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India Can Help Sikhs Fleeing Afghanistan Find A Home In Kashmir Valley

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India Can Help Sikhs Fleeing Afghanistan Find A Home In Kashmir Valley

by Lt Gen I.S. Singha, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

The hasty withdrawal of the American troops from Afghanistan last month and the rapid advance of the Taliban to Kabul to capture power created a very insecure environment for the minorities, including the Tajiks, Hazaras and the Sikhs. The Indian government with some reassurances from the Taliban was able to evacuate most of the Indian community, including the Sikhs and Hindus residing in Afghanistan for several generations. The announcement of the Taliban government wherein proscribed terrorists have been made ministers, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, a dreaded leader, has further confirmed the fear of minorities for future blood baths.

Up to early 1980s, three to five lakh Sikhs and Hindus were residing in Afghanistan. The Sikhs were from the Pashtun, Hindkowan and Punjabi ethnicities and were concentrated in the major cities of Kabul, Jalalabad, Ghazni and Kandahar. The population started dwindling during the last four decades of turmoil and violence in the war-torn country. The population of Sikhs in Afghanistan came down to a few thousands by the beginning of this year.

A large number of gurdwaras in Afghanistan were either destroyed or converted into mosques, leaving about a dozen of them in the larger population centres. Most of the Afghani Sikhs owe their allegiance to Hari Singh Nalwa’s reign over Jamrud at the mouth of the Khyber Pass; some converted much earlier when Guru Nanak came to Kabul on his way to Mecca and Madina.

Around 70,000 to 80,000 Sikhs have migrated from Afghanistan to India over the years. A few NGOs have been working towards resettlement of these refugees and most of them have been relocated in Delhi and surrounding areas. Some of them have moved in with their relatives in India.

The Sikhs in Kashmir

After the exodus of five per cent of Kashmiri population of Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in the late 1980s, somehow the Sikhs who were mainly located in the villages stayed back and resisted the pressures from the majority Muslim community to migrate. There are around 1.5 lakh Sikhs located in more than hundred villages in districts of Kupwara, Baramulla, Budgam, Pulwama, Srinagar and Anantnag. The Muslim and Sikh communities have been living in reasonable religious harmony but a large number of Sikhs have left farming in the villages and moved to major towns. In the past, there have been certain isolated and one-off violent actions against the Sikhs, like the Chittisinghpura incident of 2000 wherein 36 innocent members of the community were killed by the terrorists in the wake of President Clinton’s visit to India. Sikhs form a little less than two per cent of the population of Kashmir Valley.

The Kashmiri Sikhs do not have reservations for government jobs on the lines of Kashmiri Pandits and have been fighting for them. Recently, there was tension between Muslims and Sikhs in Kashmir over the forced conversion of two Sikh girls to Islam through marriage with Muslim men. The issue was resolved through intervention by a Delhi-based Sikh community leader who led the protests by Sikhs in Srinagar. Some Sikh girls who are well-educated but did not get suitable jobs have converted willingly, in their aspiration for better living standards. Since the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, demand for reservations in government jobs has found further traction among the Sikh community.

Can Afghani Sikhs Resettle In Kashmir?

The Sikh refugees from Afghanistan can be resettled in Kashmir Valley along with the existing Sikh population. The main advantage would be that both Afghanistan and Kashmir being mountainous regions, the refugees will get to settle in similar environments. The Sikhs in both the places have had a history of living in harmony with Muslim community. The enhanced numbers will also give some additional strength to the Kashmiri Sikhs, who have been migrating to the urban centres for security reasons.

Reverse relocation from towns to the villages should be engineered for the Sikhs so that they can return to farming in their villages in a secure environment. Suitable presence of Rashtriya Rifles units of the Indian Army and the Central Armed Police Forces in close proximity to these minority pockets will give them an inherent security cover. The Sikhs in Kashmir have a history of standing up to and fighting the invading Kabali tribesmen who had crossed over from Pakistan in 1947 and were plundering Baramulla and Sopore towns.

The experiment of resettling Afghani Sikhs in Kashmir if proved successful will pave the way for the Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homeland and properties in Kashmir. Additionally, Sikhs and Hindus from the northern states should be encouraged to settle down in Jammu and Kashmir if they bring in capital to invest and improve the economy of the state.

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Indian Defense

INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’


NEW DELHI: India tested its nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), designed to have a strike range of 3,500 km, for the second time in six days on Friday. The missile test, as the one conducted on January 19, was undertaken from an undersea platform in the shape of a submersible pontoon off the coast of Andhra Pradesh according to a report by Rajat Pandit of TOI.

The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.

“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.

India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.

Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.

The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.





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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%

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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%


India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade

In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.

The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the upgrade. The upgrade is part of India’s efforts to improve the capabilities of its primary fighter aircraft, it refers to as the “Super Sukhoi”.

This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.

In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.





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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace

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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace


According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

While there is no official confirmation because of the sensitivities involved, documents suggest that the order for the same has already been placed the report further added.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria reported TOI.

The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.

Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System

BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.

Akash Weapon System

The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.

The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.

The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.





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