militant action” near a police paramilitary camp in the village of Zainapora and that the incident was being investigated.
• Villagers told AFP the man had been fatally shot without provocation.
• Amit Shah, India’s Home Minister and effective deputy to PM Modi, has been in Kashmir since Sat, adding to security concerns.
• It is Shah’s first trip to the Himalayan region – also claimed by Pakistan – since New Delhi canceled Kashmir’s semi-autonomy in Aug 2019 and placed it under direct rule.
• Police have in recent days impounded hundreds of motorbikes in the city and intensified checks on pedestrians including women and children.
• India’s chief of defense staff General Bipin Rawat said security monitoring was being intensified to thwart attacks by rebels.
• Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since its independence in 1947.
• Rebels launched an insurgency in 1989 and the fighting has left tens of thousands dead, mainly civilians.

In militant attacks, long Poonch ops, concerns, and very few answers

Indian Express: The long-drawn operation in the Poonch heights at Bhatta Durian completed its 15^th day on Monday without success.

• Security forces are grappling with two major situations in J&K — the killings of civilians in Kashmir, and a hunt for the militants who killed 10 soldiers last week in Jammu’s Poonch area.
• Security sources said there was yet no clarity on the number of militants, or if they were in one or several groups. Not one of the militants has been sighted yet.
• All that can be said is they are from Kashmir, across the border, the Pir Panjal range.
• A senior security official said, “nothing can be said with certainty at this point”.
• The Army has laid a cordon in the area, which is about 12 km inside the LoC. (Sources) “technology” was being used in the search.

IE-(citing former officials) – the terrain is tough, with low visibility because of the densely packed trees.

• Drones are reportedly have been deployed over the thick pine forests to detect movement or any hideouts that the militants may be using.
• It remains unclear though, whether the militants are still in the forest or have escaped.
• Army sources said there had been no “contact” with the militants — an exchange of fire — since last Sat.
• The intense firing heard in the area on Friday morning was “speculative” fire by the search teams that got no response.
• There is a curfew in the area, and people have been asked to stay indoors.
• Since the operation began on October 11, the army has made no official statement.

But the concern that this should have happened in an area that has been largely free of militancy for most of the last two decades since the Hilkaka episode of April-May 2003, was evident from the visit of the Army chief to Poonch and Rajouri earlier this week to review the security situation, both in the forward areas at the LoC and other parts of the two districts.

Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd), who served as Northern Army Commander from 2014-16, said the presence of militants in the area was “really worrying”. …the militants managed to evade detection for so long has also raised red flags.

In the Valley, the police are yet to zero in on anyone directly linked to the spate of killings of civilians in Srinagar and South.

Security officials said this was largely due to the Feb 24 renewal of the India-Pakistan ceasefire understanding, as cross-border firing has often provided cover for infiltrators.

• But there have been several infiltration attempts since July, Army sources said. Security officials said between July and the end of Sept, 10-15 militants have crossed over.
• Army chief -….while the renewed ceasefire agreement had worked until July, “from the end of July, these sporadic incidents have started again”.
• A security official acknowledged that there was a change in the mood in the Valley since the victory of the Taliban and that this was “a matter of concern”.
• IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar – that a LeT commander behind the Oct 18 killings of two daily-wage workers from Bihar in Kulgam had been killed.

Home Minister Amit Shah has extended his stay in Kashmir: He will visit Lethpora in Pulwama in South Kashmir today (Monday) to pay tribute to 40 CRPF personal of the 2019 terror attack. He will have also dinner at CRPF camp and stay with jawans tonight.

HM to lay the foundation stone of development projects in Srinagar on Sunday: On his final day of the visit to J&K, Union home minister Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects in Srinagar on Sunday.

Shah reached out to the youth of J&K on Saturday, asking them to join the fight against terrorism and take advantage of the opportunities that have opened up because of the Modi govt’s development push.

Six Indian naval ships arrive in Sri Lanka to boost bilateral defense cooperation

For the first time, the 6 ships of the Indian Navy’s 1^st training squadron have arrived in Sri Lanka on a 4-day visit to further bolster the bilateral defense cooperation and to enhance the interoperability of the two forces, officials said. The ships arrived in the ports of Colombo and Trincomalee on Sunday to conduct training with their Sri Lankan counterparts.

Training has been one of the strongest and most enduring pillars of India – Sri Lanka bilateral defense cooperation and this visit will provide further impetus to the same.

In line with the vision of both PM Modi and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to increase people-to-people connect between both countries, this visit will positively contribute towards strengthening the existing bonds of camaraderie and friendship between defense personnel of both the countries,” the statement said.

The deployment is aimed to broaden the horizons of young officers and officer-trainees by exposing them to the socio-political and maritime facets of different countries in the Indian Ocean Region.

The deployment will also expose the trainees onboard towards the conduct of IN warships in various evolutions at sea, port familiarization, and above all, foster the bridges of friendship with foreign nations.

