The massacre in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, of at least 26 innocent tourists is a brazen, calculated strike bearing the unmistakable hallmarks of Pakistan.
For those of us who have watched the arc of terrorism in Kashmir bend and mutate over decades, this attack fits into a pattern: a convergence of diplomatic disruption, ideological provocation, and asymmetric warfare.
<h2>Pattern of provocative timing</h2>
Terror in Kashmir rarely occurs in a vacuum. It has historically been tethered to moments of geopolitical significance&mdash;precisely timed to undercut India&rsquo;s diplomatic advances, Kashmir&rsquo;s economic progress, or to create strategic diversions.&nbsp;
Before delving into what happened this week, a refresher from 2019 is needed.
Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/general-asim-munirs-radical-agenda-pakistans-deep-state-terror-nexus-exposed-in-pahalgam-attack-9012213">General Asim Munir&rsquo;s radical agenda: Pakistan&rsquo;s deep state terror nexus exposed in Pahalgam attack</a>
On February 14, 2019, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was on a tour of Pakistan and scheduled to visit India, Pulwama was set ablaze&mdash;40 Indian paramilitary personnel were martyred in an attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a group long fostered by Pakistan&rsquo;s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The optics were unmistakable. MBS, who had called India a &ldquo;strategic partner,&rdquo; was compelled to truncate his trip.
Now, six years later, history appears to have repeated itself. On April 22, 2025, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Riyadh to deepen strategic ties with Saudi Arabia&mdash;a country that is key to India&rsquo;s West Asia outreach&mdash;gunfire once again echoed in the Kashmir Valley. PM Modi&rsquo;s visit, like MBS&rsquo;s in 2019, was abruptly cut short.
Coincidence? Hardly. These attacks are deliberate acts of political signalling.
<h2>Pakistan&rsquo;s strategic messaging through violence</h2>
Just days before the Pahalgam massacre, Pakistan&rsquo;s Army Chief General Asif Munir delivered a chilling address. He declared Kashmir to be Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;jugular vein,&rdquo; invoking the discredited Two-Nation Theory&mdash;an ideological relic from 1947 that still fuels Pakistan&rsquo;s irredentist obsession with Kashmir. This speech, laced with jingoism and cloaked in religious zeal, ended up as a not-so-subtle rallying cry for jihadist proxies.
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/another-pakistan-about-to-emerge-in-uk-scottish-leader-anas-sarwar-exhorts-pakistanis-to-take-power-watch-9011598" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&lsquo;Another Pakistan about to emerge in UK&rsquo;: Scottish leader Anas Sarwar exhorts Pakistanis to &lsquo;take power&rsquo; | Watch</a>
On the very same day, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Musa echoed Munir&rsquo;s call to arms. &ldquo;Inshallah, we will shower bullets,&rdquo; he warned in a video released widely across jihadist Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups. Five days later, bullets were indeed showered. And the LeT connection is as clear as day.
The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the massacre, is a rebranded extension of LeT, created post-abrogation of Article 370 to mask its Pakistani origins under the illusion of &ldquo;local&rdquo; resistance.&nbsp;
But there is little local about it. Investigations now suggest that at least two of the terrorists involved were Kashmiris who had travelled to Pakistan in 2018&mdash;where they were radicalised and trained before being inserted back across the Line of Control. This isn&rsquo;t insurgency; it&rsquo;s infiltration.
<h2>Twin objectives: Undermining diplomacy and destabilising tourism</h2>
This attack, like others before it, serves twin objectives. First, it attempts to undermine India&rsquo;s growing influence in West Asia. Saudi Arabia, once a dependable partner of Pakistan, has shifted its strategic calculus. With India emerging as a regional economic powerhouse and a partner in Gulf energy security, Riyadh has made a clear pivot.&nbsp;
Pakistan, whose relationship with the Gulf is increasingly transactional, views this with alarm. By orchestrating violence during an India-Gulf diplomatic engagement, Islamabad is attempting to tell India that if it deepens ties with Riyadh, the costs will be high.
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/terrorists-covered-rugged-terrain-from-kokernag-to-pahalgam-in-22-hours-for-attack-source-9007490" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Terrorists covered rugged terrain from Kokernag to Pahalgam in 22 hours for attack: Source</a>
Second, the attack is aimed at Kashmir&rsquo;s economy, particularly tourism. Over the past two years, Kashmir has seen a dramatic revival in domestic and international tourist inflows&mdash;with 2 crore visitors in 2024 alone. Hotels are full, houseboats on Dal Lake are booked, and trekking trails are alive with activity. This economic upswing is a death knell to the separatist narrative. Terror groups thrive on despair, unemployment, and alienation. Tourism undermines all three. By targeting tourists&mdash;women, children, and the elderly&mdash;TRF hoped to scare away potential visitors and reignite economic stagnation. In doing so, it seeks to sabotage the gains of peace.
<h2>The global stakes</h2>
Pakistan&rsquo;s use of terrorism is not new. But the Pahalgam attack adds a layer of global complexity. It is a direct challenge to the international community: to those in Riyadh, in Washington, in London, and in the United Nations, who continue to view terrorism in Kashmir through the obsolete lens of internal conflict.&nbsp;
The perpetrators of this attack are not rogue elements; they are instruments of a long-standing foreign policy playbook that Pakistan has never abandoned&mdash;export jihad, deflect blame, play the victim.
For India, this tragedy is not just a security failure&mdash;it is a call to reorient its counter-terror doctrine. We must widen the aperture of intelligence cooperation with Gulf partners, enhance surveillance along infiltration routes, and continue surgical precision operations against active terrorists. Equally important is our information warfare&mdash;naming and shaming Pakistan&rsquo;s role at global forums, diplomatically isolating it, and exposing the terror-industrial complex it has built over decades.
<h2>A veteran&rsquo;s reflection</h2>
As someone who has served in the Valley and seen both blood and hope etched into its landscape, I know that terrorism in Kashmir is never just about territory. It&rsquo;s about narrative, leverage, and symbolism. The Pahalgam massacre is Pakistan&rsquo;s way of asserting that the Kashmir file is still open, and that it will not fade quietly into irrelevance.
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-indus-waters-treaty-suspension-bjp-mp-calls-for-stopping-water-to-bangladesh-9008124" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After Indus Waters Treaty suspension, BJP MP calls for stopping water to Bangladesh</a>
But Pakistan forgets one thing. Today, India is not the India it knew. Our will is firmer, our response is more calibrated, and our partnerships are deeper. Kashmiris, too, are stakeholders in peace, in progress, and in prosperity.
The bullets fired in Pahalgam will not silence the voice of Kashmir. But they must harden our resolve to completely destroy the possibility of any such attacks in the future.
(Col. Danvir Singh (Retd) is a military veteran who is now associated with different television and print media as a consultant on defence and strategic affairs. He follows developments in weapon systems closely and carries out analysis on matters of Defence, Strategy, &amp; Foreign Affairs with a special focus on India&rsquo;s neighbourhood. A prolific writer, Col. Danvir, is the author of the book Kashmir&rsquo;s Death Trap: Tales of Perfidy and Valour.)
(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the massacre, is a rebranded extension of LeT, created post-abrogation of Article 370 to mask its Pakistani origins under the illusion of “local” resistance.

