[ NATIONAL ]

Sino-India Standoff: China Scaling Up Border Infra, Redeploys Forces in Depth Areas Amid LAC Stand-Off

New Delhi has communicated its concerns to Beijing in the last meeting. India has also put its focus on ramping up infrastructure in the region to prepare for any threat.

Army decides on new digital pattern combat uniform, to be implemented in 2022

The Army is also in the process of changing its regular olive uniform and one of the ideas is to have different colored pants and shirts. No decision on this has been taken yet.   

Army’s Northern Command awaiting a critical medical appointment for six months now

Amid an ongoing pandemic and military standoff on borders, the Indian Army’s Northern Command, which looks after the highly sensitive borders with Pakistan and China, has been without the head for its medical branch for over 6 months now.

Jaish militants on ‘Red List’, who planted IED in 2019, killed in encounter in Pulwama

This year a close to 150 militants have been killed in anti-insurgency operations.

High commissioner of Sri Lanka to India meets Rajnath Singh

The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Milinda Moragoda paid a visit to Defense Minister of India, Rajnath Singh in Delhi on Tue, seeking defense and security cooperation. According to the High Commission of Sri Lanka to India, they discussed a range of issues, reviewing the existing excellent defense and security ties between the two countries.

India summons Pakistan official over model’s ‘bareheaded’ photos at Kartarpur Sahib

Calling it a ‘reprehensible’ incident, India said it expects Pakistani authorities to ‘sincerely investigate’ the matter and take action against those involved.

The demographic shift in Assam, Bengal likely behind jurisdiction move: BSF DG

BSF director general Pankaj Kumar Singh on Tue said the “demographic balance has been upset to a great degree” over some time in border states like Assam and West Bengal and the Centre possibly extended the border force’s jurisdiction to 50 km in these states and Punjab so that it could help and coordinate with state police to catch hold of infiltrators.

Naxal violence down by 70% from an all-time high in 2009: Govt

The incidents of Naxal violence have come down by 70% from the all-time high of 2,258 incidents in 2009 to 665 in 2020 across the country, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed Rajya Sabha on Wed in an answer to a question by Ruling Party (BJP) MP VP Singh Tomar asked the MoS about the Naxal violence. “Similarly, the resultant deaths of civilians and Security Forces, both have declined by 80% from an all-time high of 1005 in 2010 to 183 in 2020,” he said. The geographical spread of the violence has constricted and only 53 districts across 9 States reported LWE related violence as compared to 76 districts across 10 States in 2013.

3 killed and several others injured in a huge blast Bengal’s South 24 Parganas

3 persons were killed and several others injured in a huge blast at a residential building in South 24 Parganas district’s Mohanpur village on Wed morning, police said.

No record of farmers who died during agitation, the question doesn’t arise for compensation: Centre

Meanwhile, farmers’ unions have demanded compensation from the Centre for the families of those farmers who died during the agitation.

IRS officer Vivek Johri takes charge as Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

Omicron: ‘Heavily mutated’ Omicron has the world worried. But mutations could make it easier to detect

• Researchers say some of the RT-PCR tests used to detect Covid infections can also be useful screening tools to identify people who are likely carrying the variant.
• India suspended the resumption of international flights which was earlier scheduled from Dec 15^th.
• The passengers from at-risk countries flying into Delhi airport have been allowed to opt for rapid PCR tests whose result comes in 90 minutes at the cost of Rs 3900.
• Maharashtra’s Omicron: 6 passengers test coronavirus positive, the state releases new guidelines
• Indian experts studying scientific reports on the need for Covid booster dose, says govt
• WHO warns against knee-jerk reaction, blanket measures
• Dutch health authorities said on Tuesday that the Omicron Covid virus was present in the country two weeks before it was detected in South Africa. 
• Vaccine inequity can lead to more Covid variants, waive IP rights immediately, India warns WTO: New variant Omicron has put ‘spotlight’ back on the fact that there exists ‘discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated people’, India said at a WTO.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China protested Indonesian drilling, military exercises

The unprecedented demand elevated tensions over natural resources between the two countries.