The visit of the six Indian naval ships to Sri Lanka comes amidst China’s increasing forays in this island nation and Beijing’s efforts to step up defense ties with it.

Sri Lanka is expected to play an important role under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious global infrastructure development strategy adopted by Beijing to enhance its influence and also promote inter-regional connectivity.

The ships are part of Southern Naval Command (SNC), which is the Training Command of the Indian Navy and is headed by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command (SNC).

The Indian Navy has been imparting training to international trainees for more than four decades now. A large number of officers and sailors from Sri Lanka are undergoing various ab-initio to advanced courses at the SNC.

The ships are scheduled to leave on Oct 27 and 28. Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay met Vice-Admiral Chawla, whose visit to Sri Lanka coincides with the visit of the six ships of the Indian Navy’s 1st Training Squadron, the High Commission tweeted.

Modi in UP key points: PM slams earlier UP governments for ruining Purvanchal’s image

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that they ruined Purvanchal’s image and did not focus on developing health care facilities in the region.
• Previous Govts were only filling their family lockers and earning for themselves. But our priority is to save the poor’s money and provide them with facilities.

UP’s Purvanchal region will become the medical hub of Northern India PM Modi said that the Purvanchal region will become a medical hub of Northern India while inaugurating nine medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh from Siddharthnagar.

PM inaugurates 9 medical colleges The Prime Minister informed that the opening of new nine medical colleges will add over 2500 new beds and will provide 5000 employment opportunities to doctors and paramedics.

• Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, preference is given to underserved, backward, and aspirational districts.
• The Scheme aims to increase the availability of health professionals, correct the existing geographical imbalance in the distribution of medical colleges and effectively utilize the existing infrastructure of district hospitals.
• Under three phases of the Scheme, 157 new medical colleges have been approved across the nation, out of which 63 medical colleges are already functional.
• Through this, critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than five lakh populations through exclusive critical care hospital blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.
• Under the scheme, a national institution for one health, 4 new national institutes for virology, a regional research platform for WHO southeast Asia Region, 9 biosafety level-III laboratories, 5 new regional national centers for disease control will be set up.

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Laboratory blast kills 2 and injures 9 at China’s top aerospace university

Investigations have started to find the cause of the explosion at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

University is China’s top defense research institution and is known for producing cutting-edge aerospace technology.

Two people were killed and nine injured in a laboratory explosion at China’s top national aerospace university on Sunday.

The explosion happened shortly before 4 pm at the Jiangjun Road campus of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, known as the cradle of the country’s cutting-edge aerospace technology.

“Two people died and nine were injured. The reason for the explosion is under investigation and rescue work has ended,” the city’s fire service said on its official Weibo page.

China does not have any right in choosing next Dalai Lama: Head of Tawang monastery

China has no authority at all to get involved in choosing the next Dalai Lama as it does not believe in religion and the succession plan is entirely a spiritual matter and not a political issue for the Tibetan people, the head of the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh has said.

Gyangbung Rinpoche, the Abbot of the nearly 350-year-old monastery near India’s border with China, also said that it is important to counter Beijing’s “policy of expansionism” and New Delhi must maintain a strict vigil over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with that country, in an oblique reference to the eastern Ladakh standoff.

• Rinpoche said though India believes in peace and prosperity, its approach in dealing with such belligerence has to be based on the ground reality.
• “It is important to counter China’s growing assertiveness. India must keep a strict vigil over the border (with China),” he told PTI in an interview.
• The head of the second largest monastery in the world after the Potala Palace in Tibet’s Lhasa said only the current Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have the right to decide about the successor to the Tibetan spiritual leader and China has no role to play.
• The comments by the Abbot of the monastery that is located in a region claimed by China came amid strain in ties between the 2 countries following the eastern Ladakh border standoff.
• India maintains that its state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of the country.

Rinpoche said the Tibetan people will never accept any decision on the issue by China and that Beijing’s attempt to get involved is part of efforts to “capture” the Tibetan heritage and “hold control” over the Tibetan people.

• The issue of a successor to the 14^th Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in Dharamshala in India since 1959, gained traction as he turned 86 in July.
• The Dalai Lama is believed to be a living Buddha who is reincarnated after his death.
• China has been insisting that the selection of the next Dalai Lama has to be decided within Chinese territory and that it has to have a say in the matter.
• The religious leader said it is important to counter China’s policy of expansionism.
• The monastery headed by Rinpoche is located in Tawang at an altitude of around 9,000 feet, a region that has significant political, spiritual, and strategic dimensions.
• After a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet and came to India where he set up a government-in-exile.
• Beijing has in the past accused the Dalai Lama of indulging in “separatist” activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him as a divisive figure.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader has insisted that he is not seeking independence but “genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet” under the “Middle-Way approach”.

The Chinese government officials and the Dalai Lama or his representatives have not met for formal negotiations since 2010.