The massacre in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, of at least 26 innocent tourists is a brazen, calculated strike bearing the unmistakable hallmarks of Pakistan. For those of us who have watched the arc of terrorism in Kashmir bend and mutate over decades, this attack fits into a pattern: a convergence of diplomatic disruption, ideological provocation, and asymmetric warfare. Pattern of provocative timing Terror in Kashmir rarely occurs in a vacuum. It has historically been tethered to moments of geopolitical significance—precisely timed to undercut India’s diplomatic advances, Kashmir’s economic progress, or to create strategic diversions. Before delving into what happened this week, a refresher from 2019 is needed. Also Read | General Asim Munir’s radical agenda: Pakistan’s deep state terror nexus exposed in Pahalgam attack On February 14, 2019, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was on a tour of Pakistan and scheduled to visit India, Pulwama was set ablaze—40 Indian paramilitary personnel were martyred in an attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a group long fostered by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The optics were unmistakable. MBS, who had called India a “strategic partner,” was compelled to truncate his trip. Now, six years later, history appears to have repeated itself. On April 22, 2025, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Riyadh to deepen strategic ties with Saudi Arabia—a country that is key to India’s West Asia outreach—gunfire once again echoed in the Kashmir Valley. PM Modi’s visit, like MBS’s in 2019, was abruptly cut short. Coincidence? Hardly. These attacks are deliberate acts of political signalling. Pakistan’s strategic messaging through violence Just days before the Pahalgam massacre, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asif Munir delivered a chilling address. He declared Kashmir to be Pakistan’s “jugular vein,” invoking the discredited Two-Nation Theory—an ideological relic from 1947 that still fuels Pakistan’s irredentist obsession with Kashmir. This speech, laced with jingoism and cloaked in religious zeal, ended up as a not-so-subtle rallying cry for jihadist proxies. Also Read | ‘Another Pakistan about to emerge in UK’: Scottish leader Anas Sarwar exhorts Pakistanis to ‘take power’ | Watch On the very same day, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Musa echoed Munir’s call to arms. “Inshallah, we will shower bullets,” he warned in a video released widely across jihadist Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups. Five days later, bullets were indeed showered. And the LeT connection is as clear as day. The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the massacre, is a rebranded extension of LeT, created post-abrogation of Article 370 to mask its Pakistani origins under the illusion of “local” resistance. But there is little local about it. Investigations now suggest that at least two of the terrorists involved were Kashmiris who had travelled to Pakistan in 2018—where they were radicalised and trained before being inserted back across the Line of Control. This isn’t insurgency; it’s infiltration. Twin objectives: Undermining diplomacy and destabilising tourism This attack, like others before it, serves twin objectives. First, it attempts to undermine India’s growing influence in West Asia. Saudi Arabia, once a dependable partner of Pakistan, has shifted its strategic calculus. With India emerging as a regional economic powerhouse and a partner in Gulf energy security, Riyadh has made a clear pivot. Pakistan, whose relationship with the Gulf is increasingly transactional, views this with alarm. By orchestrating violence during an India-Gulf diplomatic engagement, Islamabad is attempting to tell India that if it deepens ties with Riyadh, the costs will be high. Also Read | Terrorists covered rugged terrain from Kokernag to Pahalgam in 22 hours for attack: Source Second, the attack is aimed at Kashmir’s economy, particularly tourism. Over the past two years, Kashmir has seen a dramatic revival in domestic and international tourist inflows—with 2 crore visitors in 2024 alone. Hotels are full, houseboats on Dal Lake are booked, and trekking trails are alive with activity. This economic upswing is a death knell to the separatist narrative. Terror groups thrive on despair, unemployment, and alienation. Tourism undermines all three. By targeting tourists—women, children, and the elderly—TRF hoped to scare away potential visitors and reignite economic stagnation. In doing so, it seeks to sabotage the gains of peace. The global stakes Pakistan’s use of terrorism is not new. But the Pahalgam attack adds a layer of global complexity. It is a direct challenge to the international community: to those in Riyadh, in Washington, in London, and in the United Nations, who continue to view terrorism in Kashmir through the obsolete lens of internal conflict. The perpetrators of this attack are not rogue elements; they are instruments of a long-standing foreign policy playbook that Pakistan has never abandoned—export jihad, deflect blame, play the victim. For India, this tragedy is not just a security failure—it is a call to reorient its counter-terror doctrine. We must widen the aperture of intelligence cooperation with Gulf partners, enhance surveillance along infiltration routes, and continue surgical precision operations against active terrorists. Equally important is our information warfare—naming and shaming Pakistan’s role at global forums, diplomatically isolating it, and exposing the terror-industrial complex it has built over decades. A veteran’s reflection As someone who has served in the Valley and seen both blood and hope etched into its landscape, I know that terrorism in Kashmir is never just about territory. It’s about narrative, leverage, and symbolism. The Pahalgam massacre is Pakistan’s way of asserting that the Kashmir file is still open, and that it will not fade quietly into irrelevance. Also Read | After Indus Waters Treaty suspension, BJP MP calls for stopping water to Bangladesh But Pakistan forgets one thing. Today, India is not the India it knew. Our will is firmer, our response is more calibrated, and our partnerships are deeper. Kashmiris, too, are stakeholders in peace, in progress, and in prosperity. The bullets fired in Pahalgam will not silence the voice of Kashmir. But they must harden our resolve to completely destroy the possibility of any such attacks in the future. (Col. Danvir Singh (Retd) is a military veteran who is now associated with different television and print media as a consultant on defence and strategic affairs. He follows developments in weapon systems closely and carries out analysis on matters of Defence, Strategy, & Foreign Affairs with a special focus on India’s neighbourhood. A prolific writer, Col. Danvir, is the author of the book Kashmir’s Death Trap: Tales of Perfidy and Valour.) (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Pakistan’s hunt for fulfilling twin goals is behind the terror in Kashmir