Shinzo Abe warns China: Taiwan invasion would be ‘economic suicide’

The remarks by Abe, who stepped down as premier last year citing ill health, come after China sent a fresh sortie of warplanes toward Taiwan on Sun in response to a visit by a group of US lawmakers. China’s Communist Party sees the island as part of its territory despite never having ruled it and seeks to block any official interactions with other countries.

Taliban claim UAE banned ex-president Ghani from engaging in Afghan politics

However, relatives of the former Afghan president, and Ata Mohammad Noor, leader of the splinter faction of the Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan, denied that such restrictions were being imposed

‘Historic rally’: Women in Pakistan’s Gwadar demand basic rights

The women demanded to end illegal fishing by trawlers and lift trade restrictions with Iran demonstrators, included female students, political workers, and working women who came from areas including Turbat, Ormara, Jewani, Pasni

Afghan babies succumb to hunger as winter descends

Unicef estimates some 3.2 million Afghan children will suffer from malnutrition this winter — a million may die.

Pak’s Cabinet rejects audit report on Covid-19 spending

Fawad says election funding may be linked to the use of EVMs; PM prohibits cabinet members from traveling abroad to ensure austerity. The federal cabinet on Tue rejected the recently-released audit report which hinted at billions of rupees of irregularities in Covid-19 expenditure, vaccination process, and Ehsaas relief program.

Centre directed to implement Supreme Court order on GB people’s rights

The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court has directed the federal government to implement the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on GB Order 2019 to ensure fundamental rights to the people of the region at the earliest.

Sino-India Standoff: China Scaling Up Border Infra, Redeploys Forces in Depth Areas Amid LAC Stand-Off

News18-Even as India and China continue to remain locked in a military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, China is scaling up its border infrastructure and has also redeployed forces in the depth areas.

Infrastructure –

• The construction of multiple lateral roads running westwards from China’s G219 highway towards the LAC
• Roads running north-south connect these lateral roads along the LAC.
• The G219 highway runs along the western and southern borders of China between Xinjiang and the Tibet Autonomous Region through the disputed Aksai Chin.

(Source)-India has been worried about these developments in the region, particularly amid tensions between two countries lingering at the LAC despite multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last 18 months.

New Delhi has communicated to Beijing its concerns over such developments in the region during the latest Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) of the India-China Border Affairs held earlier this month, in which “the two sides had agreed on the need to find an early resolution on the remaining issues, and to continue ensuring stability on the ground and prevent any untoward incident”. The next date of the meeting is yet to decide.

China’s rapid infra development-(sources)- China has built at least 8 key roads towards the LAC from the G219 highway including roads from Kangxiwar in China’s southwestern Xinjiang region to the Karakoram Pass in the north, and other routes from the saltwater lake Tianshuihai in the Xinjiang region towards Galwan valley and its north.

[G219 highway runs along the entire western and southern border of China, and almost parallel to LAC, from Kom-Kanas, Mongolian township in Xinjiang to Dongxing in Guangxi, over 10K km long]

• China has also constructed roads connecting Sirijap at Finger 8 at the north bank of the Pangong Tso Lake to the G219.
• A highway from China’s Rutog County in the Tibet Autonomous Region to the Spanggur lake south of Pangong Tso has also been built.
• Further south along the LAC, the roads from the South of Shiquanhe run towards Chumar in eastern Ladakh.
• Tianshuihai, Rutog county, and Shiquanhe lie close to the G219 highway.

(Source)-These additional road constructions and up-gradation of existing roads will ensure that China will have direct road connectivity to areas opposite important Indian military posts along the LAC, from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in the north to Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, and Chumar in the south. And most of these roads have been blacktopped and widened.

• China’s military infrastructure also includes new deployment areas along these roads for rapid movement of troops towards the LAC.
• The laterals, they said, can be used to switch forces at places where they would need to be deployed in a faster time frame.
• China has also been constructing habitat for its troops and upgrading its airstrips, particularly in the Xinjiang and the Tibet regions.

