IAF cites personal reasons
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 2 — The Indian Air Force (IAF) today said the "request for premature release" by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal S.S.H. Naqvi, and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans), Air Vice Marshal M.M. Sehgal, was for personal reasons.

An IAF spokesman, while denying certain media reports, said the request for premature retirement by Air Marshal Naqvi was on personal grounds.

Air Marshal Naqvi is reported to have written a simple application wherein he wished to seek premature retirement from service from September 30. Air Marshal Naqvi had two more years of service left and there was a slim possibility of his making it to the next rank as there were six more officers senior to him.

Air Vice Marshal Sehgal has sought premature retirement from December 31 on serious health grounds.

A spokesperson said their requests for premature retirement were being considered by the government.

Reports stating that Air Marshal Naqvi had been transferred as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) South Western were not true, the spokesperson said, adding Air Marshal P.S. Pingale had already been cleared for the post by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Among the other senior officers who will take up new postings from November 1 are Air Marshal Vinod Patney, who was in-charge of the air operations in Kargil. Air Marshal Patney is moving from Western Air Command to Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief.

Air Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, at present AOC-in-C, South Western Air Command, will be taking Air Marshal Patney's place. Air Marshal V.K. Bhatia, at present AOC-in-C at Central Air Command will replace Air Marshal Krishnaswamy.

Air Marshal M.S. Sekhon will take over as SASO at Western Air Command from October 1 and he will be replaced by Air Marshal Michael McMahon as SASO, Eastern Air Command.

Air Marshal T.J. Master, who is being replaced by Air Marshal Pingale as SASO, South West Air Command, will take over as Inspector-General Flight Safety at Air Headquarters.

6 Indian soldiers missing
Pak shows video of two captive jawans
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 2 — India today said that six of its soldiers from the 3 Rajput, including an officer, were missing after they went for patrolling in the Turtuk region of Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

Two of the Indian soldiers were shown on the television by Pakistan today. Pakistan claimed that the soldiers had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and were captured by its soldiers on patrol.

While the Indian troops had on Tuesday and yesterday foiled three attempts by Pakistan intruders to capture forward posts in the Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch sectors, the six soldiers went missing apparently in the fighting in the Turtuk region. There had been reports that Pakistan had again attempted to cross the LoC in the region and there had been heavy exchange of firing between the Indian and the Pakistani troops.

The fighting in Turtuk and the other regions had given fresh evidence that Pakistan was still wanting to carry on with the fighting after being pushed back from Kargil region. It was still wanting to open up fresh points of conflict and as such was sending in intruders, all of them being Pakistani army regulars.

Reacting to the footage shown by Pakistan, India today said that one officer and five jawans of 3 Rajput who were on patrol on August 29-30 in the Turtuk region might have "inadvertently strayed" across to the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had already spoken to his counterpart in Islamabad to return them if they had been captured.

The Defence Ministry here said the six-member patrol were missing since August 29-30 from sub-sector Haneef in Turtuk sector. The Indian DGMO had asked his Pak counterpart on August 31 to return the soldiers if they had strayed across.

Pakistan today showed video footage of two Indian soldiers it said it captured during an Indian "act of aggression" over the military Line of Control (LoC) dividing disputed Kashmir.

"These soldiers are safe with us," military spokesman Brigadier Rashid Qureshi told an Islamabad news conference which saw brief video clips of two men in Indian army uniforms.

He said they were taken prisoner when 400 Indian troops attacked across the LoC in the Shyok-Turtuk sector close to Kargil, scene of two months of heavy fighting between the two arch rivals until a disengagement agreement in July.

Qureshi identified the pair as Ram Singh. No. 2984373, and Bajinder Singh. No. 2996593. Both of the third Rajput Battalion of the ninth Indian brigade.

He quoted an Indian Army spokesman as saying in an International News Agency report that "no such attack was launched by the Indian Army".

The two men, who looked in good condition, said they were taken on the night of August 29/30. "Don’t worry about me. I am all right," Bajinder Singh said.

Qureshi said the attack, together with India’s shooting down of a Pakistani Naval Patrol Plane, killing all 16 on board, was proof that "while Pakistan continues to de-escalate, India does not appear to be interested."

Meanwhile, Army Headquarters today said eight attempts had been made over the last fortnight by Pak troops to capture some tactically important protective patrol positions with a view to altering the alignment of the LoC.

The positions attacked were deployed ahead of the defences to provide them tactical depth. When Indian forces repulsed these attacks, 24 Pakistani intruders were killed.

Three of these attempts at different times came on Tuesday and yesterday, one each at Kachrial Battalion (Akhnoor), Hamirpur Battalion (Rajouri) and Radha Battakon area (Naugam).

The Akhnoor operation was preceded by heavy firing over a period of three to four hours whereas the other two were planned as surprise operations. Of the intruders killed the bodies of five were in the custody of the Indian Army at Palanwala.

Three Indian soldiers were killed and seven wounded in these attacks.

Today, the troops of the 5 Raj Rif gunned down 10 more militants near the LoC at Rani Gap in Poonch district.