The Indian Army operates in unique and diverse terrains. Field testing of artillery systems is a crucial step for the Indian Army due to the unique and diverse terrain it operates in and the operational challenges it presents.&nbsp;
Artillery systems are positioned in challenging geographical terrains such as high-altitude mountains, deserts, jungles, plains, and coastal areas.&nbsp;
In high-altitude regions such as Ladakh and Sikkim, rarefied air enhances artillery range but affects equipment calibration and the effectiveness of munitions. Moreover, extreme cold conditions impact system mobility, lubrication, and electronics.&nbsp;
In desert areas, high temperatures and sandy conditions degrade mechanical components, directly impacting firing accuracy. Additionally, dust infiltration into sensitive parts requires robust sealing mechanisms.&nbsp;
Dense vegetation in jungle terrains affects line-of-sight targeting, complicating logistics. High humidity also contributes to greater wear and tear on equipment.&nbsp;
Field trials simulate these conditions to ensure artillery systems like the ATAGS, K9 Vajra, and M777 perform reliably across all terrains. These trials are vital for operational readiness along India&rsquo;s borders&mdash;especially the Line of Control (LC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC)&mdash;where rapid deployment and precision targeting are essential for sustained firepower.&nbsp;
Given these operational considerations, field tests specifically validate the &lsquo;shoot-and-scoot&rsquo; capabilities, enabling the Indian Army to avoid enemy counter-battery fire.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/bold-blunt-and-banned-groks-indian-journey-hangs-in-balance-8877176" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bold, Blunt, and Banned? Grok&rsquo;s Indian Journey Hangs in Balance</a>
Moreover, field trials verify system performance against stringent benchmarks such as range, rate of fire, mobility, and precision. These evaluations inform artillery operators about optimal deployment strategies, ensuring system reliability during combat. Mobility trials, particularly on steep and narrow terrains, are also critical components of these tests.&nbsp;
As part of the Army&rsquo;s careful and thorough approach to inducting heavy weapons systems, even after contracts are signed, prototypes undergo rigorous validation before bulk production commences to guarantee reliability.&nbsp;
Now, with the Indian Army increasingly emphasising indigenous procurement, field trials offer crucial feedback loops for manufacturers. This is evident from the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), developed by DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) recently approved a ₹7,000 crore contract to procure 307 ATAGS and 327 gun-towing vehicles to equip 15 artillery regiments. Bharat Forge emerged as the lowest bidder (L-1) and will manufacture 60% of the guns, with TASL producing the remaining 40%. The contract is expected to be signed shortly.&nbsp;
However, even after contracts are finalised, the Army ensures manufacturers' prototypes meet basic qualitative requirements (QRs). In the case of ATAGS, rigorous field trials&mdash;including winter trials in high-altitude regions of Sikkim and summer firing tests at Pokhran&mdash;ensured that the system achieved reliability and durability standards. Following a barrel burst during a 2020 trial, modifications were made to meet stringent safety standards, further emphasising the importance of these QRs.&nbsp;
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/russia-ukraine-war-trumps-ukraine-peace-plan-isnt-about-peace-its-a-pr-stunt-8862762" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Trump&rsquo;s Ukraine &lsquo;peace&rsquo; plan isn&rsquo;t about peace. It&rsquo;s a PR stunt</a>
The current status of various other artillery systems in which Bharat Forge has responded to requests for proposal (RFP) highlights the Army&rsquo;s detailed and structured procurement strategy.&nbsp;
155mm/52 Cal Mounted Gun System (MGS) - &nbsp;The RFP was issued to Indian firms, including Bharat Forge, in July 2023. When scheduled field evaluations approached, all contenders requested an extension until December 2025 to produce their prototypes for evaluation.&nbsp;
155mm/52 Cal Towed Gun System (TGS) - An RFP was issued in July 2024. The field evaluation of these guns by the Indian Army is scheduled for July 2025.&nbsp;
Despite the export potential and overseas sales secured by indigenous artillery platforms like ATAGS, manufacturers must still meet the Army's stringent QRs before domestic induction. The Indian Army provides considerable support to defence manufacturers&mdash;including access to firing ranges, assistance for technical activities during firing trials to validate internal milestones, and opportunities for manufacturers to showcase their equipment to international clients.&nbsp;
Bharat Forge&rsquo;s participation across these artillery projects emphasises the growing role of private industry in India&rsquo;s artillery modernisation drive, aligned with the vision of self-reliance in defence manufacturing.&nbsp;
The recently CCS-approved ₹7,000 crore procurement for 307 ATAGS, along with 327 gun-towing vehicles, significantly advances India's indigenous defence manufacturing capability. ATAGS, recognised for their accuracy, consistency, reliability, mobility, automation, and advanced all-electric drive technology, represent a major step towards enhancing India's artillery firepower.&nbsp;
As evidenced by the protracted Russia-Ukraine war, the strategic necessity for long-range, high-volume firepower is clear. Consequently, the Indian Army has intensified its artillery modernisation, including recent procurements of rocket systems, loitering munitions, and other artillery platforms. The CCS clearance of the ATAGS contract aligns perfectly with this strategic direction, strengthening India's operational preparedness along critical borders.&nbsp;
Rigorous and realistic field trials remain central to validating artillery performance, ensuring systems meet India's unique operational requirements while enabling indigenous platforms to match&mdash;and even surpass&mdash;foreign artillery systems in terms of reliability and effectiveness.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

In high-altitude regions such as Ladakh and Sikkim, rarefied air enhances artillery range but affects equipment calibration and the effectiveness of munitions.

The Indian Army operates in unique and diverse terrains. Field testing of artillery systems is a crucial step for the Indian Army due to the unique and diverse terrain it operates in and the operational challenges it presents. Artillery systems are positioned in challenging geographical terrains such as high-altitude mountains, deserts, jungles, plains, and coastal areas. In high-altitude regions such as Ladakh and Sikkim, rarefied air enhances artillery range but affects equipment calibration and the effectiveness of munitions. Moreover, extreme cold conditions impact system mobility, lubrication, and electronics. In desert areas, high temperatures and sandy conditions degrade mechanical components, directly impacting firing accuracy. Additionally, dust infiltration into sensitive parts requires robust sealing mechanisms. Dense vegetation in jungle terrains affects line-of-sight targeting, complicating logistics. High humidity also contributes to greater wear and tear on equipment. Field trials simulate these conditions to ensure artillery systems like the ATAGS, K9 Vajra, and M777 perform reliably across all terrains. These trials are vital for operational readiness along India’s borders—especially the Line of Control (LC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC)—where rapid deployment and precision targeting are essential for sustained firepower. Given these operational considerations, field tests specifically validate the ‘shoot-and-scoot’ capabilities, enabling the Indian Army to avoid enemy counter-battery fire. Also Read: Bold, Blunt, and Banned? Grok’s Indian Journey Hangs in Balance Moreover, field trials verify system performance against stringent benchmarks such as range, rate of fire, mobility, and precision. These evaluations inform artillery operators about optimal deployment strategies, ensuring system reliability during combat. Mobility trials, particularly on steep and narrow terrains, are also critical components of these tests. As part of the Army’s careful and thorough approach to inducting heavy weapons systems, even after contracts are signed, prototypes undergo rigorous validation before bulk production commences to guarantee reliability. Now, with the Indian Army increasingly emphasising indigenous procurement, field trials offer crucial feedback loops for manufacturers. This is evident from the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), developed by DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) recently approved a ₹7,000 crore contract to procure 307 ATAGS and 327 gun-towing vehicles to equip 15 artillery regiments. Bharat Forge emerged as the lowest bidder (L-1) and will manufacture 60% of the guns, with TASL producing the remaining 40%. The contract is expected to be signed shortly. However, even after contracts are finalised, the Army ensures manufacturers' prototypes meet basic qualitative requirements (QRs). In the case of ATAGS, rigorous field trials—including winter trials in high-altitude regions of Sikkim and summer firing tests at Pokhran—ensured that the system achieved reliability and durability standards. Following a barrel burst during a 2020 trial, modifications were made to meet stringent safety standards, further emphasising the importance of these QRs. Also Read: Trump’s Ukraine ‘peace’ plan isn’t about peace. It’s a PR stunt The current status of various other artillery systems in which Bharat Forge has responded to requests for proposal (RFP) highlights the Army’s detailed and structured procurement strategy. 155mm/52 Cal Mounted Gun System (MGS) - The RFP was issued to Indian firms, including Bharat Forge, in July 2023. When scheduled field evaluations approached, all contenders requested an extension until December 2025 to produce their prototypes for evaluation. 155mm/52 Cal Towed Gun System (TGS) - An RFP was issued in July 2024. The field evaluation of these guns by the Indian Army is scheduled for July 2025. Despite the export potential and overseas sales secured by indigenous artillery platforms like ATAGS, manufacturers must still meet the Army's stringent QRs before domestic induction. The Indian Army provides considerable support to defence manufacturers—including access to firing ranges, assistance for technical activities during firing trials to validate internal milestones, and opportunities for manufacturers to showcase their equipment to international clients. Bharat Forge’s participation across these artillery projects emphasises the growing role of private industry in India’s artillery modernisation drive, aligned with the vision of self-reliance in defence manufacturing. The recently CCS-approved ₹7,000 crore procurement for 307 ATAGS, along with 327 gun-towing vehicles, significantly advances India's indigenous defence manufacturing capability. ATAGS, recognised for their accuracy, consistency, reliability, mobility, automation, and advanced all-electric drive technology, represent a major step towards enhancing India's artillery firepower. As evidenced by the protracted Russia-Ukraine war, the strategic necessity for long-range, high-volume firepower is clear. Consequently, the Indian Army has intensified its artillery modernisation, including recent procurements of rocket systems, loitering munitions, and other artillery platforms. The CCS clearance of the ATAGS contract aligns perfectly with this strategic direction, strengthening India's operational preparedness along critical borders. Rigorous and realistic field trials remain central to validating artillery performance, ensuring systems meet India's unique operational requirements while enabling indigenous platforms to match—and even surpass—foreign artillery systems in terms of reliability and effectiveness.