As reported earlier, ANI (sources) – India is keeping a close watch on the Hotan, Gar Gunsa, Kashghar, Hopping, Dkonka Dzong, Linzhi, and Pangat airbases of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), many of which have been reportedly upgraded with the construction of shelters, the extension of runways and additional manpower deployment.

News18 (Sources)- China has been constructing heliports at Xaidulla and Tianshuihai (Xinjiang) as well as in Shiquanhe and Domar (Tibet).

• In Oct, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary had said PLAAF is still deployed at 3 airbases that face eastern Ladakh and is developing infrastructure at a rapid pace.
• While no bridges have been constructed over the Pangong by China, small crossings have been created at certain points for the troops to cross the frozen lake in winter.
• China has also built a new jetty at Finger 8 on the north bank of Pangong Tso and has deployed about 50 patrol boats at the lake.
• Close to 4 divisions of PLA troops continue to remain deployed in eastern Ladakh.

India Ramping Up Border Infra at Ladakh

From the Indian side, construction of roads and bridges, helipads, and habitat for additional troops pumped into the region.

In Oct, the defense ministry announced the launch of 5 road projects in Ladakh (to be carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), including the Hanuthang-Handanbroke-Zungpal-Turtuk road to provide inter-valley connectivity between the Indus and the Shyok Valley, which will reduce travel time to 3.5 hours from the current 9 hours.

A road connecting Pooh in Himachal to Chumar in Ladakh and is also close to completing the construction of an alternate road DBO, which will run from Sasoma and connect Saser La and Gapshan before joining the existing route to DBO.

The BRO is also building multiple roads and bridges in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh close to the LAC.

• In June, def min Rajnath Singh had inaugurated a 20-km-long double lane Kimin-Potin road, along with 9 other roads, in Arunachal, and 1 each in the UTs of Ladakh and J&K.

• Singh had also inaugurated the Kyungam bridge, on the Indus river on the Leh-Loma axis for improved connectivity along the LAC, besides 10 others.
• Earlier this month, the Indian Army’s Parachute brigade carried out airborne exercises close to the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

News18 (sources)- that India continues to hold the LAC at eastern Ladakh in strength, with nearly 3 divisions or around 50,000 troops, including elements of a mountain strike corps.

Army decides on new digital pattern combat uniform, to be implemented in 2022

ThePrint-The Army has decided to introduce a new digital pattern combat uniform for officers and men from next year. The Army is also working on a new regular uniform, which will be vastly different from the olives in use now.

(Sources) – the new combat uniform, which will be a mix of colors including olive and earthen, has been finalized by the Army headquarters and will be showcased at the Army Day Parade on Jan 15, 2022, in the national capital.

• Formally known as camouflages or battle dress uniforms (BDU), they are the standard uniform for combat.
• The implementation of the new uniform will be rolled out next year itself and it will cater to both officers and men.

Army looking to change regular uniform too –The Army is also in the process of changing its regular olive uniform. No final decision, however, has been taken yet. The sources said that one of the ideas is to have different colored pants and shirts.

The Army had last year requested the Def and Home Ministry to issue guidelines against wearing combat uniforms while handling law and order situations or in urban areas affected by terrorism.

• It was also not clear whether the new combat uniform will have shoulder and collar tags like the present or blackened ones for better camouflage.
• The shoulder stripes — denoting rank — could also be moved to the front buttons, sources said adding it is a pattern followed by other major armies also.
• The Navy had last year introduced a new camouflage uniform.

Jaish Militants on ‘Red List’, Who Planted IED in 2019, Killed in Encounter in Pulwama

News18-A Pakistani militant and a local associate, affiliated with a proscribed outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed in an encounter in the Qasbayar village of Pulwama on Wed.

• Police chief -the militant commander of JeM Yasir Parray, also an IED expert, was killed along with foreign militant Furqan.
• The Commanding Officer of 44-Rashtriya Rifles Col A K Singh called the killing of Yasir, their major success as he was on their red list since 2019.
• IGP Vijay Kumar said both militants were involved in several cases and were on the red list.
• An Army officer said that Yasir was the same militant, who planted IED at Airhal in 2019, in which one soldier was martyred.
• The police had ringed the Qasbayar area of Pulwama on the intervening night of Tue and Wed after they received information about the duo.
• So far, this year a close to 150 militants have been killed in anti-insurgency operations.

No record of farmers who died during agitation, the question doesn’t arise for compensation: Centre

ANI – The Centre stated in House, on Wed “it has no record of farmers who died during the agitation against the farm laws”, in response to a question raised by Congress’s Lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on whether it proposes to provide financial assistance to the kin of farmers who died during the agitation.

Meanwhile, farmers’ unions have demanded compensation from the Centre for the families of those farmers who died during the agitation.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait reiterated that the farmers’ agitation will continue as the govt has not accepted their demands:

• Over 50,000 cases registered during the agitation should be withdrawn.
• MSP guarantee should be enacted. Farmers who have lost their lives should be compensated.
• These are our main issues.

Singhu border: Farmers’ organizations to meet today over MSP committee, other issues

ANI – A meeting of 32 farmers’ organizations will be held on Wed to discuss the issue of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) committee and cases registered against farmers during the agitation.

• The meeting will be held at the Singhu border to be attended by 40 farmer leaders.
• Meanwhile, Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 was passed in both Houses of Parliament on Mon, the first day of the winter session.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is an umbrella body of 41 farmer unions, on Tue confirmed that a farmer leader from Punjab received a telephone call from the Center, asking for 5 names from the SKM’s side to constitute a committee for discussing the MSP issue.

However, the SKM, confirmed that they have received no written communication and no details are available so far about what this Committee is about.

The demographic shift in Assam, Bengal likely behind jurisdiction move: BSF DG

BSF director general Pankaj Kumar Singh on Tue said the “demographic balance has been upset to a great degree” over some time in border states like Assam and West Bengal and the Centre possibly extended the border force’s jurisdiction to 50 km in these states and Punjab so that it could help and coordinate with state police to catch hold of infiltrators.

• He noted that certain districts on the country’s eastern border have seen a significant change in demography in the last decade as per the year 2011 Census.
• In the year 2020, BSF held around 3200 people for illegally crossing Bangladesh Border.

“We don’t say all infiltrators are coming to India with criminal intent, many cross borders for jobs, medical treatment, and better avenues,” said Singh.

• He added that decision to extend the jurisdiction of BSF will help to keep a check on infiltrators.
• The Centre has extended the jurisdiction of BSF from 15km to 50 km of the international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

MoS Home said the center has amended the 2014 notifications and extended the jurisdiction of the BSF in certain states through a notification on Oct 11, 2021, under Section 139(1) (i) of the BSF Act, 1968, which empowers the center to confer powers and duties on members of the force in respect of any central acts for the purposes specified therein.

3 killed and several others injured in a huge blast Bengal’s South 24 Parganas

3 persons were killed and several others injured in a huge blast at a residential building in South 24 Parganas district’s Mohanpur village on Wed morning, police said.

• The owner of the house had stacked huge amounts of illegal explosives possibly for making ‘firecrackers’ which resulted in the blast, the police said.
• The owner of the house — Ashim Mondal and two of his employees — were killed in the blast.
• According to locals, Mondal had been running an illegal firecracker factory in the locality for the last 10 years.

According to locals, the magnitude of the blast was so high that the window panes of some of the neighboring houses broke and the bodies were thrown nearly 200 m away from the site.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China protested Indonesian drilling, military exercises

TST-China told Indonesia to stop drilling for oil and natural gas in maritime territory that both countries regard as their own during a months-long standoff in the South China Sea earlier this year, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The unprecedented demand, which has not previously been reported, elevated tensions over natural resources between the two countries in a volatile area of global strategic and economic importance.