Understanding Artillery Trials: Why Field Testing is Crucial for Indian Terrain & Operations

I recall my Siachen Glacier stint in the year 2003. Largely nothing much has changed ever since when you see things from a distance. But a lot has gone into when you see things up close. One such major challenge of all times was that of the drinking water. We use to melt the snow and use the water for cooking and drinking purposes. It tasted flat and tasteless. More so regular use of this water killed the appetite big time.

On this issue, things have begun to change. All credit goes to the master innovator, Mr Sonam Wangchuk from Leh. This water storage and supply concept appealed to the Brigade Commander of &nbsp;Siachen Brigade, Brigadier Bhupesh Hada, Shaurya Chakra, so much that he set his team to task. They studied this concept and adapted it to the usage of troops on the glacier.

Today this concept of water storage or rather the Artificial Glacier Water Supply Scheme (AGWSS) has been put into practice at the highest battlefield on the earth at 18,000-22,000 feet.

&nbsp;What exactly is this AGWSS? Let me try and explain.

AWSS basically is developed around the concept of freezing and holding the water that otherwise keeps flowing and wasting away down the subsurface glacial streams throughout the winters.

It comes very handily during the summertime when soft snow has melted away baring the rock hard glacial blue ice. Water becomes a huge challenge especially during the months of May, June and July. The troops go on foot long distances to search for soft snow in shadow areas. They lug it on their backs to melt this collected snow into the water for their daily routine usage. Mind you the height of these operations being above 18,000 feet, oxygen is very low thus making a simple walk of even a kilometre look like a full marathon.

With this AGWSS constructed at such forward posts which are denuded of their water source when the complete soft snow has melted during late summer, a major boon.

AGWSS are developed by freezing stream water vertically in the form of ice towers or cones of 30 to 50 metres (100-165 feet) high and can store a tremendous amount of water. An artificial glacier is formed by piping mountain stream water into a vertical pipe. The stream water is collected from a source at a higher altitude than the storage making the site gravity fed. Because of the simple law of nature that the water always maintains its level, it soon reaches the same height as the source.

Following this simple rule, the stream run-off is pushed all the way to the bottom of the pipe and forces out of the top. The water sprouts geyser-like from the pipe, freezing into a cone of ice shaped like a Stupa. Because of the temperatures as low as minus 40-50 degrees, the water almost instantly freezes as soon as it exits the pipe. Its geometrical shape makes the ice melt slower by exposing the lesser surface area to direct sunlight.

This innovation of Sonam Wangchuk and adaptation by Bhupesh Hada&rsquo;s team has now resulted in saving many a man hours in collecting the soft snow and melting to convert into potable water. Now the time saved will get dedicated towards operational tasks more meaningfully.

I wish we had such an innovation to our service, the food would have tasted much better, life would have been a little better.&nbsp;

This simple and great innovation should not stop here but extend all the way to our scientific station at Antarctica. &nbsp;And also to other places in our Himalayan region for usage by troops and civilian villages.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Artificial Glacier Water Supply Scheme has now resulted in saving many a man hours in collecting the soft snow and melting to convert into potable water. This simple and great innovation should not stop here but extend in our Himalayan region for usage by troops and civilian villages.

I recall my Siachen Glacier stint in the year 2003. Largely nothing much has changed ever since when you see things from a distance. But a lot has gone into when you see things up close. One such major challenge of all times was that of the drinking water. We use to melt the snow and use the water for cooking and drinking purposes. It tasted flat and tasteless. More so regular use of this water killed the appetite big time. On this issue, things have begun to change. All credit goes to the master innovator, Mr Sonam Wangchuk from Leh. This water storage and supply concept appealed to the Brigade Commander of Siachen Brigade, Brigadier Bhupesh Hada, Shaurya Chakra, so much that he set his team to task. They studied this concept and adapted it to the usage of troops on the glacier. Today this concept of water storage or rather the Artificial Glacier Water Supply Scheme (AGWSS) has been put into practice at the highest battlefield on the earth at 18,000-22,000 feet. What exactly is this AGWSS? Let me try and explain. AWSS basically is developed around the concept of freezing and holding the water that otherwise keeps flowing and wasting away down the subsurface glacial streams throughout the winters. It comes very handily during the summertime when soft snow has melted away baring the rock hard glacial blue ice. Water becomes a huge challenge especially during the months of May, June and July. The troops go on foot long distances to search for soft snow in shadow areas. They lug it on their backs to melt this collected snow into the water for their daily routine usage. Mind you the height of these operations being above 18,000 feet, oxygen is very low thus making a simple walk of even a kilometre look like a full marathon. With this AGWSS constructed at such forward posts which are denuded of their water source when the complete soft snow has melted during late summer, a major boon. AGWSS are developed by freezing stream water vertically in the form of ice towers or cones of 30 to 50 metres (100-165 feet) high and can store a tremendous amount of water. An artificial glacier is formed by piping mountain stream water into a vertical pipe. The stream water is collected from a source at a higher altitude than the storage making the site gravity fed. Because of the simple law of nature that the water always maintains its level, it soon reaches the same height as the source. Following this simple rule, the stream run-off is pushed all the way to the bottom of the pipe and forces out of the top. The water sprouts geyser-like from the pipe, freezing into a cone of ice shaped like a Stupa. Because of the temperatures as low as minus 40-50 degrees, the water almost instantly freezes as soon as it exits the pipe. Its geometrical shape makes the ice melt slower by exposing the lesser surface area to direct sunlight. This innovation of Sonam Wangchuk and adaptation by Bhupesh Hada’s team has now resulted in saving many a man hours in collecting the soft snow and melting to convert into potable water. Now the time saved will get dedicated towards operational tasks more meaningfully. I wish we had such an innovation to our service, the food would have tasted much better, life would have been a little better. This simple and great innovation should not stop here but extend all the way to our scientific station at Antarctica. And also to other places in our Himalayan region for usage by troops and civilian villages. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Troops are thankful, wish for innovations like AGWSS by Sonam Wangchuk

On February 5, 2018, President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in the Maldives, plummeting the whole of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) into dangerous instability. This he did after the Supreme Court ordered him to reinstall opposition MPs and release political prisoners thrown in jail by him.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Defying the order of the Supreme court, Yameen ordered his military to arrest the Chief Justice. Security forces then stormed the court and arrested two judges, as well as a former leader.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On February 6, President Yameen in a statement said that the Supreme Court had reversed the ruling that precipitated the crisis and nine political prisoners would not be released.

&nbsp;

This political drama sparked concerns in India. Last week, in an unusually strong statement, India pointed out how it is &quot;imperative&quot; for the Maldives government to obey the Supreme Court.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

China, which signed a free trade agreement with the Maldives last year, said on February 4 that the Maldives, a country of roughly 400,000 people, has &quot;the wisdom and capabilities to cope with the current situation independently&rdquo;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Amidst all this, the exiled ex-Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has urged India for helping his country out of this crisis through diplomatic and military intervention. India, on its part, reacting to the crisis said that it was &ldquo;disturbed&rdquo; over the situation in the archipelago.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the other hand, India is no more first. The Maldives has sent its first envoy after this crisis erupted, to friendly nations to explain declaration of emergency. The special envoys are visiting China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Interestingly, just a month ago Yameen&rsquo;s envoy to Delhi had reaffirmed &ldquo;India First&rdquo; policy. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile here in India, the leading dailies reported Indian troops ready for intervention on short notice. Some quoted the government&rsquo;s sources saying that the troops are on standby as per the SOP for evacuation of the Indians if the situation develops dangerously.

&nbsp;

Some senior journalists dug their archives and brought out their account of Indian intervention in the Maldives on November 3, 1988. On the twitter and other social media platforms, many have expressed their excitement and predicted an inevitable repeat of operation Cactus of 1988.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, that may not be so forthcoming and simple as it is being talked about. A lot has changed ever since 1988. Increased sea trade traffic, extreme vulnerability to disruption of shipping and trade by terrorists and pirates make the Maldives strategically very important. &nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Located in the middle of&nbsp;the Indian Ocean, the Maldives archipelago comprises of 1,200 coral islands, dotting around the key shipping lanes. Making them the potential security pivots in ensuring uninterrupted energy supplies to countries, such as China, Japan and India. The regional and global powers consider the Maldives to become the epicentre to dominate the region.

&nbsp;

Over the past decades, in the name of antipiracy operations, all the major global and regional powers have increased their Naval presence in the Indian ocean right up to&nbsp;the Gulf of Aden. Maldives&#39; significance has steadily grown and now it&#39;s at the heart of international geopolitics. This new found position is well understood by the President of Maldives. Thus, Yameen is exploiting it to his advantage.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Maldives provides the crucial link to the Chinese geopolitical designs of String of Pearls in the IOR. Starting from Hambantota in Sri Lanka to Male and stretching over to Gawadar in Pakistan and then to Dijobuti, China is India&rsquo;s main geopolitical challenger in the Indian Ocean Region. China has built ports, airports and other infrastructure in consolidating its position in these countries. Djibouti, a small African nation that is also home to China&rsquo;s first overseas military base, add complexity to this overall security dimensions.

&nbsp;

India on her part has been more assertive under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in pushing to maintain geo-strategic supremacy in the Indian Ocean. Today India has the backing from the U.S. and Japan, thus making this region a perfect playground for the great game.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Being the &lsquo;net security provider&rsquo; to the whole of Indian Ocean region, India is the key stability factor. India needs to exercise its role rather diligently in ensuring regional peace, working closely with the Maldives amongst others on matters of defence and security.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, China&#39;s massive economic presence in the Maldives is a major concern for India. With 70% of Maldives&#39; external aid coming from China, India was left out high and dry, just like it happened in Rajapaksa&rsquo;s Sri Lanka. India has no other options but to regain its lost space in her area of influence. This political crisis may prove to be the right opportunity and push back.

&nbsp;

&quot;As India tries to establish itself as the preeminent power in the Indian Ocean region, the Maldives has become increasingly important,&quot; said Constantino Xavier, a fellow at Carnegie India in New Delhi. Yameen has &quot;definitely accelerated his outreach to China, to fend off pressure from the west and also reduce leverage from India.&quot;

&nbsp;

The Maldives has become politically volatile in recent years. Yameen, who has courted Chinese and Saudi investment since coming to power in an election in 2013, has been criticised by the US State Department for jailing opposition politicians and eroding human rights protections.The U.S. has condemned the state of emergency.

&nbsp;

It should be recalled that Maldives was the only SAARC country which showed reluctance to follow India&#39;s call for the boycott of SAARC summit in Pakistan after the Uri attack. India has to get the Maldives back into its folds to ward off the long-term dangers to its security posed by the Chinese and the growing Islamic fundamentalism.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The archipelago accounts for one of the highest numbers of foreign fighters in Syria in terms of per capita. Pakistan&rsquo;s ISI is also reported to be supporting the LeT activities in this country and exploiting its proximity to the Indian state of Kerala. India can ill-afford a neighbour with high Islamic radicalisation.

&nbsp;

A leading Indian national daily on February 7th reported, &#39;Exiled former president&nbsp;Mohamed Nasheed&nbsp;on Wednesday asked India to play the role of &quot;liberators&quot; and intervene militarily to resolve the ongoing political turmoil in the Maldives, in a rebuke to China which has opposed military intervention and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.&#39; The newspaper further mentioned, &ldquo;China has&nbsp;warned against any military intervention&nbsp;in the Maldives, saying such a move would further complicate the situation in the island nation where embattled President&nbsp;Abdulla Yameen, who is closely allied with Beijing, declared a state of emergency on Monday and arrested two top judges&rdquo;.

&nbsp;

Under these circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for Indian planners to take a call and put up a repeat of Operation Cactus in restoring the situation. President Yameen, fully backed by his security forces and supported by the radical elements (in all probabilities they could well be armed), make it impossible for the Indian troops to land at Velna airport with impunity as it was the case in 1998.

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s recently raised Amphibious force with a motto of, &ldquo;No land too far, No Sea too deep&rdquo; could ideally be spearheading the military part of Indian foreign policy&rsquo;s hard power option this time around.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Unconfirmed sources do indicate that this formation is on a short notice to respond to this arisen contingency. It could well mean seeing India&rsquo;s sole Landing Platform Dock, INS Jalashwa in action if the show of strength fails to bring about that necessary change.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Catering for a strong Chinese naval presence in the IOR with an equally strong countervailing Indian naval battle groups must be high on the agenda of South Block. Shadowing and manoeuvring around the Chinese on the high seas to deter them from any misadventure and threatening moves to Indian interests will be an operation by itself.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Mustering this large force may still take a few days for India. But, will Yameen give India reasons enough to intervene, on the pretext of evacuating stranded Indians or saving the lives of beleaguered political prisoners, is what that needs to be seen.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

President Yameen, fully backed by his security forces and supported by the radical elements, make it impossible for the Indian troops to land at Velna airport with impunity as it was the case in 1998.