Muhammad Farhan, an Indonesian lawmaker on Parliament’s national security committee- One letter from Chinese diplomats to Indonesia’s foreign ministry told Indonesia to halt drilling at a temporary offshore rig because it was taking place in Chinese territory.

• “Our reply was very firm, that we are not going to stop the drilling because it is our sovereign right,” Farhan told Reuters.
• Indonesia’s foreign ministry- “Any diplomatic communication between states is private in nature and its content cannot be shared.” He declined further comment.
• China’s foreign ministry, defense ministry, and embassy in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
• 3 other people, who said they were briefed on the matter, confirmed the existence of the letter.
• Two of those people said China made repeated demands that Indonesia stops drilling.

South-east Asia’s biggest nation says the southern end of the South China Sea is its exclusive economic zone under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and named the area as the North Natuna Sea in 2017.

China objected to the name change and insists the waterway is within its expansive territorial claim in the South China Sea that it marks with a U-shaped “nine-dash line,” a boundary found to have no legal basis by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016.

• China is Indonesia’s biggest trade partner and second-largest source of investment, making it a key part of Indonesia’s ambition to become a top-tier economy.
• Indonesian leaders kept quiet about the matter to avoid conflict or a diplomatic spat with China, Farhan and two of the other people who spoke to Reuters said.
• Farhan said that China, in another letter, also protested against the predominantly land-based Garuda Shield military exercises in Aug, which took place during the standoff.
• The exercises, involving 4,500 troops from the US and Indonesia, have been a regular event since 2009. This was China’s first protest against them, Farhan said.

‘Historic rally’: Women in Pakistan’s Gwadar demand basic rights

Wion-Hundreds of women in Pakistan’s Gwadar district took to the streets as part of the Gwadar Ko Huqooq Do Tehreek (Movement for Gwadar’s rights).

• The women demanded to end illegal fishing by trawlers and lift trade restrictions with Iran.
• The rally started at Al Johar Public School and concluded at Marine Drive.
• In what is being deemed as a “historic rally,” Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, the leader of the movement said that every citizen of Gwadar had mobilized for their basic rights.
• He was quoted by The Dawn as saying, “The people of Gwadar have been deceived in the name of CPEC and Gwadar port while they have not benefited from it.”
• He further highlighted that the drug mafia was running a drug and liquor business with the involvement of the local administration.

“If CPEC and Gwadar port is not for the prosperity of the local people, then they do not need to be here,” he added.

• In images and videos that have gone viral on social media, women could be seen holding posters and chanting slogans – “Gwadar ko haq do”.
• Activist Jibran Nasir tweeted a video where women in large numbers can be seen marching and shouting slogans.

Centre directed to implement Supreme Court order on GB people’s rights

A two-member bench comprising Chief Judge Justice Syed Irshad Hussain Shah and Judge Wazir Shakeel Ahmed issued the directives during the hearing of a petition, seeking implementation of the Supreme Court’s verdict of 2019 on GB people’s rights.

The petitioners include Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association President Mohammad Hussain Shahzad Advocate, GB Bar Council Vice-Chairman Shafqat Wali, and President GB High Court Bar Association Mohammad Zakaria Advocate.

• The Federation of Pakistan is the respondent in the case through the secretary Kashmir and GB affairs.
• The petitioners pleaded with the court to get the SC judgment implemented with immediate effect.
• Recently, these lawyers had also filed a petition in the SC for implementation of its judgment, but the registrar returned it.
• During the proceedings, the petitioners told the court that the respondents had been delaying implementation of the judgment for last over two years.
• They prayed that as the judgment involved fundamental rights of the people of GB, it should be implemented at their earliest.
• Sudheer Khattak, deputy secretary GB Council, and Kashmir affairs represented the federation.

After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Appellate Court judges observed that keeping judgment of the country’s apex court concerning fundamental rights of the people unimplemented for a long time was a serious issue, which must be addressed immediately.

• The judges were directed to implement the SC order immediately and submit its report within 2 weeks.
• They ordered that a copy of the order be sent to all the respondents, including the principal secretary to the prime minister, for implementation.