On February 5, 2018, President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in the Maldives, plummeting the whole of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) into dangerous instability. This he did after the Supreme Court ordered him to reinstall opposition MPs and release political prisoners thrown in jail by him. Defying the order of the Supreme court, Yameen ordered his military to arrest the Chief Justice. Security forces then stormed the court and arrested two judges, as well as a former leader. On February 6, President Yameen in a statement said that the Supreme Court had reversed the ruling that precipitated the crisis and nine political prisoners would not be released. This political drama sparked concerns in India. Last week, in an unusually strong statement, India pointed out how it is "imperative" for the Maldives government to obey the Supreme Court. China, which signed a free trade agreement with the Maldives last year, said on February 4 that the Maldives, a country of roughly 400,000 people, has "the wisdom and capabilities to cope with the current situation independently”. Amidst all this, the exiled ex-Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has urged India for helping his country out of this crisis through diplomatic and military intervention. India, on its part, reacting to the crisis said that it was “disturbed” over the situation in the archipelago. On the other hand, India is no more first. The Maldives has sent its first envoy after this crisis erupted, to friendly nations to explain declaration of emergency. The special envoys are visiting China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Interestingly, just a month ago Yameen’s envoy to Delhi had reaffirmed “India First” policy. Meanwhile here in India, the leading dailies reported Indian troops ready for intervention on short notice. Some quoted the government’s sources saying that the troops are on standby as per the SOP for evacuation of the Indians if the situation develops dangerously. Some senior journalists dug their archives and brought out their account of Indian intervention in the Maldives on November 3, 1988. On the twitter and other social media platforms, many have expressed their excitement and predicted an inevitable repeat of operation Cactus of 1988. However, that may not be so forthcoming and simple as it is being talked about. A lot has changed ever since 1988. Increased sea trade traffic, extreme vulnerability to disruption of shipping and trade by terrorists and pirates make the Maldives strategically very important. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives archipelago comprises of 1,200 coral islands, dotting around the key shipping lanes. Making them the potential security pivots in ensuring uninterrupted energy supplies to countries, such as China, Japan and India. The regional and global powers consider the Maldives to become the epicentre to dominate the region. Over the past decades, in the name of antipiracy operations, all the major global and regional powers have increased their Naval presence in the Indian ocean right up to the Gulf of Aden. Maldives' significance has steadily grown and now it's at the heart of international geopolitics. This new found position is well understood by the President of Maldives. Thus, Yameen is exploiting it to his advantage. Maldives provides the crucial link to the Chinese geopolitical designs of String of Pearls in the IOR. Starting from Hambantota in Sri Lanka to Male and stretching over to Gawadar in Pakistan and then to Dijobuti, China is India’s main geopolitical challenger in the Indian Ocean Region. China has built ports, airports and other infrastructure in consolidating its position in these countries. Djibouti, a small African nation that is also home to China’s first overseas military base, add complexity to this overall security dimensions. India on her part has been more assertive under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in pushing to maintain geo-strategic supremacy in the Indian Ocean. Today India has the backing from the U.S. and Japan, thus making this region a perfect playground for the great game. Being the ‘net security provider’ to the whole of Indian Ocean region, India is the key stability factor. India needs to exercise its role rather diligently in ensuring regional peace, working closely with the Maldives amongst others on matters of defence and security. However, China's massive economic presence in the Maldives is a major concern for India. With 70% of Maldives' external aid coming from China, India was left out high and dry, just like it happened in Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka. India has no other options but to regain its lost space in her area of influence. This political crisis may prove to be the right opportunity and push back. "As India tries to establish itself as the preeminent power in the Indian Ocean region, the Maldives has become increasingly important," said Constantino Xavier, a fellow at Carnegie India in New Delhi. Yameen has "definitely accelerated his outreach to China, to fend off pressure from the west and also reduce leverage from India." The Maldives has become politically volatile in recent years. Yameen, who has courted Chinese and Saudi investment since coming to power in an election in 2013, has been criticised by the US State Department for jailing opposition politicians and eroding human rights protections.The U.S. has condemned the state of emergency. It should be recalled that Maldives was the only SAARC country which showed reluctance to follow India's call for the boycott of SAARC summit in Pakistan after the Uri attack. India has to get the Maldives back into its folds to ward off the long-term dangers to its security posed by the Chinese and the growing Islamic fundamentalism. The archipelago accounts for one of the highest numbers of foreign fighters in Syria in terms of per capita. Pakistan’s ISI is also reported to be supporting the LeT activities in this country and exploiting its proximity to the Indian state of Kerala. India can ill-afford a neighbour with high Islamic radicalisation. A leading Indian national daily on February 7th reported, 'Exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday asked India to play the role of "liberators" and intervene militarily to resolve the ongoing political turmoil in the Maldives, in a rebuke to China which has opposed military intervention and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.' The newspaper further mentioned, “China has warned against any military intervention in the Maldives, saying such a move would further complicate the situation in the island nation where embattled President Abdulla Yameen, who is closely allied with Beijing, declared a state of emergency on Monday and arrested two top judges”. Under these circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for Indian planners to take a call and put up a repeat of Operation Cactus in restoring the situation. President Yameen, fully backed by his security forces and supported by the radical elements (in all probabilities they could well be armed), make it impossible for the Indian troops to land at Velna airport with impunity as it was the case in 1998. India’s recently raised Amphibious force with a motto of, “No land too far, No Sea too deep” could ideally be spearheading the military part of Indian foreign policy’s hard power option this time around. Unconfirmed sources do indicate that this formation is on a short notice to respond to this arisen contingency. It could well mean seeing India’s sole Landing Platform Dock, INS Jalashwa in action if the show of strength fails to bring about that necessary change. Catering for a strong Chinese naval presence in the IOR with an equally strong countervailing Indian naval battle groups must be high on the agenda of South Block. Shadowing and manoeuvring around the Chinese on the high seas to deter them from any misadventure and threatening moves to Indian interests will be an operation by itself. Mustering this large force may still take a few days for India. But, will Yameen give India reasons enough to intervene, on the pretext of evacuating stranded Indians or saving the lives of beleaguered political prisoners, is what that needs to be seen. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why India can't repeat Operation Cactus in the Maldives

India&rsquo;s Defence Budget FY 18-19 registered only a marginal increase. Allocation from previous FY moved up from 2.74 lakh crores to 2.95 lakh crores. Thus, pitching the increase at 1.58% of the projected GDP for 2018-19. This is probably the lowest in terms of percentage, since the debacle of 1962. This increase is of 7.66% in terms of Budget Estimates (BE) when compared with that of FY 17-18.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley in his budget speech on Feb 01, 2018, dedicated 183 words to the armed forces of India. He praised the role played by our armed forces in meeting the challenges on our borders as well as in managing the internal security environment both in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Finance Minister in his speech said, &ldquo;ever since the NDA Government has assumed office in 2014, lot of emphasis has been given to modernizing and enhancing the operational capability of the Defence Forces.&nbsp; A number of initiatives have been taken to develop and nurture intrinsic defence production capability to make the Nation self-reliant for meeting our defence needs. Ensuring adequate budgetary support will be our priority&rdquo;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He emphasised that the government of the day has opened up private investment in defence production, including liberalising foreign direct investment.&nbsp; Mr Arun Jaitley announced his government&rsquo;s intent to develop two &ldquo;defence industrial production corridors&rdquo; in the country. He added that the Government will also bring out an industry-friendly Defence Production Policy 2018 to promote domestic production by public sector, private sector and MSMEs.

&nbsp;

The Finance Minister declared that the government was focusing on developing connectivity infrastructure in border areas to secure the country&#39;s defences. &quot;Rohtang tunnel has been completed to provide all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region. The contract for construction of Zozila Pass tunnel of more than 14 kilometers is progressing well. He announced the proposal to take up construction of a tunnel under Sela Pass (in Arunachal Pradesh).

&nbsp;

Comparative analysis of the Defence Budget 2018-19 reveals that this increase of 7.6 % is majorly under Revenue head showing an increase of 8808 crores. Increase under Revenue head allotment has eclipsed the increase under Capital head by 1314 crore. A total of 62.52% revenue budget this year goes towards the ever-growing burden of pay and allowances of the armed forces personnel.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

This defence budget under Demand No 21, reflects a capital outlay of just Rs 93982.13 crore. This fund is largely utilised for procurement of new weapon systems and modernisation. Out of the amount allotted, nearly 80% would go towards the realisation of existing commitments (installment payments) of deals realised in the previous years. Implying that there would only be 18796.4 cr left for any new procurements towards modernisation.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There is also a capital allotment of 2700 crore for the Coast Guard under the MiscellaneousHead of Demand No 19 of the Defence Budget 2018-19. Thus, making an overall allocation of 96,682.13 crores for capacity and capability building.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, it must be noted that the defence budget does not include Rs 1,08,853 crore separately allocated for defence pensions.

The annual defence budgets over the years have shown a discernible trend of declining modernisation outlays for new projects. This has meant that our armed forces continue to grapple with critical shortages on several fronts, ranging from tank ammunition to fighters and submarines to helicopters, howitzers and modern infantry weapons.

&nbsp;

While the jugglery with the data and the percentages could depict the story of government&rsquo;s apathy and neglect of our armed forces. The decline in the BE is steady and the trend pans over to almost three decades.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

During the FY 2016-17, a sum of 6000 crores was left underutilised. The challenge, so far, actually has not been the budget allocation but rather, its underutilisation. Even doubling this allocation would not solve the issue of underutilisation of BE witnessed each year. The nation suffers in the bargain as capacity building and capability enhancement of our armed forces struggles to meet the growing security challenges. Therefore, the solution lies elsewhere outside the budget. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

To overcome the challenge of underutilisation of the budget, estimates and ever-increasing revenue expenditure induced stress, we need to tackle it through structural reforms. It is now for the civil and military leadership of this country to introspect and review the existing structures, strengths, systems and procedures to overcome these existing formidable barriers hindering modernisation.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The budgetary allocation indicates that Indian armed forces continue to grapple with critical shortages on several fronts, ranging from tank ammunition to fighters and submarines to helicopters, howitzers and modern infantry weapons.

India’s Defence Budget FY 18-19 registered only a marginal increase. Allocation from previous FY moved up from 2.74 lakh crores to 2.95 lakh crores. Thus, pitching the increase at 1.58% of the projected GDP for 2018-19. This is probably the lowest in terms of percentage, since the debacle of 1962. This increase is of 7.66% in terms of Budget Estimates (BE) when compared with that of FY 17-18. India’s Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley in his budget speech on Feb 01, 2018, dedicated 183 words to the armed forces of India. He praised the role played by our armed forces in meeting the challenges on our borders as well as in managing the internal security environment both in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. The Finance Minister in his speech said, “ever since the NDA Government has assumed office in 2014, lot of emphasis has been given to modernizing and enhancing the operational capability of the Defence Forces. A number of initiatives have been taken to develop and nurture intrinsic defence production capability to make the Nation self-reliant for meeting our defence needs. Ensuring adequate budgetary support will be our priority”. He emphasised that the government of the day has opened up private investment in defence production, including liberalising foreign direct investment. Mr Arun Jaitley announced his government’s intent to develop two “defence industrial production corridors” in the country. He added that the Government will also bring out an industry-friendly Defence Production Policy 2018 to promote domestic production by public sector, private sector and MSMEs. The Finance Minister declared that the government was focusing on developing connectivity infrastructure in border areas to secure the country's defences. "Rohtang tunnel has been completed to provide all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region. The contract for construction of Zozila Pass tunnel of more than 14 kilometers is progressing well. He announced the proposal to take up construction of a tunnel under Sela Pass (in Arunachal Pradesh). Comparative analysis of the Defence Budget 2018-19 reveals that this increase of 7.6 % is majorly under Revenue head showing an increase of 8808 crores. Increase under Revenue head allotment has eclipsed the increase under Capital head by 1314 crore. A total of 62.52% revenue budget this year goes towards the ever-growing burden of pay and allowances of the armed forces personnel. This defence budget under Demand No 21, reflects a capital outlay of just Rs 93982.13 crore. This fund is largely utilised for procurement of new weapon systems and modernisation. Out of the amount allotted, nearly 80% would go towards the realisation of existing commitments (installment payments) of deals realised in the previous years. Implying that there would only be 18796.4 cr left for any new procurements towards modernisation. There is also a capital allotment of 2700 crore for the Coast Guard under the MiscellaneousHead of Demand No 19 of the Defence Budget 2018-19. Thus, making an overall allocation of 96,682.13 crores for capacity and capability building. However, it must be noted that the defence budget does not include Rs 1,08,853 crore separately allocated for defence pensions. The annual defence budgets over the years have shown a discernible trend of declining modernisation outlays for new projects. This has meant that our armed forces continue to grapple with critical shortages on several fronts, ranging from tank ammunition to fighters and submarines to helicopters, howitzers and modern infantry weapons. While the jugglery with the data and the percentages could depict the story of government’s apathy and neglect of our armed forces. The decline in the BE is steady and the trend pans over to almost three decades. During the FY 2016-17, a sum of 6000 crores was left underutilised. The challenge, so far, actually has not been the budget allocation but rather, its underutilisation. Even doubling this allocation would not solve the issue of underutilisation of BE witnessed each year. The nation suffers in the bargain as capacity building and capability enhancement of our armed forces struggles to meet the growing security challenges. Therefore, the solution lies elsewhere outside the budget. To overcome the challenge of underutilisation of the budget, estimates and ever-increasing revenue expenditure induced stress, we need to tackle it through structural reforms. It is now for the civil and military leadership of this country to introspect and review the existing structures, strengths, systems and procedures to overcome these existing formidable barriers hindering modernisation. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Since the debacle of 1962, Indian defence gets lowest budgetary allocation

Indian Space Research Organisation&rsquo;s PSLV-C40 rocket carried the Cartosat 2 series satellite along with 30 other satellites of foreign and Indian origin. It was by far the longest mission placing satellites in two different orbits.

&nbsp;

This satellite in the Cartosat 2 series, which is made with the objective of providing high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery which will be used for Land Information System (LIS) as well as Geographical Information System (GIS)-based applications.&nbsp;

This satellite, weighing 710 kg, is carrying on board the state-of-art technology in terms of panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The swath covered by this high-resolution PAN camera is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is less than 1 metre.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s neighbour and arch rival Pakistan has raised questions over the usage of the satellite by India and showed its concern which is not without reason.

&nbsp;

Islamabad&rsquo;s Foreign Office spokesperson said New Delhi must refrain from putting the new satellite to military use which could create trouble in the region. He said, &ldquo;All space technologies, including earth observation satellites, are inherently dual use and can be employed for both civilian and military purposes and therefore it is essential that such pursuits are not directed towards a build-up of destabilizing military capabilities, which can negatively impact the regional strategic stability.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The sources say that the ability of this satellite to steer up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track, is what sets it apart from the previous in series. This ability combined with high-resolution imagery adds power to the celestial vision. Now the observatories in India need not waste time giving orbital corrections to be over the area of interest, instead, the steering itself could do the trick. In short, it implies that larger areas in real time can now be scanned, almost eliminating the shadow periods. Monitoring of missile and nuclear activities as also the terror infrastructures in Pakistan will now be under constant Indian watch by the combined surveillance of Cartosat 2, EROS A and RISAT satellites.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Cartosat-2&#39;s panchromatic camera can produce images better than 1 meter in resolution. To be precise, the resolution is .8 meters which is even better when compared to the 82 cm panchromatic resolution offered by the Ikonos satellite. India had been previously purchasing images from Ikonos at about US$20 per square kilometre; the use of Cartosat-2, now provides imagery at 20 times lower cost. At the time of Cartosat-2&#39;s launch, India was buying images worth about ₹20 crore per year from the American Ikonos operated by Digital Globe.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Today&rsquo;s launch of Cartosat 2 satellite enhances India&rsquo;s military capabilities in its space-based assets manifolds. With GSAT-7 and GSAT-6, satellites are being developed for strategic purposes. The earlier remote-sensing satellites (sub-metre resolution, matching with the best in the world) launched by ISRO as dual-purpose satellites like the technology experimental satellite (TES, 2000) and the four cartographic satellites (CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A and 2B in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) places itself in the elite club.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

With Israeli assistance, India has also launched two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites called RISAT II (2009) and RISAT I (2011). These satellites visit the target area every 3-4 days. At any given moment and time there always exists surveillance over sensitive areas which has further enhanced by today&rsquo;s launch.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Cartosat 2 satellites will give images with a resolution of .8 metres, save 20 Cr INR each year and enhance India's military capabilities in the space.

Indian Space Research Organisation’s PSLV-C40 rocket carried the Cartosat 2 series satellite along with 30 other satellites of foreign and Indian origin. It was by far the longest mission placing satellites in two different orbits. This satellite in the Cartosat 2 series, which is made with the objective of providing high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery which will be used for Land Information System (LIS) as well as Geographical Information System (GIS)-based applications. This satellite, weighing 710 kg, is carrying on board the state-of-art technology in terms of panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The swath covered by this high-resolution PAN camera is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is less than 1 metre. India’s neighbour and arch rival Pakistan has raised questions over the usage of the satellite by India and showed its concern which is not without reason. Islamabad’s Foreign Office spokesperson said New Delhi must refrain from putting the new satellite to military use which could create trouble in the region. He said, “All space technologies, including earth observation satellites, are inherently dual use and can be employed for both civilian and military purposes and therefore it is essential that such pursuits are not directed towards a build-up of destabilizing military capabilities, which can negatively impact the regional strategic stability.” The sources say that the ability of this satellite to steer up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track, is what sets it apart from the previous in series. This ability combined with high-resolution imagery adds power to the celestial vision. Now the observatories in India need not waste time giving orbital corrections to be over the area of interest, instead, the steering itself could do the trick. In short, it implies that larger areas in real time can now be scanned, almost eliminating the shadow periods. Monitoring of missile and nuclear activities as also the terror infrastructures in Pakistan will now be under constant Indian watch by the combined surveillance of Cartosat 2, EROS A and RISAT satellites. Cartosat-2's panchromatic camera can produce images better than 1 meter in resolution. To be precise, the resolution is .8 meters which is even better when compared to the 82 cm panchromatic resolution offered by the Ikonos satellite. India had been previously purchasing images from Ikonos at about US$20 per square kilometre; the use of Cartosat-2, now provides imagery at 20 times lower cost. At the time of Cartosat-2's launch, India was buying images worth about ₹20 crore per year from the American Ikonos operated by Digital Globe. Today’s launch of Cartosat 2 satellite enhances India’s military capabilities in its space-based assets manifolds. With GSAT-7 and GSAT-6, satellites are being developed for strategic purposes. The earlier remote-sensing satellites (sub-metre resolution, matching with the best in the world) launched by ISRO as dual-purpose satellites like the technology experimental satellite (TES, 2000) and the four cartographic satellites (CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A and 2B in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) places itself in the elite club. With Israeli assistance, India has also launched two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites called RISAT II (2009) and RISAT I (2011). These satellites visit the target area every 3-4 days. At any given moment and time there always exists surveillance over sensitive areas which has further enhanced by today’s launch. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: ISRO satellites give India panopticon surveillance over targets

On December of this year, India was shocked at the audacity of the Pakistani Army; a team crossed over the LoC and carried on an ambush on an Indian Army&rsquo;s patrol, operating in the Keri sector of the 120 Infantry Brigade. They had used landmines and small arms, killing one Major along with four soldiers. These gallant troops came from India&rsquo;s finest regiment and were part of 2 Sikh.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Within 48 hours of this horrific incident, soldiers of the Indian Army crossed the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Rawalkot sector, killing at least four Pakistani personnel on Monday. The cross-LoC raid was meant to avenge the death of four Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops earlier this week. Indian troops penetrated 500 meters across the Line of Control and the modus operandi used was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ambush followed by gunfire. Literally replicating the earlier Pakistani action.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Line of Control has been witnessing such actions and counter-actions quiet regularly ever since General Kayani started to violate the cease-fire in 2010 that had come into force in 2003 during the regimes of General Musharraf and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It must be remembered that this cease-fire came into force only when Pakistan realised that it was untenable for her to continue retaliation to Indian Army&rsquo;s artillery duels. Indian army had fired 2.5 lakh shells during the 50-day Kargil conflict and later in the years in the run-up to the cease-fire, we had fired nearly one lakh artillery round against Pakistan. Each round costs around US $ 1000.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan was forced to retaliate in a good measure too. Though we had our share of losses, both material and human, but the losses suffered by Pakistan was colossal. India could inflict huge damage on Pakistan&rsquo;s military infrastructure along with unbearable economic drain. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

In the crucial time between 2003 to 2010, Pakistanis rebuild their infrastructure and beefed up the ammunition stocks. Now they were ready to meet the Indian army&rsquo;s challenge. While for the Indian Army, the victory was always measured in terms of attaining a moral ascendancy. However, for Pakistani army the victory lies in the ability to rise after each setback and challenge the Indian might.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This is what Pakistan has been doing ever since they got created in the name of religion. They draw inspiration from the battles Mohammad fought with Meccans. Wherein he had challenged the bigger adversary with a far smaller force and, finally, led his troops to victory after suffering many defeats.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

For India, it is very much essential to understand the psychology of its adversary. And to counter that, we will have to keep the temperatures high on the border while retaining the initiative. Defensive mindset needs to be shed and more pragmatic approach is the need of an hour. While we may wade through easily being a stronger economy and military power but for Pakistan, it would be untenable as has been seen in the past.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the escalatory matrix, we are fighting with our adversary at the lowest level in No War No Peace spectrum of low intensity. We both have similar strengths at this level. In fact, Pakistan fares better as it always takes an initiative while we always react. India must tackle Pakistan at levels where we are more stronger. And our strength lies in long-range,&nbsp; high-tech weaponry and highly trained military. Or else we would continue to bleed under the status quo in this simmering conflict.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

India's strength lies in long-range, high-tech weaponry and highly trained military. This is where India must beat Pakistan

On December of this year, India was shocked at the audacity of the Pakistani Army; a team crossed over the LoC and carried on an ambush on an Indian Army’s patrol, operating in the Keri sector of the 120 Infantry Brigade. They had used landmines and small arms, killing one Major along with four soldiers. These gallant troops came from India’s finest regiment and were part of 2 Sikh. Within 48 hours of this horrific incident, soldiers of the Indian Army crossed the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rawalkot sector, killing at least four Pakistani personnel on Monday. The cross-LoC raid was meant to avenge the death of four Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops earlier this week. Indian troops penetrated 500 meters across the Line of Control and the modus operandi used was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ambush followed by gunfire. Literally replicating the earlier Pakistani action. The Line of Control has been witnessing such actions and counter-actions quiet regularly ever since General Kayani started to violate the cease-fire in 2010 that had come into force in 2003 during the regimes of General Musharraf and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It must be remembered that this cease-fire came into force only when Pakistan realised that it was untenable for her to continue retaliation to Indian Army’s artillery duels. Indian army had fired 2.5 lakh shells during the 50-day Kargil conflict and later in the years in the run-up to the cease-fire, we had fired nearly one lakh artillery round against Pakistan. Each round costs around US $ 1000. Pakistan was forced to retaliate in a good measure too. Though we had our share of losses, both material and human, but the losses suffered by Pakistan was colossal. India could inflict huge damage on Pakistan’s military infrastructure along with unbearable economic drain. In the crucial time between 2003 to 2010, Pakistanis rebuild their infrastructure and beefed up the ammunition stocks. Now they were ready to meet the Indian army’s challenge. While for the Indian Army, the victory was always measured in terms of attaining a moral ascendancy. However, for Pakistani army the victory lies in the ability to rise after each setback and challenge the Indian might. This is what Pakistan has been doing ever since they got created in the name of religion. They draw inspiration from the battles Mohammad fought with Meccans. Wherein he had challenged the bigger adversary with a far smaller force and, finally, led his troops to victory after suffering many defeats. For India, it is very much essential to understand the psychology of its adversary. And to counter that, we will have to keep the temperatures high on the border while retaining the initiative. Defensive mindset needs to be shed and more pragmatic approach is the need of an hour. While we may wade through easily being a stronger economy and military power but for Pakistan, it would be untenable as has been seen in the past. On the escalatory matrix, we are fighting with our adversary at the lowest level in No War No Peace spectrum of low intensity. We both have similar strengths at this level. In fact, Pakistan fares better as it always takes an initiative while we always react. India must tackle Pakistan at levels where we are more stronger. And our strength lies in long-range, high-tech weaponry and highly trained military. Or else we would continue to bleed under the status quo in this simmering conflict. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Why India and Pakistan violate the LoC repeatedly?

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Col Danvir Singh

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